Jack laughed. “Actually, no. Fancy seeing you here.”
Her blush darkened a shade and she whipped her head to the side, toward the field. “Crappy game, huh?”
“Yeah, very. What brings you here? Do you often come to lacrosse games?”
She tried for a confident smile, but it faltered. “I’ve watched a few.”
Did they all have Marcus playing?
They both stared at the field for a while longer. Marcus’s team had finally gone inside, and only two refs and Marcus’s coach were left on the sideline, red-faced, hands gesturing wildly.
He looked at Nessa out of the corner of his eye, then back toward the field. “Marcus got hassled big time out there today.”
“No kidding.” She shuffled toward the nearest aisle, and Jack tagged along. “That was a hard foul,” she said, and then quieter, “Hope he’ll be all right.”
He grinned. Outside the exit of the stands, he met Nessa’s gaze. “I’m glad, you know.”
“Glad of what?”
“That you came here to watch Marcus play.”
“No, I—” She gave up on what they both knew would have been a lie. “Why are you glad?”
“You’re good people. Marcus would be lucky to have you.”
Twisting the end of her hair, she didn’t look convinced. “He doesn’t think so.”
“Yes, he does, believe it or not. He’s just shy around girls. Thinks none of the pretty girls will go out with him.” Had he said too much?
“Did you just slip in you think I’m pretty?”
Jack laughed. Figured that’s what she heard. “For a girl.”
“Why is he always so snippy around me?”
“You know, if you act like you don’t like him, he thinks you don’t, so he won’t ask you out and then you can’t say no.”
“What?”
Jack fixed her a look. “C’mon. You hassle him as much as he needles you. A man can only pine for so long before moving on.”
“And I thought us girls were complicated.”
“Hey, hey.” Winking, he pointed a finger at her. “I’m not arguing against that.”
Nessa had a sweet ring to her laugh when she wasn’t being sarcastic.
“I’m sure the two of you will be seeing each other soon, so be nice.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Thanks, Jack. You’re sweet to do this.”
“Nah, Marcus can be slow sometimes. I’m just speeding things along.” He winked again and set out to find Brittany. He zigzagged his way across the parking, finally ending up at the Jeep. With the top down, Brittany sat in the back, hand on the roll bar, soaking up the sun.
“Man, I love your car,” she said as he approached and climbed into the front.
“It’s a Jeep, Brit, not a car.”
“Whatever, Jackie boy.” She moved to the front and buckled her seat belt without looking over. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
Jack seated himself and turned the key.
Brittany tuned in the radio. “Your lover boy is a charmer, Jackie. You did good.”
“You’re not going to complain about him not being out?”
She laughed. “The boy sat there like it was hardest thing he’d ever had to do. And he was totally doing it because of you.”
Jack’s chest fluttered. “Really?”
“He might have barely touched you, but his eyes lit up every time he glanced your way.” Brittany opened and closed the glove box. “You know what would make this car perfect? If you had some chocolate.”
Jack’s phone beeped and he pulled it out. A tingle rushed through him when he opened the text message.
Ed: You look so hot in your jeep.
He looked around for Ed’s truck and saw it three cars ahead. Shifting into first gear, he inched along with traffic, trying to stifle his excitement. Half focused on driving, he didn’t realize they were almost out of the lot until he heard Brittany’s voice.
“Isn’t that Marcus’s crush?” Nessa followed the pack who walked back to campus.
Angling over a bit to get closer but not lose his place, Jack shifted to neutral. “Call her.”
Brittany stood up and started waving her over. Then she glared at him. “You don’t seem surprised. You knew she was here.”
“I ran into her when you went to the ladies’ room.”
Brittany shook her head. “Those are the kind of details a girl wants to know.”
Nessa reached the Jeep.
“Hop in. We’ll take you back.” Jack watched her struggle, as if she thought she should say no.
“Get in or he’ll go all caveman on you and throw you in.” Brittany climbed into the back, stepping on the front seat to get there.
Jack dusted off the seat. “No respect for a man’s baby.” He opened the door for Nessa.
“You and this Jeep of yours,” Brittany muttered from the back. “You’d think it was a Rolls or something.”
“It is to me,” he said. Brittany should have known better, but she was clearly putting on her show for Nessa. Glaring at her in the rearview mirror, he hated when she did this. “You know why.”
“Oh, my bad.”
“What?” Nessa looked at him, then Brittany, then back to him. “What’s up with the Jeep?”