“Not even a hint?” Cole chuckled.
Damn, he was sexy. My poor little heart was not going to survive this summer with him. He hadn’t mentioned that he was seeing anyone, but what if he was? What if I fell for him all over again, and I had to endure another broken heart? The first one hadn’t been easy, and we hadn’t even been together. But I was young and stupid then. I was an adult now. I knew better. I could chain up my heart and protect myself. Lock the key and hide it so Cole could never find it. Maybe.
I pushed that thought out of my head. “Nope, but I think you’ll enjoy it,” I assured him, then hurried upstairs to change.
Chapter Two
Cole
Icouldn’t believe I was walking with Reed down the small main street of this town. That he was here. That he lived right next door to my parents. Or me, I guess. That we had just randomly reconnected last night. It was crazy. And I couldn’t believe how insanely attractive Reed was in person. He was a few inches shorter than I was, with those honey-brown eyes, dark-blond hair, and a long, lean dancer’s body. I tried not to stare at him. I really did, but the shirt he was wearing clung to his chest like a second skin, and the jeans he wore did nothing to hide his muscled thighs. People commented on hockey players’ thighs all the time, but from what I could tell, ballet dancers had some killer thighs. And don’t even get me started on his calf muscles.
“Cole? Are you all right?” Reed was smiling at me as he held open the door outside a small strip mall.
I flushed under his gaze. “Uh, sorry. Just lost in thought.” I glanced up at the sign. “Is this your mom’s place?”
Reed nodded. “I just wanted to drop in and let her know what I was up to. It’ll be just a second if that’s all right? Then we can grab a coffee or something after.”
“Yeah, of course.” I followed him inside.
An older, dark-haired woman broke into a smile the moment she saw Reed. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug, then noticed me.
Reed pulled away and gestured toward me. “Mom, this is Cole Whitaker,”
“Beau’s son.” She nodded at me as I held out my hand. “We met briefly yesterday at the wedding. I hope you’ll tell your father we had a wonderful time and thank him again for inviting us.”
I nodded. “Of course, ma’am.”
Her eyes were narrowed only slightly, but I wasn’t sure why. Had I already done or said something she didn’t like? We had barely spoken yesterday. Just a small introduction from my dad before he whisked me away to meet someone else. I hadn’t even had time to realize who she was or that Reed hadn’t been with her. I smoothed down the front of my shirt as I tried to hold back my nerves.
“Oh, no. Please, call me Jillian,” she told me. “And didn’t you two use to communicate through social media or something when you were in high school?”
Reed nodded. “We did. It was a pen pal thing first that our English teachers had us do.”
“Right, I remember that. And didn’t you have a big crush on—”
“Mom, seriously!” Reed laughed nervously, and a blush crept up his neck and ears. “Don’t you have a class today?”
Wait a second. A crush? Did Reed have a crush on me? I definitely had one on him before he stopped talking to me. I had always assumed it was because we both had gotten busy during the summer, which he had confirmed last night. I had gone off to hockey camp, met that jerk Bryant, who had promised me more, and then we sort of lost touch. But had Reed liked me the way I had liked him?
I opened my mouth to ask him, but the bell above the door jingled to announce a new arrival. My eyes widened when I saw who it was.
“Saint, Asher, I’m so glad you made it,” Jillian gushed happily. “Did you find the place okay? This is my son, Reed.” She wrapped an arm around him to pull him closer as I stared at the two men who had stepped into the dance studio. What were the odds? “Sweetie, this is Saint Ripley and Asher Andrews. They’re here to look at the studio next to mine. Saint is a yoga instructor looking to start his own business.”
I could feel myself begin to sweat in the air-conditioned room. Asher and my father used to play together in Boston together, so I’d pretty much grown up around the man.
“Oh, hey, Mr. Andrews. It’s nice to see you both. Dad mentioned you were thinking about moving here. Reed and I bumped into one another last night, and he offered to show me around. We’re old friends.”
I mean, it wasn’t a lie, but I felt like Asher could read my mind as I stared at him. I bet Saint knew. He and Dean were pretty close. And why did I feel the need to explain all that to the two of them?
“How very welcoming of him.” Asher smirked, but his blue eyes danced with mischief.
Saint reached over to pinch his side. “It’s great you’re making friends so quickly, Cole. Everyone is pretty great here.”
“I literally know no one here expect friends of my dads, so it’s wicked cool of him.” I was thankful to have Saint on my side. “It’d be cool if you end up moving here, though. Like old times. My dads would love it.”
Jillian clapped her hands together. “The studio is this way if you’re ready. Reed, honey, can you and Cole just stay inside in case my students show up? I won’t be very long. You can start the class if you need to.”
That left us alone, and I turned to stare at Reed, who was trying his best to avoid looking at me. “So, a crush, huh?” His cheeks bloomed pink.