Winning Me Over (2 page)

THREE

PAIGE

“I
can’t believe this,” Hadley says for the umpteenth time. She tries to grab my hand, but I shake it off.
Again
. It’s not that I don’t appreciate her sympathy. It’s just that I don’t want to fall apart.

“Let’s just forget it and watch the mov
ie, okay?” I point to the TV screen which is playing some romantic comedy that Hadley chose. She’s a sucker for these mindless movies. I prefer horror movies, and she indulges me most of the time, but I know she hates them. “Hand me the popcorn.”

Hadley tosses me the half empty bag of popcorn, the scent of butter and salt wafting from it. I reach my hand in and pull out a handful
, grease coating my palms.

“You must have been so scared,” Hadley turns to me, clearly unable to move on from this and focus on her movie. Then again, I didn’t really expect anything different. Hadley gets pretty stuck on stuff.

I shrug, swallowing down a mouthful of popcorn. “Not as scared as Jon.”

Hadley chuckles. She’s been to
Bud’s
enough times to be familiar with Jon. “I’ll bet. Did he need to change his underwear?”

“That’s exactly what I wondered about.” I snort, stretching out my legs and propping my feet up on the coffee table.

“You girls need anything?” Mom pokes her head in the room.

“A shot of tequila would be good,” I say, a teasing
lilt in my voice.

“Paige,” Mom admonishes me, her delicate face turning stern. She pats her golden bob, and narrows her hazel eyes at me.

“You asked,” I say, returning my attention to the movie and popping another kernel into my mouth.

"Nice," she replies
, a smile under her tone. Mom's used to my jokes. It doesn't rattle her too much. I hear Mom’s bare feet as they shuffle on the hardwood floors when she heads back down the hallway. Hadley stifles a giggle into her palm.

I swat her in the upper arm. “What?”

“I can’t believe you said that.” Hadley drops her head on my shoulder.

“Oh, come on. She’s been breathing down my neck for the past two days.”

“She’s just worried about you.” Hadley pats my arm. “We all are.” She lifts her head from my shoulder and peers up at me through her dark fringe. “You went through an awful ordeal, Paige. It’s okay to say that it scared you.”

I smile down at my best friend, knowing that she can read me like a book. Maybe I have to be strong for everyone else, but not Hadley. We’ve seen each other at our worst, and yet we’ve never judged one another. “Okay, you got me.”

Hadley sits up, tucking her legs up under her body. “I’m sorry, Paige.”

I shake my head. “I’m fine now. But yeah, it was pretty terrifying at the time.”

“Are you going to go back to work?” Hadley raises her eyebrows. Music swells from the speakers on the TV. I glance over at the screen to see the two leads making out. For some reason this causes my mind to flicker to Colt. I picture his brown eyes that are almost black, his dark tousled hair, the lip ring that jutted out of his bottom lip, and his chiseled face. Shaking away the thoughts of him, I return my attention back to Hadley.

“
Yeah, I think so. And I doubt the guy’s going to hit the same place twice. Besides, Bud’s cracked down on security. I think he hired some degenerate rent-a-cop.” I chuckle.

Hadley smiles.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

I hit her in the leg. “Don’t worry about me. I’m safer at work than I am when I’m driving.”

“That’s true. You’re the worst driver on the planet.”

“I am not,” I say with mock indignation. “You’re the only one that thinks that.”

“Oh, believe me. I’m not. Tripp says the same thing.”

“Of course he does, because he’s your boyfriend. He agrees with everything you say.”

A smile jumps on Hadley’s face. “No, he doesn’t,” she argues, but it’s halfhearted. Those two are sickeningly cute about each other. It should turn my stomach since I hate anything sweet. But the truth is that I’m so happy that my best friend is finally being treated the way she deserves to be, so I put up with it.

I throw my head back and toss a handful of popcorn into my mouth. Then I drop the now empty bag onto the end table near my arm.

“I wish you would quit your job. It’s our last summer of high school. We’re going to be seniors next year, and then we’ll have to be all grown up and stuff. You should just chill this summer and go to the lake and pool with your best friend.” Hadley grins devilishly.

