“I’m just tired,” I explained, rubbing a hand over the sore muscles lining my neck. “I’ve been editing tape like crazy. The next council meeting is coming up soon and I have to be ready. Grandma is counting on me. They’re all counting on me.”
Hannah’s expression softened as she reached across the table and grabbed my other hand. “You’ve got this, Cass. There’s no way they won’t listen to you.”
I hoped she was right. Pressure was weighing heavy on my shoulders and the closer we got to the council meeting, the worse it became. I’d had a hard time sleeping last night, thinking about what was to come. Grandma, the Lees, old Mr. Wilson, and the couple who ran the corner gas station were all counting on me. Tonight, Graham and I were going to interview the owners of the small vet clinic. Add them to the list. Those and the half dozen other people who lived and worked along Cherry were hoping for someone to have their back. I had to give them my best.
“Hey, Cassidy.”
My heart stuttered as I looked up unexpectedly at Graham’s face. He stood holding his tray on the other side of the table, dressed in a simple denim shirt and jeans. Unlike me, he’d demolished his chili and cinnamon roll. I rushed to grab a napkin and wiped at my face, hoping I hadn’t left any frosting on my mouth.
“Hey,” I said breathlessly.
It was the first time we’d actually seen each other since Saturday night, except for passing glances in the hallways between classes. Something had changed this weekend. First, at the game, when he’d finally begun to loosen up around me. And then, after we’d spent most of dinner at the ranch meeting each other’s eyes across the table and laughing when one of the boys would say something outrageous. Which happened a lot, between Eric hitting on me, Matty trying to hold him off, and Keith nearly dying every time I looked at him. But most of all, things had changed between us the moment when Graham had finally trusted me enough to tell me his story beside my car.
I’d kissed his cheek before I left. I wasn’t sure why I did that. The impromptu move had left me wanting to die of embarrassment on the way home. Did Graham even think about me like that? Or was I being the type of girl that came on too strong? It was times like these when a girl really needed her momma. Dad was great, and all, but he just wouldn’t understand what I was going through.
“Are we still on for after school?” Graham asked, still standing in front of me.
His amber gaze seemed to swallow me up. I rested my elbow on the table, leaning toward him. It was strange. I’d dated guys before. Derek the longest of all of them. But none of them had this kind of pull on me like Graham did.
It wasn’t that long ago when I’d thought he was the most annoying guy on the planet. What had changed? Why was I losing the ability to control my own tongue?
“Um, yeah...a-a-after school.” There went my ability to talk again. “I’ll be there.”
“Good.” The side of his mouth quirked up in a way that made heat curl in my stomach. “See you then.”
He began to walk away and I had the same reaction that I did at the barn the other day. My eyes trailed him until he was long gone. And then, I panned back to catch Hannah’s ridiculously smug expression from where she still sat across from me.
“O.M.G. You totally have the hots for the cowboy,” she squealed.
Panic darted through me. I shushed her and looked around to make sure no one was listening. Luckily for me, everyone seemed preoccupied with their own drama.
“You don’t have to announce it to the whole world,” I said, dying a little inside. “What if Graham heard you?”
“So, it’s true?” She leaned toward me, a crazy look in her eyes. I wasn’t sure why I bothered shushing her. Hannah was about as discreet as a neon flashing sign. “You didn’t even try to deny it! It’s true. You like Graham McGrady.”
I sealed my lips shut and gave her my most innocent look. She wasn’t buying it. Hannah knew me too well. We’d been best friends since middle school and she was too intuitive to let me slide past with something this big.
“Girl, you don’t have to hide it anymore. I approve. Full heartedly.” She took a sip of her milk carton and grinned. “He’s actually passed both of my BFF tests I’ve given him so far. A plus.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks and I gaped at her. “That’s what you were doing last week? Testing him to see if he was good enough for me to date?”
That was so embarrassing. Had Graham figured it out? I wanted to melt into the floor right there.
