“Agh! You just had to pull the brother card, didn’t you?” she muttered. “Fine! I’ll text you her number, but if you mess this up and I lose Kaylie as a friend, I am going to be so pissed at you.”

“Understood. Thanks, sis,” I squeezed in before she hung up on me.

My phone chimed a few seconds later with a text message from her with Kaylie’s number. Mission accomplished.

CHAPTER 9

Kaylie

I hadn’t been kidding when I told Jackson that Char was going to grill me about our date when I got back last night. She wanted to know every detail and was super impressed with what he had planned. Not that I wasn’t, but I felt like I could depend on her judgment better to make sure I wasn’t making too much out of the date. But she agreed that his buying out a table at his favorite restaurant, taking me to one of his favorite places, and convincing me that it was better to wait to have sex were all signs that I could trust Jackson. That he definitely wasn’t out to sleep with me and walk away the next morning.

On the flip side, it took a lot of convincing from me to stop her from going next door to take on Sasha. She already didn’t like her anyway, so finding out that she’d been a bitch to me about Jackson was like waving a red flag at a bull. I was pretty sure the next time they bumped into each other that Char was going to have some choice words to share with Sasha. Not that it was going to help with situation at all. I was just glad that we only had to live next to her for the next four months until graduation.

Damn, it was only four months until we graduated. What the hell was I thinking to start something up with Jackson when I planned to leave town right after? I’d been so worried that he might have been using me that I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I had no business getting into a relationship now. I needed to keep my focus on what was really important—finishing up with a good grade point average and blowing the judges away during the showcase. As hot as he was, Jackson would be a distraction and I could lose sight of my goals.

“Stop it,” Char said from her bed.

“What?” I asked. I wasn’t even doing anything. What could she possibly be talking about?

“I can hear you brooding from over here. Can you honestly tell me that you aren’t coming up with excuses for why you shouldn’t date Jackson right now?”

“Shit, Char. What, are you psychic now?”

“Kaylie, I don’t have to be psychic. I know you. Jackson’s different from any other guy you’ve ever dated. He’s not going to let you keep him at arm’s length. And I saw the way you looked at him last night. I don’t think you are going to want to do that anyway. So I am sure that you are trying to find a good reason to back away now before you have the chance to get hurt. Don’t do it,” she pleaded with me.

“But I’m leaving soon,” I argued.

“I know it’s horrible timing. But look at Shane and me. We’ve lasted through four years of my being here and him being back home. You never know what’s going to happen in the future, so don’t borrow trouble. Enjoy what’s happening right now and figure out the rest later.”

“I’m not sure I like the way he makes me feel,” I explained.

“That’s because you’ve been dating pansies for too long.”

“And he comes with a lot of baggage. What happened with Sasha could happen over and over again with other girls.”

“Only because they’re jealous. And it’s not like you don’t come with baggage of your own. It might not come in the form of a ton of guys you’ve slept with on campus, but trust doesn’t come easily to you. Jackson is going to have his work cut out for him, and from what happened last night it sounds like he’s willing to put in the effort,” she pointed out.

“I know,” I sighed. Then my cell phone chimed with a new text message.

Unknown: Thx again 4 last nite.

Me: Jackson?

Unknown: Yeah, who else would be thanking u 4 last nite? So I know who to beat up.

I laughed in response to his text and added him to my contacts list.

Char jumped on my bed so she could see my phone. “See? Totally putting in the effort,” she crowed.

“Yeah, I guess he is,” I admitted.

“No guessing needed, Kaylie. When a guy texts you the morning after a date, he’s interested.”

“Wait a second. How did he even get my number? He didn’t ask for it last night,” I wondered.

“The boy’s got mad skills.”

Me: Was surprised it was you because I didn’t give you my number.