by K J Bell
“Sheila made pancakes. They’re in the warmer if you’re hungry,” Mr. Hunter says, smiling at me.
“Thank you,” I reply. “Where is everyone?”
“Olivia is in the garage with Brady, and Tug is still asleep,” Mrs. Hunter responds.
Liv’s in the garage with Brady, huh? She’s probably grilling him to see if our stories match. It’s a good thing I told him what I had planned to tell her about why we were out together.
“Nate, we need to get going.” Sheila’s putting the lid on a to-go mug of coffee.
“I’m ready.” Mr. Hunter’s tone suggests he’s been waiting on her all morning. He looks over at me and rolls his eyes. I chuckle silently. Nate works for Gibson Capital also, in sales and marketing, I believe. I think it’s amazing they’re able to work so closely together, yet never tire of each other.
“’Bye, Tori,” Mrs. Hunter says. Mr. Hunter waves. They file out the door leading to the garage, briefcases in hand.
“See you later.” I wave.
In nothing but his boxers, Tug enters the kitchen, yawning and brushing his face with his hands. His soldier is standing at attention, and I’m grateful there’s a button on his fly.
Glancing between his face and Captain Stiffy, I stifle a laugh. “Tug, seriously, you should put clothes on before you come downstairs.”
He grins smugly and yanks on the waistband of his boxers, sneaking a peek inside. “I have clothes on.”
“Ewwww…, maybe you should take a pee to calm that thing down.” I point at the tent in his boxers.
Tug looks down again and laughs. “Ugh, I feel so violated. I can’t believe you’re checking out my junk.”
I laugh and shake my head in denial. “It’s kind of hard not to when it’s standing up, staring at me.”
“Uh-huh. See what you’re missing.” With his hands on his head, he shakes his hips. “Go out with me, and I’ll show you?”
“I’d rather drink a dog-shit milkshake than go out with you, Tug.”
“Even after seeing all this.” He’s still shaking his hips. God, please make him stop.
“Especially after seeing all that.” I use my hands to shield my face, and look away.
Brady and Liv enter the kitchen, laughing, which stops cold when the two of them take in Tug and his manhood. Liv gags.
Brady chuckles. “Tug, you gotta cover the li’l guy when we have guests. You’re going to scare Tori off.”
Tug freezes, and his smile fades away. “Hey, now, there’s nothing little about Tug, Jr.”
Brady bends at the waist, squints his eyes, and stares at Tug’s boxers. “Shit, Tug, I’ve had pimples bigger than that.”
Brady stands, and Tug pushes him. “At least the girls I’m with don’t have to ask if it’s in yet.”
Brady wraps Tug in a headlock, and the two of them start wrestling. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the two of them together, and it makes me happy.
They’re both laughing, and Brady continues to joke. “Yeah, well, when you were born the doctors couldn’t tell if they should put you in pink or blue.”
Tug straightens, brushing his hands down his chest. “Ha, ha! Hilarious, Brady.”
After a final noogie and a few more jokes about penis size, they finally settle down. We all hang out at the island, eating breakfast and chatting. It reminds me of our childhood, and I smile.
Tug piles up six pancakes and drowns them in syrup. Cutting the pile in fours, he stabs one of the fourths with his fork. My eyes widen as I watch him stuff the entire forkful in his mouth, chew a few times, and swallow.
“How’d that taste?” Brady asks. “Any idea?”
Tug looks confused. “What?”
Brady shakes his head, and Liv and I laugh. Tug looks at me and asks what Liv and I are doing today.
As usual, Liv answers for us. “I have to work, and Tor has a date.”
Big mouth! Ugh, I didn’t specifically instruct her not to say anything, and I wonder if she’s only announcing my plans to test my reaction or Brady’s.
“What? Who stole my girl?” Tug asks mock-angry. “I got some ass-kickin’ to do.”
“She’s going out with Harrison,” Liv announces.
I wish I was wearing socks, because I’d take one off and shove it in her giant talkative mouth. “Thanks, Liv. I do know how to speak.”