She waved away my indignation. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to protect her best friend. Especially after that human wrecking ball you call your ex-boyfriend. Graham knows to treat his girl like a queen. He’s not a huge partier. He might be a little on the brooding side, but I think we’re working through that. And most importantly of all, he’s totally one hundred percent head-over-boots crushing on you. He’s got good taste. So in my book, he’s best friend approved.”
My chest thudded painfully, hope flickering somewhere beneath my sternum. “You really think he’s crushing on me?”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “He can’t keep his eyes off of you. Trust me, it’s totally obvious to anyone with half a brain. I’ve been shipping you two since the beginning and I’m never wrong. You were meant to be.”
Excitement began to bubble up inside of me at Hannah’s words. I hadn’t realized it’d been that obvious between the two of us. Things had moved so fast. What was I supposed to do? Confront him about my feelings? Or let things play out naturally? There were so many things to think about.
“Oooh, you guys should go to homecoming together.” Hannah clapped her hands together. “This is perfect. I’ve been needing a distraction from stuff at home. It’s only two weeks away, but that’s plenty of time for us put a look together. Maybe I can convince my mom to take us shopping in the city this weekend. My stepdad’s away on a business trip, so it’ll be perfect. I saw some dresses at Macy’s last time I was there. We can even get...”
Hannah was still gushing about her ideas for homecoming when I looked up from the table to see Derek walking toward me with his empty tray. Our eyes met and he gave me a cocky, condescending smirk. Just the sight of it made me shiver with dislike.
“Hey, Cass, how’s Grandma doing?” he asked, pumping his eyebrows.
I narrowed my eyes at him. What did he care about my grandma?
My lack of a response only made him laugh. He nodded at me and kept walking toward the garbage bins near the exit. The longer I watched him, the more my stomach seemed to morph into a cold, hard rock. Derek was goading me about my project. He knew how much this meant to me and my grandma. He knew that kicking her out of the house Grandpa built would nearly kill her. He knew and he didn’t care.
The anger I felt launched me to my feet, shifting all my thoughts into perspective.
“I’m sorry, Han, but I can’t think about stuff like shopping for dresses or homecoming right now.” I picked up my tray and shot her an apologetic look. “And I really shouldn’t be thinking about Graham right now, either. I’ve got too much on my plate with my senior project. Worrying about guys and crushes is just going to complicate things. It’ll all have to wait until this is over and we’ve officially won.”
The disappointment in her slumped shoulders almost made me feel guilty. But I wasn’t going to back down. Graham was unexpected and exciting, but everything that I felt for him could wait. There was too much riding on the next couple weeks.
“That’s okay.” She smiled weakly up at me. “Maybe next time?”
I returned her smile. “Definitely. We’ve always got the winter formal. I promise.”
That seemed to make her perk up a little bit. She waved goodbye to me as I headed over to put away my tray. A new fire had lit within me, stronger than ever. Graham was now like the carrot at the end of the string, motivating me forward. Once we presented our project to the council, then I’d let myself start being a teenage girl again, only worried about what boy
I was crushing on and how I was going to do my hair for the next dance. Then, I could cut loose.
Then, I might just let myself fall.
Chapter Seventeen
Graham
A hot tongue slid up the side of my cheek, leaving a trail of slobber that should’ve had me running away in disgust. Instead, I laughed as Mr. and Mrs. Ivanov’s big fluffy black dog knocked me to my rear on the floor of their home and came in for round two.
I tried to apologize over the wet, slobbery kiss attack. The camera equipment was only half put away and I knew Cassidy wanted to get back to the school this evening to put in a little more editing work before we called it a night. Even though she’d raced over here with mad energy and wrapped up the interview several minutes ago, Cassidy was still happily sitting on their wooden futon chatting with the older couple. For all her talk about time getting shorter and the deadline coming soon, she never missed an opportunity to connect with someone.
“Thanks again for showing us around your vet practice,” Cassidy said, smiling gratefully. “This will be great for our presentation.”
Mrs. Ivanov pulled her into a quick hug. She was a solid woman, with strong muscular arms that put a lot of the guys on our football team to shame. “Anytime, dear. We’re just so happy to have you tell our story.”
