“Thanks.” I don’t know what else to say.

“Want to tell me what’s going on with you and my niece?”

I freeze. And that is what I call throwing a changeup. Scott loses his easygoing grin and I notice he shares Beth’s eyes. He doesn’t blink either. Time to man up. “I asked her out.”

Because of a dare. “And she said yes. She said that you’d want to meet me first.”

“Where are you taking her tonight?”

“To my pitch-coaching lesson, then to

wherever she chooses to eat. There’s a…” Taco Bell—I should skip that one. “McDonald’s and an Applebee’s nearby.”

Scott nods as if he’s processing how to

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perform brain surgery. “Where are you

taking her Friday?”

“Not far. Actually, it’ll border your property and my dad’s. My best friend lives on the other side of you and we invite friends over to hang out.”

Scott fights amusement and tenses at the

same time. “You’re taking my niece to a field party.”

I swallow.

“I grew up fifteen miles from Groveton,”

says Scott. “I know what a field party is, having attended more than a few myself.”

Busted. “I thought it would be a good

opportunity for her to spend time with my friends.”

Scott rubs his jawline. “I don’t know.”

I have to give him more. Lots more. “I like Beth. She’s pretty.” Yeah, she is. “She’s more than pretty. She’s not like any girl I’ve ever met before. Beth keeps me on the edge. With her, I have no idea what’s coming next and I find that…” Amazing. Thrilling. “Fun.”

Scott says nothing back and I’m glad. Until I said the words—words I thought I was creating to impress him—I had no idea they were true.

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A sexy voice, one I know all too well,

causes my stomach to levitate like I’m at the top of a roller coaster, then plummet. Beth heard every word. “You’re kidding.”

“It’s impolite to eavesdrop.” Scott keeps his back to her and his eyes glued on me.

“I didn’t say fucking kidding,” she responds.

He inclines his head to the right as if to agree that was a major concession. “When?”

“When what?” I ask.

“When are you picking her up on Friday?”

“Seven.”

“I want her home by nine tonight. Midnight on Friday.”

“Yes, sir.”

Scott turns to Beth. “What are you going to do while he’s practicing?”

“Watch.”

Scott dips his head in disbelief.

Beth sighs heavily. “Fine. I’ll do homework.

I’ll become studious and add ‘big fat dork’ to my ‘freak’ label. It’s what you want, right?”

“It’s all I dream about. Go on. Enjoy

yourselves.” He enters the foyer and Beth’s lips twist into that evil smirk. What the hell did I walk myself into?

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Beth

EVERY NOW AND THEN, FATE SMILES in my

favor. Yes, I know, hard to believe, but today is one of those rare days. Last week, Lacy told me Ryan drove into Louisville for coaching lessons on Wednesdays, and yesterday she told me that the facility is located in the south side of Louisville, sweetly tucked away a half mile from my home.

Outside of a large metal warehouse, Ryan

plucks a bag full of his baseball crap out of the back of his Jeep and I do my best to keep from fidgeting. My nerves make it difficult to stay still. I’m so close to my mom that I can almost taste the cigarette. Be cool, Beth. This is a hand you have to play carefully. “How long is practice?”

“An hour. Maybe a little longer.” Ryan

slings his bag over his shoulder. I swear, this HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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guy has the broadest shoulders of any high school kid I have ever met. He wears a tight Tshirt and my stomach performs tiny flips when his shirt rides up, exposing his abs.

I sigh and push the thoughts away. The

characteristics of gorgeous and decent don’t mix with wanting me. And while Ryan can be a jerk, he is…decent. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that what I’m doing to him is wrong.

Wrong but necessary.

Besides, whatever is going on between us is a game of some sort. I just haven’t guessed his angle yet. Not that it matters. By the end of the night, Ryan will hate me and so will Scott. I won’t feel bad about Scott though. He’s the one that dragged me into this mess and he’ll be much happier without me. In an hour I will have reached Mom, contacted Isaiah, and we’ll be out of town. The schedule is tight, but doable.

“Where do you want to go to dinner?

There’s an Applebee’s close by and a T.G.I.

Friday’s. Hopefully our dinner conversation will be a lot better than the silence on the way in.” He pauses. “We can do fast food if you HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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prefer. I know how you love tacos.”

The first cool breeze of fall blows across the parking lot and goose bumps rise on my arms.

In an hour, I’ll be heading to the beach.

“I said tacos, Beth. Where’s the ‘eff you’

that typically follows?”

I stare up at him and blink. I’m doing this.

I’m actually going to run away.

Ryan’s eyebrows furrow together and he

comes closer to me, blocking the breeze, or maybe it’s the heat radiating from his body warming me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He’s taller than me.

Gigantically. I’m not going to see him again so I let myself notice Ryan as he really is. He’s sexily hot with his broad shoulders, curved muscles, cute mess of sandy-blond hair kicking out behind his baseball cap and adorable warm brown eyes. I pretend for a second that the sincerity in them is real—and for me.

The wind blows again, harder this time, and several strands of my hair move across my face. Ryan focuses on them. His fingers

whisper against my cheek, then down the

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burns at the same time.

Heat races to my face and my hands

immediately cover my cheeks. What the hell?

I’m blushing. Guys don’t make me blush. Guys don’t want to make me blush. Confused by my reaction, I step away and reach into my back pocket to pull out a cigarette I bummed from stoner boy at school. “Give me a few, okay?”

“If you get bored in the waiting area and you want to watch, I’ll ask Coach if you can…”

I shake my head. “No.”

Ryan presses his lips together and heads

toward the entrance. I sneak a peek at his retreating form and my heart drops. Whatever messed-up moment we just experienced

doesn’t change anything. Ryan goes for girls like Gwen and screws over girls like me. You can’t change destinies already written. That only happens in fairy tales.

I do feel sorry for him. Scott’s going to kill him by the end of the night. “Ryan?”

He glances over his shoulder. What do I say?

You’ve been fun to mess with, but I have to save my mom. I’m sorry that when you return to Groveton tonight without me, my uncle will rip off your balls and my aunt will serve them HC TITLE-AUTHOR

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for dinner with a side of seaweed?

“Thanks.” The word tastes weird in my

mouth.

He removes his baseball cap, runs his hand through his hair, and smashes it back into place. I look away to keep the guilt from killing me.

“I’m sorry,” he says.

I blink, unsure what he’s apologizing for, but I don’t ask for an explanation. I said my piece.

He said his. We’re even.

A teenage boy leaves the building and holds the door open for Ryan. He goes in while the other boy jingles his car keys. Thank you, fate, for lending me a hand. I tuck the cigarette into my back pocket and smile in a way that makes the boy assume he has a chance. “Can I bum a ride?”

NERVES VIBRATE IN MY STOMACH and I keep

taking deep breaths. No matter how many