I notice Brady out of the corner of my eye, and turn to look at him. He’s just about to put a bite of pancake in his mouth when he stops and sets the fork on his plate. His lips press flat, and there’s a slight tic in his jaw. Looking away to my loud best friend, I shoot her a “shut the hell up” look. She’s sipping coffee and doesn’t see me.
Tug looks at me inquisitively. “Harrison Myers?”
Clueless, Liv answers for me again. “The one and only.”
Seriously, I’m not mute here! I hope she chokes on her coffee.
Brady doesn’t speak during the conversation. He brushes his food off the plate into the trash and sets his dishes in the sink. Not once looking at me, he walks out of the kitchen. His feet thunder up the stairs, and his door slams. What the Mr. Fucking Moody? He’s made it clear he only wants to be friends. Is he mad I have a date, or is it because the date is with Harrison?
“It’s the dimples, right, Tor?” Tug jokes. “Damn, chicks love dimples. If I had dimples, would you go out with me?”
Shaking my head, I reply, “I’d rather eat boogers.”
“That was weak,” Tug says, tapping my plate with his fork. It was weak, but I was distracted, trying to figure out what is up between Harrison and Brady.
When I go upstairs, I consider knocking on Brady’s door and asking him what his problem is, but I don’t. If Brady has something to say, then he needs to say it. I’m not going to drag it out of him. That would seem desperate.
I go to my room and dress for my date with Harrison, throwing on shorts with a babydoll tee and my favorite flip-flops.
“You’re not wearing that, are you?” Liv’s on her bed, watching me like a science experiment gone wrong. “Come on, Tor. With a guy like Harrison you need to look sexy.”
I twirl around and walk to the end of her bed. “Don’t start with me, Liv. If Harrison doesn’t like me for who I am, then screw him.”
“Exactly what I’m saying. You’re not going to get to screw him dressed in that.” She gets up from the bed and begins rifling through the clothes in her closet. “Here, wear this.”
She pulls out a flirty sundress from the closet. It’s pale pink, with small flowers and spaghetti straps. It came from Liv’s closet, so I’m surprised it’s knee length. It’s pretty cute and it matches my flops, so I agree.
Liv puts a finger over her lips and looks me up and down. “Now, let me do something with that awful hair.”
God, she’s brutal. It’s not like I haven’t showered or brushed my hair in a week. I back away from her, and shake my head. “I’m just going to put it in a pony.”
“No, you’re not!” she insists. “Sit!”
I buckle under the pressure, and plop myself in a chair in front of her vanity. Liv twists my hair up into a loose bun. She braids a few pieces and wraps them around the outside of the bun, pinning them in place. After pulling a few tendrils from the side, she curls them.
“See? Much better.” She grins sassily.
“It’s cute.” I shrug.
She perks up, and her eyes brighten. “Now, makeup.”
“Nope, I draw the line there.” I stand quickly before Miss Crazy ties me down. If I let her have her way with this one, I’ll end up with smoky eyes looking like I should be on a catwalk, not a casual lunch in P.B.
Her bottom lip pops out, but I refuse to sit back down. “Fine, but you have to wear a little.”
“I will. Jeez, Maybelline, relax!”
She laughs.
After applying a light shade of pink shadow and some mascara to darken my blonde lashes, I glide on a pale pink lip gloss and I’m done.
&
nbsp; “Ugh, no liner, Tor?” Liv whines, her eyebrows coming together until they nearly form a single brow.
My head falls back, and I place the back of my hand on my forehead. “Oh, the tragedy, It’s just awful.” I do my best to sound like a southern belle.
Not amused, she scowls and shoves me toward the door. “Get, go. You don’t want to be late, and you still have to put the top up on your Jeep.”
I dig my feet into the floor, and manage to stop her from pushing me out. “Why? It’s beautiful today.”
“Because the wind will mess up your hair, duh!” Liv shakes her head. I know she thinks I’m oblivious to the obvious. I’m not, but my obvious and Liv’s are two very different things.
“You’re seriously outta control,” I tell her before informing her that I have a scarf in the Jeep and my hair will survive.
She sticks her tongue out at me. “I’m sorry. It’s been so long since you’ve had a date. I’m like a mom sending her little girl off to her first prom. Now go! And have fun. Like, too much fun. Wait, do you have protection in your purse?”
