“Are you dating?”
“What?” My jaw drops. “No freaking way.”
“Misty.” She shoots me a look.
“Sorry. But still, no way.”
“He obviously has a thing for you.”
“I’m hot and he’s a guy.” I roll my eyes.
Mom laughs. “So humble.”
“Humility didn’t do anything for Jo.” I shrug a shoulder. “Except get her kicked off the volleyball team and grounded by you guys.”
“That wasn’t humility, that was stupidity.” Mom shakes her head. “Thankfully she’s doing very well now.”
“Yeah, because she stopped being so humble and caring what others think of her and started living.”
“Right.” Mom laughs. “Back to Mitchell, though, it looks like he has a crush on you. I mean, for years we’ve known he has, but now it seems like he may just do something about it.”
“Mom.”
“What? I’m just stating facts.” She smiles wide.
I roll my eyes. “A relationship between Mitchell and me will never happen, so you and your bestie should stop planning our wedding.”
“Sure thing.” Mom keeps smiling.
Dad’s snore captures our attention and she finally drops it, but if I know my mother, I know this won’t be the last time she asks.
Chapter Twenty
I’m finishing up my makeup when my sister calls me on a FaceTime. I answer and stand the phone up against the counter.
“What’s up?”
“Damn. Where are you going?” she asks, eyeing my tight green miniskirt and the pink bralette I’m wearing as a shirt.
“A party with Soleil.”
“Whose party?”
“Damon. Some guy she knows.” I shrug. “I think he’s a pre-med major.”
“Ha. You just love those pre-med parties.”
I stick my tongue out at her as I lift the phone in my hand and look at her. “You look nice. Where are you going?”
“Dinner with some of the players and their wives.”
“Are they nice?”
“Very nice, actually.”
“Good. How are things with the clinic coming along?”
“Slowly,” she says, dragging the word.
“What happened now?”
“Nothing. I’m waiting on the inspectors again.” She sighs. “Owning a business kind of sucks. I don’t know why I let Dad talk me into this. I should’ve just stayed full-time with the team.”
“It’ll be so good once you get it off the ground, Jo.”
“I know.”
“You’re so good at what you do. Everyone says it.”
“Thanks.” She doesn’t sound like she believes me, but at least she’s smiling. “So I heard you and Mitchell are dating?”
“What?” I let out a laugh. “Let me guess, Mom told you.”
“She did.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I laughed and laughed some more.” My sister smirks at me. “You know you’re going to cave, right? You’ve been ignoring him and fending off his advances for a while, but now? Forget it.”
“Forget what?” I shoot her a look. “I am single and enjoying the heck out of it.”
“Right. Until you’re not.”
“I don’t see that happening in the foreseeable future.”
“Okay. I’ll quote you on that.”
“Okay.” I stick my tongue out at her.
“So . . . ”
“So?” I frown at my sister’s cat-ate-the-canary face. My heart stops. “Don’t tell me you’re pregnant.”
“What?” She starts laughing, then points the camera at Jagger, who’s driving her.
“Hey, Jag.”
“She’s not pregnant. Yet,” he says, raising an eyebrow.
“Not for a while.” My sister shoots him a stern look, then looks at me in the camera again. “Jag and I are on our way there.”
“What?” I squeal. “Really?”
“Yep.” She smiles wide.
“Jo invited herself over to your parents’ house this weekend,” Jagger says.
“Why would you do that?” I frown. “You didn’t even want to live there when you were in this town.”
Jag chuckles. “That’s what I said.”
“Am I not allowed to miss my family?” she asks. “Besides, you ditched the plan to come see us this weekend.”
“I didn’t ditch the plan. Mav ditched it. He said his scheduled moved.”
“Well, go to Mom’s house,” Jo says.
“Tomorrow. At what time do you get here? Maybe you can come to the party, or are you too cool for that now that you’re a college graduate and shit?”
“We’re tired. Besides, Jag needs to lay low.”
“This is a Duke party. No one cares about Jagger.”
“Oh, that’s fucked up, Misty,” Jagger says. “They cared about me when they went home crying after I kicked their ass my last game.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes. “But come to the party. I’ll text you the address.”
“I’m tired, but maybe,” Jo says. “I’ll text you when we get to Mom’s.”
“‘Kay. Love you guys. See you tomorrow, and hopefully tonight.”
“You should’ve just packed a bag,” Soleil says beside me. We’re sipping on seltzer drinks as we people-watch from the sidelines. The party is pretty crowded thus far. “My place is much closer than yours. We can walk from here. My roommate is out of town anyway.”
“All the more reason for me not to stay over. Archer’s coming tonight, you know.” I wink.
“Oh stop. Stop trying to make something out of nothing.” She blushes.
“Is it nothing, though?” I raise an eyebrow.
“It’s less of a thing than you and Mitchell.” She raises an eyebrow right back.