Winning Me Over (5 page)

NINE

PAIGE

“I
t looks like it’s just you and me today,” I say to Colt after unlocking the shop. As nonchalant as I appear to be, my insides are throwing a rockin’ party.

“Sounds good to me.
It’ll sure beat having Jon teach me how to stock shelves or clean tables like I’m a freaking kindergartener.” Colt leans into me, his hand brushing my arm. “Besides, don’t tell Jon this, but you are much sexier than he is.”

I giggle, my body
trembling. “I’ll keep that information to myself.” Moving away from him, I will my insides to calm. “I wouldn’t want to dent his fragile ego.”

“His ego’s fragile, huh?” Colt follows me as I head toward the back
room to get my apron. “How do you know this? I bet he asked you out and you turned him down, huh?”

I grab my apron off the hook and whirl around to face Colt. He’s hovering over me, our chests practically touching in the small space. I inhale sharply. His foreign scent sweeps over me. It’s a combination of mint and something spicy that I can’t quite place. It’s like nothing I’ve smelled before
, and causes my head to spin.

“How did you know that? Did Jon tell you?” I fumble to get my apron on, but it’s difficult since my hands are shaking so badly.

“Nah. He didn’t have to. I could tell by the way he looks at you.”

I pull a sour face. “I think it’s why he hates me so much.”

“Believe me, he doesn’t hate you.”

“Oh
, yeah? What makes you an expert?” My fingers still can’t quite tie my apron, and I feel like an incompetent idiot.

“I just know what I see.” He reaches out his arm. “
Here. Turn around and I’ll help you.”

My heart jumps. “Okay.” I pivot around.

Colt comes up behind me. I stand perfectly still. His arms brush my sides as he gathers the ties, and I shiver. Softly, his fingers feather over my back and I feel the apron tightening. His breath is hot against my neck, and a flush of desire runs through me. I want to lean back, to rest against him, to let him touch me. But I don’t. I don’t move at all. I don’t even breathe. When he’s finished, I exhale. My heart is so loud I fear that he can hear it. But when I turn back around he is tying his own apron, his expression is unreadable.

“Alright.
Let’s get to work,” I say, hoping my voice is steady and strong. However, I suspect it’s shaky and unstable like I feel.

“Where do you want me?” he asks, and my mind f
lies to an inappropriate response.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I clear my throat, thinking how grateful I am that he can’t read my mind. “Um…I’ll work the register. What do you feel comfortable doing?”

“
I think we’ve established that I can clean a table,” he quips.

I chuckle.
“Jon taught you to make the drinks, right?”

He nods.

“Okay. I’ll work the register and you make the drinks. It gets pretty busy in the morning, so I won’t be able to do both.”

Colt smiles at me, and I find my thoughts drifting back to when he helped me with my apron. It felt so good when his hands were on m
e. I wish we could go back to that, but then my gaze catches on the clock. It’s time to open the shop.

“So what do you think? Was it what you expected?” I ask when our shift is over and Colt and I are walking out of the shop. It’s afternoon and the air is hot and dry. It had been so cold inside that I wanted to put on a sweater. But after only a minute outside I want to shed my shirt and jump into a pool. Sweat gathers under my armpits, so I shake out my arms.

“That was brutal.” Colt blows out a breath.

“Yeah, it’s crazy the first few days, but you get used to it.”

“You made it seem so easy.”
His shoulder bumps mine, the touch sending chills skittering down my arm.

I shrug away the compliment.
A warm breeze hits me in the face, making me feel even sweatier. Colt wipes his forehead as we head toward my car.

“You don’t
have to give me a ride, you know?” He says, halting.

“Are you kidding? I’m not letting you walk home in this heat. It’s no biggie. It’s on my way.”

“Have you ever given Jon a ride?” He winks, and instinctually I know what he’s really asking.

“I’ve never given another guy a ride in my car.”

He freezes, cocking his head to the side. “Ever?”

