“So all the arm grabs, body hugs, shirt pulls…you think that’s just how he plays with everybody? Because I played a game with him the other day, and he never touched me like that.”
Her face fell into a frustrated version of embarrassment. I tossed up a shot from the foul line while she protested.
“He was throwing shade at me every time I saw him today, bragging about how bad he was going to beat thecollege starin our game tonight. He should have led with something flirtier before we got to the court.”
“He did.”
“No, he—“ She stopped again before her gaze turned annoyed. “I hate you right now. What do you mean, make a move on me? He wouldn’t have kissed me. Right? It wasn’t even a date.” She flung her arm toward the basket in disbelief.
“It was a date, and he probably thought about it right up until the time you gave him that fat lip.”
The scowl she sent my way only succeeded in making me smile.
“Do you want to date him?” I dribbled the ball in place while I watched her carefully, waiting for her answer.
Her shoulders lifted in an almost imperceptible shrug. I tried again.
“Would you have let him kiss you?”
She attempted a steal, but I blocked her advances.
“You’re assuming I’ve been kissed before and have thought about this stuff.”
“You’ve been kissed before,” I said.
That remark did the trick. She shot me a dark look.
I refrained from making any sort of face that might result in me getting a black eye. “Do you like him?”
“I don’t know him. I thought he was nice, but I can’t stand guys who think they’re better at sports than me just because I’m a girl.”
“To be fair, he did win.”
“He cheated!”
I raised my eyebrows, which almost made her smile before she caught herself.
She turned toward me, a softness taking over her voice now. “Jake, guys don’t flirt with me. At least, I don’t think they do. They always go for my friends. When they want to shoot hoops, they call me, but even then, it’s never a flirty game. They’re playing for real. I’m serious when I say this doesn’t happen to me. I don’t date.”
“Why?”
She threw her hands up in the air. “Because nobody asks me. Or when they do, I freak out.”
A warm breeze lifted the loose auburn hair against her face, causing my eyes to rake over the freckles splattered across her skin.
“You can go now.” She took another shot, her chin up. “I’m going to stay here and pretend nothing happened.”
“Can you block it all out that fast?”
I ducked for cover as she chucked the ball at my head.
After she retrieved her ball, she shot a few more times, missing more than she made—if that meant anything. It did mean something. She was nervous. Embarrassed?
“Shoo. Go away.” She motioned for me to go with her fingers before shooting the ball once more.
I folded my arms, still thinking, when an idea to keep everybody at bay this summer finally fell into place. So simple it almost felt like a mistake. At least, the sinking in my gut made it feel that way. This was Shelby. And, besides one time in an old shed ten years ago, she was somebody I had made it my business to never tangle with. And I was about to tangle with her.
I sighed. “Alright. I’m here to offer my services.”