“You’re busy babysitting your stepsiblings or hanging with your boyfriend,” I point out.

“Not all the time.” She bristles.

“Well, I’m not quitting my job. I like having my own money.”

“I get that,” Hadley concedes. Then she turns to me with a curious expression. “So what else is going on?”

I almost choke on the hard kernels. “What do you mean?”

“Seriously?
We’ve been best friends a long time, and you’ve been acting strange the last few days.”  Hadley bends forward, her long brown hair falling over her shoulders with the movement. I catch a whiff of her watermelon scent from that lip gloss she constantly wears. When she sits back up she flashes a paper in my face. “You’re doodling hearts.”

I cringe, my gaze connecting with the crude drawings.

“We’re watching a romantic comedy and you haven’t even made a joke about it,” Hadley continues. “And every once in awhile you get this dreamy look on your face. In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you make that face. So, what gives? Did you meet a guy or something?”

Unnerved, my m
outh gapes open. I mean, Hadley knows me better than almost anyone, but still. Have I really been that obvious?

“Ooh, I know. Did you fall for one of the guys who helped you the night of the robbery?” Hadley scoots forward, excitement etching her face.

“Life is not a freaking romance novel, Hads. Just because you found your Prince Charming, that doesn’t mean the rest of us will.”

“You will,” Hadley says emphatically. “So who is he?
Spill.”

I bite my lip.

Hadley’s eyes darken. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me it’s Jon.”

I break out into a fit of giggles.
“Hell, no.”

“Good.” Hadley heaves an audible sigh of relief.

“I met a guy the night the coffee shop was robbed,” I blurt out. “He’s sexy and different, and he seemed interested in me.”

Hadley leans into me.
“Really? What’s his name?”

“Colt.”
When I say his name, a rush of excitement pulses through me. Then I chastise myself, sobering up. “But I think he might have had something to do with the robbery.”

Hadley recoils. “What? Oh, Paige. You didn’t fall for the robber, did you?”

“No. They don’t even know who did it. I just have a bad feeling that Colt’s somehow involved.”
Even so, I can’t get him out of my head, and I can’t figure out why. I’ve never had this problem before. What is it about this guy?

I awake to the scent of blueberry muffins. Hadley shoots up from her sleeping bag, a smile on her face. Her brown hair is dented and kinked sticking to her head, and her eyes are all watery. I roll over and stretch my arms high above my head.

“Ooh, your mom’s been baking.” Hadley peels off the sleeping bag. As the zipper opens it sounds like paper ripping in half in one swift movement.

“That’s totally the only reason you come over, huh? To eat my mom’s baked goods.”

“It sure beats your morning grumpiness.” She props her chin on my bed, so we’re facing one another.

“Dude.” I roll over. “Brush your teeth.”

“Oh, yeah
, and yours is so much better.”

“It is. It smells like roses.” I grin, pushing myself up. After tossing aside my covers
, I slip off my bed. Hadley is already halfway down the stairs before I can catch up to her. When I enter the kitchen Dad is already sitting at the table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and the paper spread across his lap. Mom is pulling a tin of muffins out of the oven. The sweet scent swirls around me, making my stomach growl.

“Good morning sleepy heads,” she trills, dropping the tin on the counter.

“Morning,” we both grumble in unison.

“Oh
, look. It’s the Double Mint Twins.” Dad peers at us from over his newspaper, and it crinkles between his fingers.

I giggle. Hadley and I have this horrible habit of saying things at the same time. My dad teases us endlessly for it.

“Muffins?” Mom materializes before us, a plate of fresh muffins in her hand. She wears a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, her messy short hair tucked behind her ears, and her face is devoid of makeup.

“Thanks, Mrs.
McAllistor.” Hadley reaches for one.

“Yeah, thanks Mom.” I grab my own. It’s warm in my palm.

Dad takes one and thanks her with a kiss. Then he sets it on a napkin and slathers butter over it. I don’t bother with the butter. Mom’s pastries don’t need anything extra. They’re amazing. Way better than anything I’ve had in a bakery or restaurant. I take a large bite and let the sweet blueberries and moist muffin melt in my mouth.

