I. Liked. Preach.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Preach
“Yes!” I pumped my fist in the air.
“What’s up, man?” Mateo asked as he tossed his bag into the backseat of his car, then took a bite of his hot dog.
“Jessa.” I shook my head. “Finally, she’s texting me back.”
“Oh man. She was so pissed off at you.” Mateo slid into his SUV.
“I know. I’m having to work extra hard earning her trust back for sure,” I said, then waved. “See you at Taste of Rome, right?”
“Yep. What are you waiting for?”
“Grace. I’m her ride.”
“Dude, she’s hot.” Oliver rammed into me from the side. “Why don’t you make that happen?”
“Watch it, man.” I shoved him.
He laughed, then spun out of my reach and dove into Mateo’s car, laughing.
“It’s all good,” he said, leaning out of his window. “I know you’ve got it bad for her. Don’t worry.”
I rolled my eyes. Oliver was such a dork. “Go. Save me some pizza!”
“Taste of Rome!” he yelled, then the car jetted out of the parking spot.
I know you’ve got it bad for her.
I leaned against my car and drew in a deep breath of the cool, clean air. Coming off a sweeping win over Twin River, Grace doing so well in her event, I felt like I could conquer the world right now. Like nothing mattered. Heck, I’d even gotten Grace to agree to go to Taste of Rome with me.
What if it was only as friends, though? After that one kiss…I’d wanted more, but she didn’t. What if she never did? I scrubbed my face with my hands and shook off the doubt creeping onto my shoulders.
A cool breeze stirred around me, and I instantly regretted choosing to wear only a T-shirt. I reached into my open window for my hoodie.
“Hey,” Grace said.
My heart jumped, and I whipped around as I poked my head through the sweatshirt. “Hey.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
I chuckled, willing my heart to slow down, but when I took a look at her, I knew my heart would probably never slow down.
Big blue eyes stared up at me. They were so inquisitive, but I thought I saw a wave of darkness tint them for a second. She wasn’t smiling, but that didn’t take away from her beauty. Smooth skin, wild auburn hair, and a subtle flush to her cheeks. She didn’t need any makeup at all. Natural beauty.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Oh. Yeah. Um…” I hustled to the passenger side door to pull it open for her. “Ready?”
She nodded and climbed in but kept her bag on her lap, almost as if she was clutching it to her. I shut the door, then booked it to my side and hopped in.
“You good?” I asked.
She nodded, but what little smile she’d had was completely gone. She stared straight ahead, and her jaw was clenched.