My jaw dropped open slightly. “You really were paying attention to her tonight. I’m shocked.”
“You and me both,” he said with a shrug.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Get her to go out with me, of course,” he said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
“And what if she says no? She’s pretty good at blowing you off.”
“I won’t let her.”
“You won’t let her say no? How the hell are you going to manage that?”
Jack pointed his empty fork at me. “Don’t you worry, little brother. I’ve got this.”
I had no idea what he meant, but I couldn’t wait to watch and learn.
He Did It
I started to feel like I spent more time in the pizza restaurant at the student union than I did in my classes. But sitting at a table with Melissa made it all worth it.
The girl was beyond adorable, so petite and feisty with those stunning blue eyes that drove me wild. She was funny and sassy, and I liked being around her. Melissa made things fun. The fact that she never asked me about Jack, which I secretly loved more than I should, was an added bonus.
You know how when you meet a person who sparks something inside you? That was how I felt around Melissa. She made me feel more alive, and not for any other reason other than simply being herself.
“Did you have fun at the game last night?” I asked.
“How’d you know I was at the game?” Amusement danced in her eyes, replacing her initial surprise.
“I saw you. Nice seats,” I teased, remembering how close they were to the dugout.
She laughed. “I did that on purpose to torture Cassie. I wanted to embarrass her.”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Did you embarrass her?”
She clasped her hands together in front of her face and hid her adorable smile. “Oh my gosh, yes. She was mortified. It was awesome.”
“Anyone ever told you that you’re a crappy best friend?”
“Hey!” She slapped her hand on the table. “You take that back. I’m a great best friend. I wanted her to see that Jackass, the baseball player, was awesome. Nothing like Jackass, the stupid guy on campus.”
I laughed again at the way she talked about my brother. Her clear-eyed impression of Jack was refreshing. “What did she think?”
“She was impressed. Although she’d never admit it.”
Melissa glanced up, and I followed her line of sight to see Cassie heading our way. She tossed her bag on top of the table before sitting down.
“Hey, Dean.” She smiled at me, and when I smiled back, she glanced over my shoulder and her smile died.
“Thought you weren’t coming to my game?”
Jack surprised us all by sliding into the seat next to Cassie. I had to chuckle a little inside as she pretended not to enjoy that attention from him.
“My roommate threatened to set me on fire if I didn’t.” She tried to sound nonchalant as she scooted her chair away from Jack’s.
“Well, at least now I know how to get you to go out with me.”
“I’m not going out with you.” Cassie frowned before shooting both Melissa and me a desperate look. Save me, it said.
“At least give me your number then,” Jack said, as confident as ever.
“No thanks.”
“Why not?”
“‘Cause I don’t want to.”
“Aw, come on, Kitten,” Jack said, and I almost lost it, thinking back to our conversation from last night.
“Stop calling me that!” She stood up from the table before abruptly grabbing her things. “I’ll see you later,” she announced, her gaze focused solely on Melissa. Then she bolted from the student union with my brother hot on her heels.
“Damn, I almost want to follow them,” I admitted.
“Me too. But I’ll make Cassie tell me everything later. I’m sure Jack will tell you too.”
“Yeah, but it’s not as fun as seeing it live and in person.” I grinned, and Melissa nodded in agreement before shooting up from her chair.
“Where are you going?”
She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me up by it. “Come on. I have to see this.”
She didn’t let go of her grip on my arm until we were outside, but we saw no sign of either Cassie or Jack. It wasn’t until I scanned the campus and noticed a small gathering in the distance.
I pointed. “That has to be them over there. See that little crowd?”
Melissa looked up at me, hands on her hips. “Are you joking? You think I can see anything from down here?”
I squatted to her level and realized that she couldn’t see shit. “Guess not. Want me to put you on my shoulders? Then you’ll be the tallest person here.” I was half joking, but if she wanted me to, I’d gladly hoist her up. She couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet.
“No thanks. I like missing everything.” She laughed as she walked in the direction I’d pointed. “Does it ever annoy you the amount of attention he gets?”
“Only every day.”
“Because he’s a jerk?” she asked, her short but shapely legs working double-time to keep up with my regular pace as we headed in the direction of the crowd.
“No. He’s not a jerk. It annoys me because he can do anything he wants and everyone eats it up. Girls, I mean. I just don’t understand how instead of hating him, they all worship him. It’s not like he’s boyfriend material or anything.”