was my only friend until we moved to Texas. We’re just really close like that; he’s like my family.”
“So is there anyone you are dating?” Amanda asked, and I noticed even Tessa had stopped what she was doing and looked up at me.
“No.” I drew out the word, uncertain as to why they were all looking at me like that.
“Interested in?” Tessa asked, seeming a little too concerned in what my answer was going to be.
“Um, well . . .” My cheeks flared and I had to bite down on my lips to stop my ridiculous smile. “I—”
Just then the front door opened and shut, and Gage’s and Tyler’s voices drifted in toward us. My eyes went wide and I swear I somehow blushed harder. Tessa took one look at me and smiled to herself before turning back around to the food she was preparing. When I looked over at Amanda, she was studying me intently. She shot a quick look at her brother and cousin when they came in and the same smile I’d just seen on her mom spread across her cheeks.
“You girls wanna go to a bonfire?” Gage drawled, and winked at me; I swear I somehow blushed harder.
“ I do! ” Nikki yelled, and ran up to the guys. Gage and Tessa started disagreeing immediately.
“Absolutely not!”
“No way, Nik.”
“You said girls, Gage! I am a girl, you know!”
He kissed the top of her head and ruffled her hair. “When you’re older, kid. Amanda and Cassidy,” he clarified, and smirked when Nikki huffed, “do y’all wanna go?”
I stole a quick glance at Tyler and gave him a smile when I saw he was staring at me intently. “Sounds . . . fun?” When he nodded I looked back to Gage and nodded once. “Yeah, sure.”
Amanda agreed and Gage grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge, tossing one at Tyler. “All right, we’ll leave after dinner.”
“Gage!” Amanda looked quickly at the clock, then back to him. “Dinner’s in like—three and a half hours!”
“And?”
“That gives us no time! We need to go into town!”
“Why?”
She just shook her head and grabbed my hand before towing me toward the front door. “We’ll be back before dinner!” she called as we went out the door. “Do you have boots?”
“Uh, what?”
“Boots, do you have any?”
“No . . .”
She hopped into her car and I followed. “Figured as much. You can’t go to a bonfire out in the country without ’em.”
“Oh, if that’s why we’re going into town, we don’t need to. I can just go in my flip-flops or Converse.”
“Yankee,” she mumbled, and I snorted.
“ I FEEL LIKE I look like a cliché.”
Amanda laughed and checked herself out in the mirror. “And why is that?”
“You put me in a plaid button-up and cowboy boots.”
“Yeah? And you look hot! At least I didn’t give you a torn denim miniskirt to match it with, because I have one. I can even get you a cowboy hat!” I looked at her, mortified, and she laughed. “Exactly. Now, that would be cliché; what you are wearing is perfect.”
I fluffed my hair, which Amanda had curled before dinner; checked my makeup one last time; and stepped back to take in the entire thing. I did like my boots and shirt, which was an electric-blue, black, and gray combination and worked well with the dark skinny jeans I had on, but seriously. Walking cliché.
“All the guys there will love it, trust me.”
“I don’t exactly care about the guys we’ll meet there,” I mumbled, and followed her out of the room toward the stairs.
“Gage will love it.” She shrugged and feigned indifference before turning to wink at me.
“He doesn’t, I mean, I haven’t—”
“You haven’t told him? Yeah, I figured. You should change that.”
“Change what?” Tyler asked, and I jumped, causing me to miss the next step and start sliding down. Ty caught me around my waist and smirked. “Always wanted to sweep you off your feet.”
I laughed and pushed on his shoulder until he let go. “You’re so dumb, Ty.”
“You girls rea—”
“So is there anyone you are dating?” Amanda asked, and I noticed even Tessa had stopped what she was doing and looked up at me.
“No.” I drew out the word, uncertain as to why they were all looking at me like that.
“Interested in?” Tessa asked, seeming a little too concerned in what my answer was going to be.
“Um, well . . .” My cheeks flared and I had to bite down on my lips to stop my ridiculous smile. “I—”
Just then the front door opened and shut, and Gage’s and Tyler’s voices drifted in toward us. My eyes went wide and I swear I somehow blushed harder. Tessa took one look at me and smiled to herself before turning back around to the food she was preparing. When I looked over at Amanda, she was studying me intently. She shot a quick look at her brother and cousin when they came in and the same smile I’d just seen on her mom spread across her cheeks.
“You girls wanna go to a bonfire?” Gage drawled, and winked at me; I swear I somehow blushed harder.
“ I do! ” Nikki yelled, and ran up to the guys. Gage and Tessa started disagreeing immediately.
“Absolutely not!”
“No way, Nik.”
“You said girls, Gage! I am a girl, you know!”
He kissed the top of her head and ruffled her hair. “When you’re older, kid. Amanda and Cassidy,” he clarified, and smirked when Nikki huffed, “do y’all wanna go?”
I stole a quick glance at Tyler and gave him a smile when I saw he was staring at me intently. “Sounds . . . fun?” When he nodded I looked back to Gage and nodded once. “Yeah, sure.”
Amanda agreed and Gage grabbed two bottles of water out of the fridge, tossing one at Tyler. “All right, we’ll leave after dinner.”
“Gage!” Amanda looked quickly at the clock, then back to him. “Dinner’s in like—three and a half hours!”
“And?”
“That gives us no time! We need to go into town!”
“Why?”
She just shook her head and grabbed my hand before towing me toward the front door. “We’ll be back before dinner!” she called as we went out the door. “Do you have boots?”
“Uh, what?”
“Boots, do you have any?”
“No . . .”
She hopped into her car and I followed. “Figured as much. You can’t go to a bonfire out in the country without ’em.”
“Oh, if that’s why we’re going into town, we don’t need to. I can just go in my flip-flops or Converse.”
“Yankee,” she mumbled, and I snorted.
“ I FEEL LIKE I look like a cliché.”
Amanda laughed and checked herself out in the mirror. “And why is that?”
“You put me in a plaid button-up and cowboy boots.”
“Yeah? And you look hot! At least I didn’t give you a torn denim miniskirt to match it with, because I have one. I can even get you a cowboy hat!” I looked at her, mortified, and she laughed. “Exactly. Now, that would be cliché; what you are wearing is perfect.”
I fluffed my hair, which Amanda had curled before dinner; checked my makeup one last time; and stepped back to take in the entire thing. I did like my boots and shirt, which was an electric-blue, black, and gray combination and worked well with the dark skinny jeans I had on, but seriously. Walking cliché.
“All the guys there will love it, trust me.”
“I don’t exactly care about the guys we’ll meet there,” I mumbled, and followed her out of the room toward the stairs.
“Gage will love it.” She shrugged and feigned indifference before turning to wink at me.
“He doesn’t, I mean, I haven’t—”
“You haven’t told him? Yeah, I figured. You should change that.”
“Change what?” Tyler asked, and I jumped, causing me to miss the next step and start sliding down. Ty caught me around my waist and smirked. “Always wanted to sweep you off your feet.”
I laughed and pushed on his shoulder until he let go. “You’re so dumb, Ty.”
“You girls rea—”
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