When I lock on his intense gaze, I feel stupid for saying anything. “It’s like you said the other day. This town is full of plastic people. There aren’t many interesting guys,
that’s all.” I reach for the door handle of my car.

“So you’re saying that I’m
interesting?” Colt pins me with a stare.

“Maybe.”
I stare hard at my feet. Then I clear my throat. “Hey, you wanna go grab an ice cream or something?”

“I feel like I should say yes, since I’m the only interesting person in this town. I mean, I wouldn’t want to force you to hang out with a bunch of plastic people,” he teases.

“Oh, don’t force yourself,” I banter back. “I can always go with Hadley. And she’s way more interesting than you.”

“Really?
Well, then do that.”

I can’t tell if he’s joking or not, so I punch him softly in the shoulder
in an effort to lighten things up again. “No. She’s probably out with her boyfriend. Come on. I want ice cream, and I don’t want to go alone. My treat.”

He starts to open his mouth, so I shake my head.

“I’m not taking no for an answer, so come on.” I slip inside the car before he can protest.

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re bossy?” He asks the minute he sits inside the car.

“Never,” I lie, a large grin spreading across my face.

“You’re also a terrible liar.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? No one likes a liar.” I give him a sidelong glance.

His face pales
, and he turns away from me. The uneasiness I felt the first night we met returns, and I wonder again if trusting him is a mistake.

“You really like ice cream, huh?” Colt eyes me while I lick the ice cream swiftly to keep it from dripping down the cone.

“Hmm
mmm.” I take a bite out of the cold sugary concoction. We are sitting at a table outside of Baskin Robbins. The heat is sweltering even though we are in the shade, but it beats sitting inside with a gazillion rowdy toddlers and their moms. No one else sits out here. They aren’t crazy enough to endure these temperatures.

Colt leans forward, his elbow
s propped on the table, his chocolate ice cream cone in his right hand. “I gotta say I’m a little jealous of that mint ice cream now.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Do you do everything with this much vigor?”

My body heats up. “Yes, I do
, actually. Life is short, so I plan to enjoy every minute.”

He leans back, bringing the cone to his lips. When his tongue darts out of his mouth and touches the ice cream, I can’t help but stare. His tongue bar glints in the sunshine.
So I was right.
“You’re pretty wise, McAllistor. How old are you?”

“Hasn’t anyone told you that you
’re never supposed to ask a lady her age?” I wipe my sticky hand on a small paper napkin.

“I’m not asking a lady. I’m asking you.”

I giggle. “Okay. Well, when you put it that way. I just turned seventeen. I’m going to be a senior this year.”

“Me too,” Colt replies before taking another bite of his ice cream.

My heart flips in my chest. I figured we were the same age, but it’s nice to have it confirmed. “So you’re going to Gold Rush High then?”

“Don’t know.” Colt’s shoulders bob up and down. He takes a l
oud bite out of his cone, crunching it between his teeth. After swallowing he says, “If I’m still around.”

My stomach knots. “Where else would you be?”

“Maybe back home. Maybe somewhere else. Who knows?”

His response concerns me. How can he not know where he’ll be in two months? “Where is home?” I decide to go with the most benign question first.

“San Francisco.”

“Ah.” I lick my ice cream swiftly, catching it on my tongue. “
That makes sense. You’re a city boy.”

“
Yep, and you’re a suburban girl.” He grins.

“No.” I shake my head. “I
’m not. I’m a city girl who happens to be living in suburbia.”

“
Are you saying you don’t fit in here?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. The kids around her
e think I’m weird or something.”

“
Weird is good. Normal is boring,” he says in a tone more serious than before.

I freeze. “What?”

“Yeah, I don’t like girls who are normal. I like different, exciting, like you.” His gaze crashes into mine, his dark eyes piercing into my soul.

I shudder. Ice cream drips onto my hand, coating my fingers.

“Better eat that before it melts.” Colt points to my drippy cone.

He takes the last bite of his own cone and then wipes his hands. After swallowing thickly, I proceed to finish mine. But it’s challenging, since my stomach is all sour and nervous after Colt’s statement. Did he say that he liked me or am I reading too much into it?

