“Used to?” I asked, startled by how fragile she suddenly looked. The sassy girl from a moment ago had disappeared in a blink of an eye with the mention of her parents.

“Yeah,” she answered, not offering any more details.

I parked in front of her dorm and twisted my body so I was facing her before unlocking the doors so she could get out. “Well then I better not be a dumbass anymore. Because I’m pretty sure that’s what you think I am.”

That seemed to startle her back to the present. “Not at all!”

“Okay, how about a douche then? You didn’t have to come to my rescue last night, but you did. And I appreciate it. The last thing you deserved after helping me out was me jumping to the wrong idea about what happened and trying to kick you out before anyone else saw you. I’m sorry about that by the way.”

“It’s okay. I get that you were really out of it last night and didn’t know what was going on this morning,” she said, completely willing to let me off the hook.

“No, it’s not okay. I would want to kick someone’s ass if they treated Aubrey like that after she helped them out. Then again, I’d probably kick hers first for driving off with a guy she didn’t really know.”

“I’d love to see you try to kick Aubrey’s butt for doing whatever she wants.”

“Oh, trust me. My little sis knows just how far she can push me. But that’s beside the point. I owe you one, and I want to pay you back. How about dinner?” I asked.

Kaylie’s jaw just about dropped at my offer. “Ummm, I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Jackson,” she said.

And now she’d shocked the shit out of me. I hadn’t had a girl say no to anything I’d offered in a very long time. The weird thing was that I kinda liked it—this push and pull between us. It wasn’t easy, but it was fun.

“But how else am I supposed to even things up between us?”

“Who said you had to?” she retorted.

“Me. I did. And my mom. Aubrey would too. You don’t want me to get into trouble with my mom and sister, do you?” I asked, laying on the guilt.

“No, I wouldn’t,” she sighed. “But does it have to be dinner? My schedule is pretty crazy right now.”

“I’m sure you can squeeze me in. My mom already did the breakfast thing, and lunch doesn’t really scream ‘Thank you.’”

I hesitated for a moment, contemplating his offer. “Fine. You can take me to dinner tomorrow night,” she conceded.

“Awww, c’mon. Not tonight?” I knew that I was pushing it, but I just couldn’t stop myself.

“I have a shift at the bar again, so that wouldn’t work unless you want to do an early-bird special at the local diner with all the senior citizens.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that. Tomorrow night it is then. Pick you up at six?” I replied, wanting to nail down the details.

“Sure. Now that we have that out of the way, can you let me out? I’ve got stuff to do today before I have to go to work,” she said, gesturing at the lock on her door.

I watched her climb out of the truck and walk into the dorm. Damn, her ass looked good in jeans. I wouldn’t mind if my thank-you dinner turned into a night of me giving her something to be thankful for, that was for sure.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, my cell rang with my sister’s ringtone. “Hey,” I answered.

“Morning, Jackson. You feeling any better? I tried calling the house to check on you, but nobody answered.”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just dropped your friend off at her dorm and I'm on my way back to the frat house,” I said.

“Ugh! I hate you so much. I can't believe that you were basically comatose last night and are perfectly fine this morning. You know that if I come down with so much as a cold I’m knocked out for days. So unfair!” she complained.

“You snooze you lose, sis. That’s what happens when you’re the runt of the litter,” I teased.

“Litter!” she laughed. “Dude, you better not let Mom hear you comparing her to a dog or your ass is grass. And there are only two of us, so it’s not like I’m the runt. I’m just younger and prettier than you.”

“Since you mentioned young and pretty, what do you know about Kaylie?”

“No!” she yelled in my ear. “Not just no, but hell no. You’re my brother and I love you dearly, but you know that I absolutely hate when you mess around with one of my friends. And I could easily see her becoming one of my few close friends. So do me a favor and don’t go there, okay? There are lots of other girls on campus who I’m sure would be more than happy to entertain you for a night or two if you’re ready to jump back on the crazy train again. Pick one of them instead. Hell, pick a few of them and have a party for all I care.”