I lifted my eyebrows. “Last I checked, friends don’t ask for saliva donations.”
Andrew choked over his water.
Shelby glared at Damon, then sent her icy stare at me. “I guess Damon was just tired of having second best.”
Andrew’s mouth formed an “O”. He wasn’t used to Sassy Skye duking it out with her real-life nemesis, but I was sick of this. Kellum wasn’t around to stand up for me, and Shelby had played enough games. It was time I stood up for myself. Didn’t they know people had bigger things to worry about?
“Can you just leave?” I said.
Damon lifted his chin. “You jealous?” His eyes sparked, and I realized this was a game to him.
“Seriously?” I asked. “Grow up.”
“Then I’ll call you?” Damon smiled, and a month ago I would have drooled over how sexy it was, but now it made me sick.
“Dude.” Andrew waved his hand. “Right here.”
Damon tucked Shelby under his arm but kept his eyes fixed on me.
I stood up, toe to toe with him. I was not a game to be played. “Why don’t you two run out and use that sunbaked condom sitting in your glovebox.”
Shelby’s mouth fell open.
“What?” I asked. “Have fun with my sloppy seconds.”
That shut her up. She stammered something weak about Damon looking better than Andrew, but I ignored her.
Damon threw some cash at the register, then stormed out of the restaurant with Shelby in tow.
I stayed standing until the door closed behind them, then sat down.
Andrew’s mouth was still wide. “Holy shi—”
I gave him a pointed look. “Language.”
“Crap.” He stood up and came to my side of the booth, his hand raised for a high-five. “You’re my hero.”
The waitress stood behind him with her hand up. “Mine too.”
Chapter Seventeen
Andrew drove to a spot along that desolate country road where he first asked me to be his girlfriend.
I leaned my head back against my seat and closed my eyes. We had the windows down and the moon roof wide open, letting in the summer air and the sound of crickets and bullfrogs, but all I could hear was Liz saying she was pregnant and not to get caught up in a guy.
Her situation terrified me, but I’d never really thought about sex and pregnancy until I started dating Damon. Getting that far with a guy seemed so impossible, I hadn’t thought of where to draw the line. But now that I knew how easy it was for a guy to push the boundaries—and how easy it could be to get swept up in it all—I couldn’t get sex off my mind.
“What are you thinking about?” Andrew asked.
I sighed and closed my eyes. Time for some honesty. “Sex.”
I didn’t see Andrew’s reaction, but I pictured his eyebrows raising and his mouth falling slack. “What about it?”
“That it changes everything.” I looked over at him.
He nodded. “You’re right. You know I’d never pressure you into that, right?”
Did I? His earnest blue eyes and the sweet curve of his lips had me convinced. I nodded.
Andrew gripped my hand in his, easily winding his fingers through my own. “So what is it?”
“I’m afraid.”
“Of?”
“Of this.” I took him in, his bronzed skin, the slope of his toned shoulders. “Of how much I like you.”
He swallowed. “Is that a bad thing?”
I looked back at the sky through the open moon roof, wishing the stars held all the answers I needed. But I didn’t think there were any easy answers out there for me. “I don’t know.”
“Skye, if I learned anything this spring, it’s that I don’t want to mess this up ever again. I’m here. If I can’t talk to you, I’m coming to your house, and if I can’t do that, I’m sending a messenger. Or an airplane or anything.”
I covered his lips with my hand. “It’s not that.”
His mouth curved under my fingers. “Okay.” He took my hand and kissed each of my callouses.
I closed my eyes against the warmth he sent right to my heart, right to the iceberg frozen from fear.
“Can you make me a promise?” he asked.
Wariness clenched my chest. Promises were always broken. “What?”
“Don’t end this before it even starts. We have something special. You have to know that. The reason you’re so scared is because you know we have something to lose.”
The truth in his words hit me like a ten-ton truck. I’d seen what true love had done to Liz, and I never wanted to be broken like that. And then there were my parents. If they loved each other, their feelings were buried so deep I couldn’t see them. Were those my two options? If they were, I’d rather live my life broken than empty. “I promise.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” I leaned my seat all the way back, giving me a better view of the cloudless sky above.
He rubbed his other hand over the back of mine. “Let’s play a game.”
I rolled my head to the side and eyed him. “What game?”
“It’s called Fortunately Unfortunately.” He leaned his seat back too.
“Never heard of it.”
“It’s easy. I say something fortunate, and you say something unfortunate about it, and then we switch.”
Honestly, it sounded lame. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. “I’m game.”
“Okay. Fortunately, the sky is really clear tonight.”
“Unfortunately…that means there won’t be any rain soon, and farmers need rain.”
Andrew raised his eyebrows. “Not bad for a newbie.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Your turn.”
“Okay.” I looked over at him. He’d gone for the obvious choice. But what if we made it a little more…fun? “Fortunately, you look really good in that shirt.”
His lips twitched back into a flirty smile. “Now you’re getting the hang of it.”
I shoved his shoulder. “Quit stalling.”