I literally growl at her from deep in my throat. “No! I’m not sleeping with him.”
Despite my protest, she stuffs two condoms into my purse. “Always good to be prepared,” she giggles.
I grab my keys off the dresser and sling my purse over my shoulder. I swear if she follows me things will get ugly.
Chapter 14
Tori
Harrison’s sitting on the hood of his car. When he sees me, he hops off and waves. He’s wearing plaid cargo shorts and a snug-fitting T-shirt. He’s more muscular that I remember.
He’s grinning, and his lips are parted in a sexy way. His eyes roam my body as I walk toward him. “Hey, you look great.”
“Thanks, Liv is responsible.” I smile bashfully.
“Remind me to thank Liv.”
As we drive PCH, Harrison makes small talk. He attends UCSD and jokes that it’s the best of the major schools in San Diego. He’s still not sure what he wants to do with his life and is majoring in business, which also happens to be my major. He asks about my parents, and I tell him about my dad’s promotion.
“What’s the story with you and Brady?”
Well, that was out of nowhere, but I’m not surprised. How do I answer? I’m in love with him, but he only wants to be friends and that hurts more than I care to admit. As vaguely as possible, I reply, “There is no story.”
He tilts his head, eyeing me in disbelief. “If you say so. What about Jake?”
I make a raspberry sound through my lips. “He’s an old story.”
He smiles incredulously. “Are you always so guarded?”
“What? I’m not guarded.”
“Okay, says the girl peeking over the top of the giant wall in front of her.”
“Am I that obvious?”
He shrugs. “Pretty much.”
I fold my hands in my lap as uneasiness sinks in when I think about what he asked. Harrison remains quiet, but I’m sure he expects some kind of answer. After a heavy sigh, I square my shoulders for strength and begin. “I don’t know for sure. I guess I put it up when I found my boyfriend of three years in a closet with his pants down. Worse, because the girl was friends with Brady, and he encouraged both of them. I'd had a crush on Brady for as long as I can remember. I never acted on it, but I thought he cared about me, like I was his little sister, too, by default. My heart broke twice that night, once for Jake’s obvious betrayal and once for Brady’s more subtle betrayal. Having your heart broken twice in the same night sucks, by the way. So up went the wall, and then came the foul mouth and tough-girl exterior. I swore off boys that night, and I swore off Brady. I guess my heart's protected this way.”
He pats my knee once and then rests his hand on the console, leaning on his forearm. “Swore off boys, huh? Guess that means I don’t stand a chance.”
I laugh a little. Harrison may be the first boy since Jake I consider giving a chance. “We’ll have to see, Harrison. Maybe if you play your cards right.”
“Good thing for me, I love a challenge.” He smiles. “You and Brady must have gotten past that if you went out with him last night.”
I answer the question Harrison didn’t have the guts to ask. “It wasn’t a date I was on with Brady. He wanted to hang out so he could apologize for what happened. He wants to move on and be friends again.” I tell the same lie I told Liv. I start thinking about Brady’s reaction to my date with Harrison and Harrison’s ambiguous text worrying about me because I was out with Brady. “A better question is, what’s the story with you and Brady? It’s kind of obvious there’s no love lost between you two.”
He forces a smile and shrugs. “Oh…that’s an ugly one, Tor.”
“How ugly?” I push.
“Extremely ugly.” He keeps one hand on the wheel, scrubbing his face with his free hand. An exaggerated sigh comes from his lips. “Let’s just say that Brady and I are two different kinds of people. I think he’s irresponsible. He thinks women are disposable, and he shows no remorse for his actions.”
I want to be angry with Harrison for what he’s saying, but that does seem to sum up Brady – when it comes to women, at least. What I saw in Brady yesterday was a whole other side to him. I wish he didn’t want to hide it, because I want to defend him right now. I want to tell Harrison that he’s wrong. Brady is more than the reputation that follows him. I can’t say anything because Brady trusts me to keep his secret.
I decide to joke. “So…what? Did he steal your girlfriend or something?”