“And I’m sorry about Luna,” Mr. Ivanov added. He was as solidly built as his wife, with a receding hairline and deep forehead wrinkles. He was looking at me over the top of his thick framed glasses as I tried and failed to keep his dog from licking me again. “She’s too friendly for her own good. Normally, we keep our big friendly giant in the back during open hours. She’d scare off all of our furry customers, if we let her.”
Cassidy grinned as she watched me struggle with the dog. “Oh, no worries. Graham likes making new friends, don’t you? Especially big slobbery ones.”
I pushed myself onto my knees and chuckled under my breath. It had been like this between us for days. Joking around. Catching each other’s eyes during class or across the hallways. Little innocent touches that had my whole body lighting up. She’d kissed me on the cheek on Saturday and it was like she was determined not to bring it up again. Confusion kept swirling in my head. Was this normally how friendships with girls worked?
I wished Nash was here. He’d know what was up. He was always better with the opposite sex—and people in general. I needed my twin. I needed him to tell me what to do.
We finally got everything packed up and said goodbye to the Ivanovs. Cassidy drove us back to the school. We were both silent the whole way. I was pretty sure there was a time or two when Cassidy opened her mouth to say something, but then she snapped her jaw closed once again. Internally, I was urging her to say something. I missed the easy way we’d talked this weekend.
“I just want to run to the computer lab for a minute,” she finally managed to say as we pulled into the school parking lot. There were still a few cars left behind, probably by some of the athletes and teachers finishing up grading. Most of the teachers didn’t care if Cassidy stayed late. I guess that was a perk of being the sheriff’s daughter. “I want to get this new interview uploaded before we both head home.”
I nodded and released my seatbelt. “You go ahead, I’ll drop the stuff off in the multimedia supply closet.”
Cassidy reached for the door handle and then paused. Looking over at me, she smiled weakly. “One more interview to go, and we’ll be practically finished. Your part will be over.”
Regret lodged in my throat. It was strange, I’d practically fought this assignment tooth and nail. And here I was, getting all emotional over the end of it. I knew it wasn’t really about the assignment. Although to be completely honest, Cassidy had made me care about these people in ways I hadn’t been prepared for.
The Lees were a young Chinese immigrant couple with two tiny kids, who’d made their home into a tiny oasis devoted to everything they missed from their homeland. The Ivanovs were an older couple who’d opened up their veterinarian practice together and lived on top of it for the past decade. Then, there was her grandma. The same one who’d sent Cassidy to school today with butterscotch cookies for her, Hannah, and me.
It would be ridiculous of me to try and say that I didn’t care whether they got to keep their homes. These interviews had changed that. I was invested. But it was also more than that. Once this project was done, I didn’t have a good excuse to hang around Cassidy anymore. She’d go off with her people, find new charity projects, and I’d be forgotten.
A week and a half ago, I would’ve given anything to be forgotten. Now, the thought of it left a sour taste in my mouth.
“I guess I should thank you,” I said, forcing a smile. “You might actually help me graduate this year.”
She laughed softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe...you could even say you really liked doing this project? And maybe, you wouldn’t mind doing more stuff like this?”
I chuckled. As much as things had changed for me during this project, I wasn’t anywhere near ready to admit that I actually liked doing schoolwork. Or that I was picking up Cassidy’s do-gooder disease. Not yet, anyway. And besides, I had my reputation to uphold as an Oakie.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” I joked. “Let’s just say that it wasn’t as awful as I expected.”
Cassidy’s lips pressed together and she frowned thoughtfully at me. It wasn’t the reaction I’d been hoping for. A small laugh would’ve been nice. Instead, she cut her gaze away and blinked at the steering wheel.
“Yeah. I guess you could say that it wasn’t awful.”
My stomach dipped. I had the sudden feeling that I’d messed up. Cassidy was making the same face Mary often did when Ken didn’t say he loved her new haircut or outfit she’d brought home. It didn’t happen often, but those were the nights Ken found a handful of wildflowers and would bring home take-out. Mary couldn’t be mad for long. His tricks always worked.