“Unfortunately…” He turned so he was lying mostly on his side, looking at me. “I don’t look nearly as good as you do right now.”
I couldn’t help the smile that shaped my lips. “Your turn.”
“Fortunately, I had the evening off so I could come help your parents with chili tonight.”
I immediately knew what I’d say to that. “Unfortunately, chili is lame.”
His mouth spread in shock. “Lame? I never!”
I giggled. “I know you bean business, but it’s lame.”
“Yeah, but I love it from my head tomatoes.”
“Are you making fun of my parents?”
“No, no, no,” he said, totally serious. “Your mom shows great pun instinct.”
I covered my face. “Oh lord.”
“Your turn.”
“Fortunately,” I began. I bit my lip. “Fortunately, you didn’t give up on me.”
He reached up and brushed my cheek with his thumb. “Unfortunately, for you, I don’t intend to ever give up on you.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he’d lost that round. That was the least unfortunate thing I’d heard all night.
Chapter Eighteen
Saturday morning, Dad woke us all up, not for work, but to help get the chili ready. Mom and Dad had Liz and me helping, from cutting onions to adding spices. Thankfully, Liz’s stomach wasn’t so upset by the smell this morning. But her attitude hadn’t changed for the better.
“Why are we doing this?” she asked.
“It’s fun,” Mom said. “Something we can do as a family.” Her eyes had a light in them I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Liz put a hand on Mom’s shoulder. “Should we visit a dictionary?”
Mom shoved her hand off. “Ha ha.”
Liz and I shared a smile.
Dad added onions to the pot. “I have my eye on that prize money.”
And, for the sake of everyone at the cook-off, I hop
ed we’d win. Dad’s temper and fifty slow cookers full of boiling meat wouldn’t go well together.
A few hours later, we had the chili made, the plain T-shirts and iron packed, and we got into the car. And on the way, Mom and Dad did something I’d never expected.
Me: Andrew, my parents are holding hands.
Andrew: What? How dare they.
Me: No, lol, they NEVER hold hands.
Andrew: That’s awesome. :)
Me: I hope so. Who knows how long it will last.
Andrew: Just enjoy it.
Andrew: How much longer til you guys get here?
Me: About an hour.
Andrew: Ready to get crushed like garlic?
Me: More puns?
Andrew: Is that a yes?
Me: Ready to get smoked?
Me: (That’s a meat joke.)
Andrew: We will ghee.
Andrew: (I got it.)
Me: lol I’ll “ghee” you soon. :) Can’t wait to see the T-shirt design.
Andrew: You’re gonna love it.
Me: From my head tomatoes.
Like promised, Andrew met us in the parking lot holding a packet with the iron-on designs. He shook Dad’s hand, and Mom even hugged him.
“Hey, Skye, Liz,” he said, grinning.
Liz lifted her hand in a half-hearted salute. I smiled at him. He looked amazing, even wearing his Brindon Chili Co. shirt.
“Okay,” he said. “Hand over your shirts. I want the design to be a surprise.”
“You sure?” I asked. “I can help.”
Andrew smiled. “That would be fine.”
Mom looked between the two of us. “Okay, we’ll go register.”
We all walked in together but split at the front doors to the big community building. They went to the registration table, and Andrew and I went to find a bathroom.
With the door closed behind us, I said, “Okay, show me the design.”
Andrew shook his head. “Nope. You’re just here for moral support and something nice to look at.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ha ha.”
His gaze traveled from my eyes, down, down, down, and back up, like he’d taken in every inch of me and loved what he saw. “You’re incredible.”
Warmth spread from my stomach to my cheeks. What could I say to that, other than, “Thank you.”
He smiled and lifted his hand until he brushed my cheek with the backs of his fingers. Forget sparks, the contact sent lightning bolts straight to my gut. How could a simple touch have such an effect on me?
As soon as it started, the moment ended as he turned back to the shirts. I leaned against the door while he ironed the designs onto the four tees we brought. We didn’t talk about much, just the morning, the competition, the odds of my dad dumping chili over everyone.
And eventually, he held up a shirt, and I grinned at the design with scripted text and illustrated tomatoes on the vine.
“What do you think?” he asked.
I brushed my fingers over the cotton and vinyl design. “It’s amazing. Did you make this all by yourself?”
“I had some help from a friend,” he admitted. “So, you like it?”
“I love it.” I rested my hand on his arm. “Thank you so much.”
“Anything for you.”
I put my shirt on right there—over the undershirt I wore for the ride—and then we carried the other three out to my family. They had similar reactions, complimenting Andrew, thanking him, and then my dad said the craziest thing of all.
“Skye’s lucky to have found a guy like you.”
Andrew’s chest swelled, and he leaned forward, doing that handshake/hug thing with my dad that guys do sometimes.
Mom put an arm around my shoulders, and Liz gave me a pointed look.
Don’t get swept up in all of this. That’s what it meant.
But how could I not when everything felt so perfect for the first time in my life? Did my parents’ approval really mean that much to me? I wanted to say no, but my heart felt like it was tugging me in Andrew’s direction, to hug him and run my fingers through his wavy hair.