“Thanks for the ice cream,” Colt says just as I take the last bite.

“Sure.” I wipe my mouth with the napkin and then stand up. Sweat covers my back, causing my shirt to stick to my skin. Colt stands too
, and together we walk toward my car. I’m already thinking about how great the air conditioning will feel. I fish my keys out of my purse, but my hands are so sweaty they slip from my fingers and crash to the concrete.

Colt bends down, retrieving them. When he stands back up, he holds his palm out to me. I reach for them
, my fingers brushing over his skin. My heart hammers in my ears. He curls his fingers so that for one moment we are holding hands. I hold perfectly still and gaze up at him. Our eyes lock and I find it difficult to draw breath. Then a car peels in next to us and the moment is broken. I sigh, snatching the keys. Before he can pull his arm away, my gaze catches on his tattoo, and my stomach drops. His tattoo swirls down his arm in black sweeping strokes, and ends right at his wrist. It’s not like I hadn’t noticed it before, but I just hadn’t gotten a good look at it until now. A snapshot of the robber, a black tattoo peeking out of his shirt, flashes in my mind. Shaking, I step away from Colt.

“Hey,
McAllistor, you okay?” Colt moves toward me, concern etched on his features.

“Yeah.
Fine.” I clear my throat. “Just hot, I guess.”

“Yeah, you’re hot, alright,” he teases.

I want to soar on his words, to enjoy the compliment, but I feel sick. Could I have been right all along? Did he have a part in the robbery? Usually I trust my gut, but this time I’ve been all over the place. One minute I don’t trust Colt, and the next minute I do. It’s because he’s so damn hot, it’s clouding my judgment. I need to just get him home and then take some time to process everything. Maybe with some distance I’ll find clarity.

TEN

COLT

P
agie has been acting super weird ever since the day she took me to get ice cream. The next couple of days she doesn’t offer to give me a ride and avoids me at work. At first I just slough it off and ignore her as well.
Two can play at this game.
If the chick expects me to beg, she clearly doesn’t know me very well.

But on the third day
I notice her staring at me all during our shift. Every time I try to make eye contact she turns away quickly, a guilty look on her face. It makes me wonder if there is more to this than just some silly game girls play. I think back to our second conversation when she suspected I had a part in the shop’s robbery. Doubt and fear nag at the back of my mind. Did something happen to make her suspect me again?

If so, I need to talk to her – convince her I had nothing to do with it. The last thing I need is for her to go running to the cops or something like that. It would ruin everything I have going right now. The truth is
, I kind of like what I’ve got going here, and I don’t need anyone to mess it up.

I catch up to her after work just before she can hide inside her car. She doesn’t respond when I call her name, so I run up to her and grab h
er by the upper arm. The skin on skin contact sears my flesh. I’m not used to touching people. Well, other than Zander and Bristol. And it makes me uncomfortable. But she’s given me no choice. I need to talk to her.

Paige stares down at where my hand is clamped over her arm, a wary expression on her face. “What do you need, Colt?”

I drop her arm and shove my fingers into my pockets, tucking them away safely. “I just want to talk to you.”

She nods, leaning her back against her car.
“About what?”

“About why you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not.” Her face colors, and she bites her lip.

Whenever she does that I imagine what it would feel like to touch her lips, to close my mouth over hers. “Give me some credit,
McAllistor. I’m not Jon, okay? I can tell when someone’s avoiding me.”

A brief smile flits over her lips. “Okay, you got me.”

“So you admit that you’ve been avoiding me?”

She nods. “I’m just confused, Colt.
I’m feeling all these conflicting emotions around you, and I’m just trying to process it.”

I smile. “Yeah, I
kinda have that affect on girls. I make them feel things.”

She swats at me.
“Shut up, egomaniac.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re confused about? Maybe I can help.” I lean closer to her, catching a whiff of her woodsy scent. It makes my head swirl. “Please? I’ll buy you an ice cream cone.” Yesterday I got my first paycheck. I haven’t spent any of it yet, but it’s amazing to have my own money. Money I actually earned legally.