Once Hadley and I scarf down another muffin we head upstairs to get ready. As we race up the stairs, Hadley turns to me.

“You don’t know how lucky you have it,” she says.

“You’re only saying that because I don’t have a bunch of little kids running around.” Hadley’s parents divorced several years ago
, and her mom just remarried a guy with two little kids.

“It’s not just that. Y
our parents are just easy to be around.” She nudges me in the shoulder as we reach the last step. “Not to mention the fact that your mom makes the best pastries in the world.”

I chuckle. “Okay, okay. I’ll send you home with some. Geez, you don’t have to kiss my butt.”

Hadley whacks me in the arm. “You know you love it.”

I turn the corner and step in my room, thinking over Hadley’s words. She is right. I am pretty lucky
, and my life is pretty blessed. It hasn’t always been this way, but I’m sure hoping it stays like this for a little while.

FOUR

COLT

T
his summer seriously sucks. It’s so damn hot in Folsom, California. If only my aunt lived somewhere cooler. Maybe even somewhere in the country or near a beach. But no, she lives in suburbia hell. This place is nothing but tract homes, shops, restaurants and plastic people. The only thing remotely interesting about this town is the fact that it has a prison. I’ve walked the perimeter of the fence outside of the prison a dozen times since moving here. But I can’t see anything. The prison is tucked way back from the road, behind a large field.

Wiping sweat from my brow, I curse the hundred degree temperatures. Still it’s better than being home listening to Bristol scream. I do know I need to head back to Calli
e’s at some point, if for no other reason than to spend time with Zander. He’s the only reason I don’t just hit the road.

Last time I had to leave
it devastated my younger brother. I can’t do that to him again. He needs me.
Poor kid
. I feel bad that he relies on me that way. I’m not the kind of guy anyone should pin their hopes on. Then again, at least he has someone to look up to. I have no idea what that would be like.

I walk further, cars zipping past me and leaving a warm breeze in their wake. My tennis shoes clomp on the pavement. I roll my tongue bar around in my mouth and run a hand over my sweaty hair. Glancing over at the road, I catch sight of a car driving past with a teenage girl in the backseat. She turns up her nose at me. I shake my head and let out a light laugh. People around here always look at me like I’m a freak. As if piercing
s and tattoos define me; make me into a criminal.

I think that’s why I’m
so drawn to Paige. The thought of the girl from the coffee shop causes my heart to pick up speed. There was no judgment in her eyes when they turned in my direction the other night. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would say that she seemed interested in me. Either way, she’s the first person I’ve met that I can actually picture myself becoming friends with.

I cross the street and start heading in the direction of
Bud’s Bean Shop.
Maybe I’ll get lucky. Maybe Paige will be working today.

At first I don’t see her. I stand outside the coffee shop, pressing my nose to the glass. The only worker I see is just that guy who was there the night I met Paige. He acts like he’s the boss or something, but he looks like a major tool. I bet Paige hates working with him. It’s funny, because I hardly know the girl, but I can tell we probably think alike. I can’t remember the last time I had a connection with anyone, and it surprises me that I even want one with this girl.

Noise sounds around the side of the shop, like something scraping along the ground. My ears perked, I inch forward. When I peer around the side of the building my heart stops.
It’s her.
Today she’s wearing the same wide rimmed glasses, but her brown hair is down and the pink streaks glisten in the sunlight. An apron is wrapped around her waist, but under it she is sporting a pair of jean shorts with rips all over them, a black shirt and black sandals. She’s traded out the stud in her nose for a hoop, her eyes are lined in thick black eyeliner and her lips are painted a bright pink. She is hoisting a large bag of trash into a dumpster.

I s
tep forward just as she drops the bag inside. It falls with a loud thump. She turns from the dumpster and jumps back at the sight of me, letting out a tiny squeal. Her hand flies to her chest and covers her heart.

“You scared the shit out of me!” She exclaims breathlessly.

