Only Her Best Friend - Cami Checketts Page 0,1

Meredith had kissed a few boys, but nothing had ever felt like this. She wasn’t surprised. Cruz was one of a kind, and of course, his kiss would light her up from the inside out.

He pulled back slightly and muttered, “Wow. I … You … Oh, man.” Then he was kissing her again. It was so sweet that the ever-confident Cruz was disconcerted, but all Meredith could concentrate on was his kiss. She felt like she was floating. His lips exerted just the right amount of pressure to be tender yet passionate, and his strong body surrounding her would protect her and love her.

“Cruz! Cruz!” Insistent yells penetrated their forest sanctuary, and Cruz broke away from her.

He chuckled easily and happily. “We’ll continue this later.”

“Okay,” she murmured, certain every one of her dreams had come true. She hadn’t even had to say something to him, and Cruz had instinctively known she wanted to be with him. He’d felt the same as her all this time. No more worrying if they were “only friends.”

He took her hand and started leading her back toward the party. Meredith didn’t want this magical moment to end, but Cruz Chadwick had kissed her, was holding her hand, and was leading her—shy, daughter-of-the-preacher Meredith Francis, back to the party.

“Wow, Hope,” he murmured. “I never would’ve guessed you could kiss like—”

Meredith ripped her hand free and backed away from him. Hope? He thought she was Hope? The horror of realization rolled through her. Of course, he hadn’t willingly kissed his quiet friend Meredith, but smiley, popular Hope. She turned and ran blindly through the dark forest. Luckily, she didn’t slam into a tree, and luckily, Cruz didn’t follow her. If he saw it was Meredith who he’d kissed, would he be embarrassed or happy? Most likely embarrassed. They’d been friends since childhood, but now she could see that he would never see her differently.

She finally saw light ahead and ran for the front of the house, down the driveway, and to the road that circled the large lake that was the centerpiece of their mountain valley.

She’d come with her friend Kristen, but she’d text her later. Her house was only a mile and a half away, and running home sounded preferable to seeing Cruz in the illumination of the backyard lights, knowing that he’d thought he was meeting and kissing Hope. Her romantic illusions and dreams crumbled. Cruz would never think of her as anything but a friend.

Cruz stood stunned as Hope ripped her hand from his and ran off. He’d been so shocked and delighted by the way it had felt to kiss her that he was living in a fog. For the past couple of years, he’d realized he was in love with his friend, Meredith Francis, but she was so far out of his league. Out of the league of anyone he knew. He would never dare to presume she would give a wannabe show-off like him a chance.

Stetson had confided in Cruz earlier today that Hope was into him. Hope was a pretty blonde with a cute smile and a bubbly personality. He liked her, but no one could compare to Meredith for him. Meredith with her innocent, sweet smile, those big dark eyes that just drew him in, not to mention her fit body, long, dark curls, and smooth, brown skin. She was perfect to him. Meredith was light, class, beauty, and quiet confidence rolled into one. She was destined for greatness beyond this valley. Maybe someday Cruz would prove himself worthy of her, but it was a lot to hope for. He faked self-assurance around his peers while his mom belittled him behind closed doors every chance she got. Cruz prayed the phrase “fake it till you make it” would prove prophetic for him and his dreams and goals. He was definitely a fake, but luckily, nobody but his mother seemed to know it.

When Stetson had whispered to him to go to the trees and he’d have Hope meet him for a kiss, he’d decided he needed to give Hope a chance. He’d never be brave enough to tell Meredith how he felt anyway, so he shouldn’t snub a cute girl who obviously liked him.

Hope’s kiss had knocked him for a loop. He’d always assumed it was Meredith for him, but that kiss had been too incredible to not try to push Meredith out of his mind and focus on Hope.

He followed his friends’ calls out of the forest and saw