A broad grin sweeps her face. “It’s okay. You don’t have to do that.”

“Really?
You’ll just tell me for free? Wow. You’re pretty generous, McAllistor.”

She offers me a tight smile, but her fingers play with the bottom of her shirt
, betraying her anxiety. Lifting her head, she looks me straight in the eye, and I see the conflict inside like a storm raging. “It’s just that I’m not really good at admitting when I’m scared. I’m sort of known as the tough one. Not just at school or with my friends, but at home too.”

As she speaks
, I realize that Paige has had pain in her life as well. Things haven’t always been carefree like she wants everyone to believe. My heart goes out to her, and it terrifies me to the very core.

“The night when I was robbed
I stayed calm and tough, just like I’ve been taught to do, just like I’m expected to do, but inside I was freaking scared to death.” A shudder runs through her body and I want to hold her, but I don’t. Sometimes I wonder if I’m broken, if I’ll ever be able to comfort someone, or touch someone without it feeling foreign and odd. “I have all this anger inside toward the guy who robbed the shop, you know? I hate him for scaring me like that.” Her eyes flick to my arm. “He had a tattoo on his arm. I only caught the bottom, but it’s similar to yours.”

My heart sinks. “You think I’m the one who robbed you?”

“I don’t know what I think, Colt. I told you. I’m so confused.”

“Unbelievable.” Running a hand over my head, I blow out a frustrated breath.
Her words have built up a wall around my heart. Paige was the first person I felt connected to in a long time, and she thinks I’m a criminal who robbed her at gunpoint? What the hell? “I take back what I said the other day. You are a good liar.”

She sucks in a breath. “What are you talking about?”

“You said you weren’t like the plastic people. You said you don’t judge me because of how I look, but you do. You do judge me. And you know what, Paige? This hurts worse because I thought we kinda had something. Most people judge me without getting to know me.” I turn away from her, disgusted. At this point I don’t care if she calls the cops on me. Let them come. Let them interrogate me. It won’t be the first time, and it won’t be the last. Besides, this town is just like all the other ones. I can’t run from who I am. I have no idea why I even started to believe that was possible. “You got to know me and yet you still think the worst of me.”

Paige frowns, reaching out her arms to me. If she touches me now, I won’t be able to take it. So I spin around and stalk off.

“Colt!” She calls after me, her tone desperate.

I keep walking, tuning out her voice.

“Come back. At least let me give you a ride home.”

Whirling around, I laugh bitterly. “Oh, now you want to give me ride? Where the hell have you been the last couple of days?”

Her face pales.

“It’s fine. I actually prefer walking. It’s safer.” I narrow my eyes at her and then turn back around.
Once I get out of the parking lot, I hurry down the street, my head down. The sun is hot on my back, and I wipe sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. A car pulls next to me. When I glance over at it, I see Paige in the front seat motioning for me to get in.

“Colt, come on.”

“Go away, Paige.” Her persistence is annoying actually.

“Please, Colt. Just get in.” A car honks and swerves around her
, but she keeps driving slowly, staying next to me.

“God, you really are a terrible driver, you know that?” I cross my arms over my chest. “Just go home, Paige.”

“McAllistor.”

“What?” I stop walking and she slams on her brakes. Cars are looking over at her like she’s a lunatic, and I’m starting to think that maybe she is.

“That’s what you normally call me. Why did you stop?” Her expression is so genuine it kills me.

“That was when we were friends,” I say simply.

Her face falls. “We’re not now?”

“Why would you want to be my friend if you think I held a gun to your head and scared the shit out of you?” I lean into her car, pressing my face as close to hers as I dare. “You know what I think? I think you know I didn’t do it. I think you know I could never do that to you. You’re not scared of me, you’re scared of what you feel when we’re together. I know, because I feel the same way.” I push off her car. “Now move your car before you get a ticket, or get yourself killed.” Without letting her respond
, I walk away.