Harrison’s jaw clenches tight. “No! He’s just reckless.”
All joking aside now, I say, “He’s more than that when you get to know him.”
Harrison shakes his head. “I do know him, and he’s dangerous. He takes unnecessary risks, and he doesn’t care who he hurts.”
I’m not comfortable with where this conversation is going, and I’m sorry I even brought it up. It’s an argument I’m sure to lose. Harrison is obviously not going to change his opinion of Brady. “Let’s talk about something else. What do you do for fun, Harrison?”
His smile brightens a little. “I surf. Have you ever been?”
“Nope, I’m almost positive you need coordination for that, and I’m seriously lacking in that area.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
I raise a brow and look at him. “You do remember how many drinks I spilled yesterday, correct?”
He laughs a little too hard, clearly remembering. “You should try it sometime. It’s fun. I can teach you.”
“I might.” I smile.
Harrison continues to encourage me to try surfing, and before long we are sitting in a booth at The Fish Market. The view is spectacular as we sit in front of a wall of windows facing the ocean. The food is always amazing here. I’ve never ordered something at The Fish Market that I haven’t loved.
Harrison orders halibut, and I order scallops. The waitress knows Harrison and keeps flirting with him while shooting me irritated looks. Harrison is oblivious, which makes me laugh. Harrison Myers is clueless that he’s way up there in the looks department. I like that about him. It’s a nice change of pace from Jake, who thinks he’s god’s gift to women.
We eat and chat through lunch. We don’t discuss Brady or Jake any further, much to my relief, instead sticking to work, hobbies, school, all the usual get-to-know-you stuff.
When we finish eating, I pull out my purse to get money to pay my half. I prefer to go Dutch, as I had told Harrison when I agreed to the date. As I open, my purse, the condoms Liv shoved inside fall out and slide across the table. Where’s the nearest hole? I’m going to crawl into it.
Harrison bursts out laughing, and I quickly grab the foil-packaged splash guards and shove them back into my purse. My cheeks and neck burn feverishly. The older couple next to us snickers, and I remind myself to kill my best friend when I get home. My eyes lift to Harrison; his laughter has calmed, but his smile is still h
uge.
“I’m going to kill Liv.”
“Blame the friend, huh?” He’s joking, but I’m sure my face is the brightest shade of red on the spectrum.
I huff out a breath and shake my head. “Seriously, Harrison, it’s not funny. She has us married with kids already.”
“Well, no need for a goalie if we’re having kids.”
Harrison chuckles to himself while I dig around in my purse for my wallet. “Just so you know, don’t get any ideas. I swore off guys after Jake, remember?”
“Oh, I remember.”
On the drive back to P.B., Harrison offers to give me a surfing lesson. For some bewildering reason, I agree. We stop briefly at his apartment, and I wait in the car while he runs up and grabs two surfboards and changes into board shorts. He’s loaning me his sister’s board and wetsuit. We stop at my house, and I quickly change into my swimsuit. Thankfully, no one is home, because I’m not up for the third degree from any of the Hunters.
Once we’re at the beach, Harrison removes the straps from the surfboards, lifts them from the top of his car, and sets them in the sand. I catch his sister’s wetsuit when he whips it at me, and squeeze into it while he pulls his on. My eyes roam up and down his frame deliberately, checking him out. He’s got great abs, not as Adonis-worthy as Brady’s, but nice.
Harrison carries both boards to the water’s edge and sets them down side by side, telling me to step up on the smaller one, and I do. He instructs me to lie flat and pretend to paddle. Once I’ve gotten the hang of paddling, he demonstrates how to pop up on his board, and I give it a try on mine. He shakes his head, and positions my feet wider on my board. His hands hold each side of my waist as he tells me to bend my knees more. There’s something I wasn’t expecting, a sensual little stirring in my belly telling me that I’m attracted to him and not just as friends. I smile but look away. He pulls my arms away from my sides, and instructs me how to use them for balance.
When I inform him I’m ready to try it in the water, we swim out and straddle the boards. I watch him, and when he lies flat, I follow, and we paddle out into the water. The first swell hits me and almost knocks me off.