“Sorry.” I stop walking toward her and shove my hands deep into my pockets.

“What are you doing here?” Her gaze darts away as if she’s a scared animal plotting her escape.

“I just wanted to say hi.” I’m taken aback by her response. “Don’t you remember me? We met the other night?” Maybe the chick gets hit on a lot at work. Or perhaps I’m just not that memorable.

“Colt,” she speaks my name, and my heart stutters. “Yes. I remember you. I just can’t believe that you had the nerve to come back.”

My stomach tumbles to my shoes. “What do you mean?”

“Oh
, come on.” Paige crosses her arms over her chest. “You expect me to believe you had nothing to do with the robbery? I told the cops about you, you know. So if you do anything to me they’re going to suspect you.” She takes a step backward, still looking around nervously.

My head is spinning from her words.
“Robbery? Cops?” I feel sick. “What are you talking about?”

Her face is still hard, but at least she is looking at me now, not like she’s trying to figure out how to get away. “The other night I was robbed right after you left.”

“And you think I had something to do with it?” Anger surges through my veins, and I feel stupid for ever thinking I could be friends with this girl. I yank my fingers out of my pockets and step away from her. “Man, I guess I misjudged you. Apparently you’re just like the rest of them.”

“The rest of
who?” She raises an eyebrow.

“The plastic people who live in this crappy town.
They all assume I’m a criminal just because of my tattoos and piercings. For some reason I thought you’d be different. I guess I was wrong.” I spin around, angry with myself for talking to this chick in the first place. What was I thinking? I don’t need the cops on my trail again.

“Wait.”

Her voice stops me. Taking a deep breath, I whirl around. I know I should just walk away, but I’m curious.

“I like your tattoos and piercings. Hell, I’d be covered in them if my mom would let me.” She smiles. “I was only suspicious of you because you didn’t order anything. And you asked a lot of questions. It just seemed like such a big coincidence.”

I assess her. She seems genuine. I mean, I was asking a lot of probing questions that night. What shitty luck that she’d get robbed afterward. “I just wanted to get to know you. That’s all. It wasn’t anything sinister.”

Paige bites her lip, and I can tell she’s trying to figure out if she can trust me or not. If she thinks I’m going to grovel she’s got the wrong guy.

“Sorry I bugged you.” I say with a slight wave. “It won’t happen again.”

She steps forward quickly. “
Look, maybe I jumped to the wrong conclusion. It was just a really crazy night.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. But I seriously had nothing to do with it,” I supply.

“Can we just start over?”

I press my lips together, unsure if it’s smart or not.

“Please?”

My gaze lands on
her pink lips. They linger on the perfect heart shape on top, the fullness on the bottom. The sunshine glints off of her nose ring and her eyes sparkle. God, she’s beautiful. And her smile seems genuine, just like when I first glimpsed her. I’m not sure if it’s the smartest thing to do or not, but I nod. “Yeah, okay.”

She bridges the gap between us, shocking me. I shove my hands back into my pockets, my heart going freaking crazy. I’m afraid to even move. People don’t normally stand this close to me.
At least not on purpose. She juts out her hand. “I’m Paige McAllistor.”

Reluctantly, I pry my fingers from my pocket and take her hand in mine. It’s soft
, and she smells different, not fruity like most girls. She sort of smells woodsy, like incense or something. “Colt Lancaster.”

“Nice to meet you.”
There’s that smile again.

I release her hand and move away, her proximity making me uncomfortable. 
“You too.” Running a hand over my head, I blow out a breath. Zander’s face flies into my mind. “I gotta go.”

“Oh. Okay.” A nervous laugh escapes from her throat. “I should probably get back to work too.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want to piss off your boss.”

She rolls her eyes. “Jon? He’s an idiot.”

I laugh. “He does look like a complete tool.”

“Tool.
Yeah, that describes him.” She grins. “I’ll see you later?”

Nodding, I say, “Yeah.”

“Cool.”

When I turn from her, a sign in the window of the coffee shop catches my attention
. And suddenly I know what I want to do. I know exactly how I’ll get to know Paige better.