Andrew smiled between us. “Well, I guess I better go help my parents.”
Dad winked at him. “We need to scope out the competition.”
That meant tasting chili after chili for the next two hours. After I’d had enough, I leaned against a wall on the outskirts of the cook-off, taking everything in. From here, I had a great view of Andrew, who was talking with an older woman. Maybe someone from his hometown. We weren’t too far away from Woodman.
“Whose bright idea was this?”
I jumped. “Liz, you scared me.”
She rolled her eyes and slid down the wall to sit on the floor. It wasn’t a bad idea, actually.
I did the same and sat beside her, resting my empty bowl of chili on the floor next to me. “So, what do you think? Mom and Dad have a chance?”
Liz took a deep drink from her soda. “Surprisingly, maybe.”
“I was actually thinking the same thing.”
“How long until they call the results?”
I lifted my hips so I could grab the program out of my back pocket, then scanned down to the bottom. “About twenty minutes.”
She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
“How are you feeling?”
She gritted her teeth. “Ugh.”
“Feeling nauseous?”
“No, more like PMS times ten.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Make that a hundred.”
“Are you okay?” My stomach felt icy. “Should I take you to a doctor?”
She shook her head. “No, we’ll be fine.”
My mouth fell open, and my heart grew warm. “You said we. Does that mean you’re keeping it?”
Her lips spread into a tired smile.
I imagined the defenseless, innocent baby growing inside her. How it might not understand words or fear, but it needed her. I imagined the person her baby would grow to be. Tears burned my eyes, and I hugged her. There weren’t words for this moment, but I said three. “Love you, Liz.”
I had questions, like when would she tell her husband or Mom and Dad, and would she be staying in McClellan, but the announcer spoke over the speaker system. My questions would have to wait for another time.
I stood and helped Liz up too.
“Let’s have a round of applause for our contestants,” the woman said. “This year, I’ve tasted some of the most diverse chilis I’ve ever had—savory, sweet, you did it all, and you did it well!”
More applause echoed off the walls. People took their chili seriously.
“I won’t keep going onion on.” Polite laughter. “So I’ll get started with awards.”
I met Andrew’s eyes across the room, and he grinned smugly. Was I really the only person around here not into chili puns?
She started with honorable mention, and thankfully—or maybe not thankfully, depending on how this went—my parents’ names weren’t called.
Third place went to some team for their dessert chili, and then I held my breath for second place.
“Our first runner-up is Brindon Chili Company!”
Liz and I gaped at each other.
“And, in first place, The Hoffner Chili Group!”
Liz and I jumped up and down, hugging each other, and we looked around. Mom and Dad walked toward the stage. Once they caught sight of us, they waved us over, and we joined them on the platform.
The woman handed Mom a five-hundred-dollar check and a wooden plaque with a stirring spoon attached that confirmed our chili had indeed taken first place.
But looking from Mom and Dad to Liz and Andrew, I felt like I had won so much more.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’ll take Skye to her appointment,” Liz volunteered.
I folded my arms across my chest. “I can take myself.”
Mom and Dad sat across the dinner table where we were eating the latest iteration of their chili. They wanted to have backup
s planned in case they didn’t ever win first place again. That five hundred dollars had done more for us than I could explain.
“I can take off work,” Mom offered.
I shook my head, but caught Liz giving me a pointed stare. “Why doesn’t Liz come with me?”
Mom and Dad shared a look that went deeper than I could understand. Maybe they were worried about Liz skipping town? She still wouldn’t tell us where she’d been living before she returned. Or her new last name. But Liz had always liked life to have a healthy dose of drama and intrigue.
“Please?” I added.
Finally, Dad nodded. “Fine by me.”
Mom chewed her bottom lip, but said, “Sure.”
That night, she and Dad went out to eat, and Liz and I went to bed. We’d have to be up early the next day.
We took my pickup to Austin. Liz slept the entire way, only waking when I pulled into the hospital’s parking garage. She walked with me to the front desk, sat with me while I checked in, followed me to the room with the nurse, and waited with me, not saying a word the entire time. She was nervous about something, I could tell, and her anxiety had me strung tighter than a rubber band about to break. I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Liz. What is going on?”
She leaned forward in the chair and rubbed her temples. “I have a sonogram.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“That’s why I wanted to come. I have a sonogram scheduled at the free clinic.”
Two knocks sounded on the door, and it clicked open. Dr. Pike.
“Great to see you, Skye.” He took my hand in both of his and shook it. Then he looked to Liz. “This must be your sister. You look like twins!”
She barely laughed. “I don’t miss people saying that.”
Because we were never around each other anymore.
“I’m sure you get that all the time,” Dr. Pike said. “So, tell me, how’s Skye?”
I always thought it was weird when people referred to me in the third person when we were talking face-to-face, but I went with it. “I’m pretty good. The knee’s been good. I went horseback riding—we didn’t talk about whether I could do that or not, but I tried it, and it was a little painful after, but other than that, no big complaints.”
Loving Skye: Book Three (The Texas Star Series 3) Page 7