But Cassidy was out of the car before I could smooth over the damage. She started across the parking lot as I struggled to grab all the equipment and hurry after her. By the time I rushed into the doors to the school, she was already gone, probably already on her way to the computer lab.
“You’re a blockhead, McGrady,” I grumbled to myself, the sound of my boots echoing in the empty hallways as I made my way past the biology lab and toward the multimedia room.
I wasn’t really sure what I’d done wrong, but I’d definitely screwed something up.
Before I could beat myself up about it anymore, a blow hit me hard in the back of my head. Blinding pain coursed through my body. I stumbled forward, the camera equipment scattering across the waxed tile floor. My first thought was that Cassidy was going to be so mad if I put a single scratch on that camera. The second was alarm as a tennis shoe came out of nowhere and landed squarely in my gut, sending me sprawling on the ground. I turned over and gasped for breath. Stars popped up in my vision as my attacker leaned over me, still dressed in his gym shorts from football practice.
“Not so tough now, are you Oakie?” Derek grinned cockily at me trying and failing to suck in fresh oxygen. His expression morphed into one of fake concern. “Where’s the rest of your freak foster siblings, huh? Maybe I should give them all a little chat about remembering their places.”
I pushed myself up into a sitting position, rage pulsing in my chest. It wasn’t a surprise to see Kai and Dustin standing only a few feet away. They were both popping their knuckles and laughing with glee at the way Derek had sucker-punched me. There was no way Derek would’ve had the nerve to show up to a fight without backup. The guy was a slimy weasel. He wouldn’t have wanted to risk losing. He knew I could easily take him.
“Get lost, Cook,” I gasped, as I finally managed to get some air inside my lungs.
Honestly, getting into a fight right here on the school grounds was sounding like more of a headache than it was worth. And besides, Cassidy was waiting for me just down the
hall. The last thing I needed to do was show up in the computer lab with a black eye. I doubted she’d approve of that.
“What happened to all that fight inside of you?” Derek demanded. He watched me stand, his eyes glittering with hate. “What happened to the Oakie that was so ready to fight me the other day? You turn chicken, McGrady?”
I unclenched my fists at my side and took a deep breath. “I’m not going to fight you, Derek. It’s against my code to hit whiny little babies.”
His cronies booed at me, all while Derek’s face turned a bright red color. I didn’t lift my fists, but I kept my body tensed and waiting. Derek reminded me of the bulls I’d ridden this summer in the local rodeo competition. There was no telling when he’d charge. He circled me slowly, his eyes never leaving my face.
“You think you’re so smooth, don’t you, cowboy? Sliding in on Cassidy when you think no one’s looking. I’ve got news for you: girls like her never go for guys like you. You’re a waste. You’ll never have her.”
I blinked hard. So this was what this was about? His jealousy of Cassidy? Derek was a trash human being if he thought fighting me would make her feel any differently about him. He was an abusive jerk who got off on controlling everyone around him. He didn’t get to decide who got to have Cassidy. That was up to her and her alone.
“Go home, you’re embarrassing yourself,” I said dismissively.
Keeping my eyes on him, I bent down to pick up the tripod near my feet. I could see the rage building in his eyes. Just like a bull, he was getting ready to strike. And when he finally did, I was prepared.
Derek lunged at me in a low football stance, twisting his body just enough to drive his shoulder into my chest. I wrapped my arms around him, using his momentum to take us both to the ground. We landed hard. Derek was the first one up. He scrambled over top of me and took a swing at my face. All he did was manage to glance his knuckles off my cheek bone, but it was hard enough that I could tell I was going to have a bruise there tomorrow. Ken would be angry. Mary would want to know every detail of who’d attacked me. I could just see them giving me those disappointed looks, even though none of this had been my fault.
Cowboy Crush : A Small Town, Enemies-to-Lovers YA Romance (Sweet Oak Teen Ranch Book 1) Page 12
