Exposed: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 5) (19 page)

I huff. “I think that’s our problem right there. I didn’t want to and can’t imagine I will in the near future. I don’t party anymore. And you do.”

“Yeah, what happened to you?”

I grew up. I recall all the times he thought something was wrong with me because of my introvert ways. Trevor never understood how I craved being along or needed quiet. I’m not going to try to change that for him like the old days. “It’s just who I am now. Look, we gave it a good try, but I think we’re too different to make this work. I’m sorry.”

“Right. I’ve been thinking the same thing. I need someone who wants to have fun and isn’t so serious. You couldn’t let loose last night. You’ve got your shop, and that’s more important than being with me. I need to be more. You know?”

We’re really doing this over the phone? Yes, somehow it seems appropriate. “Yeah. I do.”

“What we had was pretty hot though, right?”

He’s such a guy, and I can’t help but chuckle before I say, “Yeah, it was.”

“So can I be tacky and say, let’s be friends?”

I think he was going to end things with me if I hadn’t brought it up first. I step out of the way of a group of girls that are too busy talking to notice me. “Yup. Let’s be friends.”

“Cool. I’m gonna go.”

“Okay, bye.”

I pick up the bag of lunch and hug it against my chest. Sadness settles over me as I walk slowly. I’m not heartbroken over our relationship not working, but I do feel a sense of loss for what was. Trevor was my first and only love, and he’ll always have a special place in my heart. But that place stopped aching a long time ago, and I can pull off the bandage now, because I think I have my closure.

Chapter 28

N
eal is on his phone when I return. Paper rustles as I take our lunches out of the bag and set them on the counter. When he glances my way he rolls his eyes at me, and I grin because other than a few “uh-huhs” he hasn’t said a word yet.

He goes into our office and comes back with two seltzers to have with our meal. Mine fizzes when I open it, and he speaks in the phone. “Love you too. Bye.”

His cell clicks off, and curiosity is getting the best of me. Did he get involved with someone that I don’t know about? A sexy vision of Bianca flashes through my mind, and I hope I’m wrong.

Bubbles dance on my tongue when I take a sip of my drink and wait for Neal to give me a clue.

“My sister.”

I nod as I chew the bite of chicken salad I just took.

Neal stabs a piece of lettuce and holds it in the air. “So where were you? It shouldn’t have taken that long.”

“I got a phone call, too.”

His eyebrows rise in question because his mouth is full. I say, “It was Trevor, we broke up.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“It’s a good thing. While I initiated it, I think he had planned on ending things with me, too.”

“I’d say I’m sorry, but you know I’m not. You don’t need that kind of guy in your life.”

I shrug. “Yeah.” While I’m fine with my relationship being over, I don’t want to bad-mouth my ex-boyfriend. And even though he hasn’t been an angel lately, I think deep down Trevor’s still a good guy.

Neal gazes at me as a sly smile forms on his face. “What do you say we ditch this place and do something completely random this afternoon?”

The office organization isn’t done, but it’s usable, and there will be plenty of slow retail hours to get it finished. “Okay, do you have something in mind?”

“I do.” He takes another bite of his salad.

“Are you going to tell me what it is?”

He swallows and says, “Mini-golf.”

I grin. “Mini-golf?

“Are you laughing at the geek in me?”

“No. I’m just surprised, but I think it sounds fun. And I don’t believe you were ever a geek.”

His voice gets deeper, and I wonder if he has any idea that it makes me tingle. “There’s so much you don’t know about me.”

I raise my eyebrows in response. His statement makes me think about how he’s right. I don’t even know where he lives, while he knows my darkest secret. This afternoon I’m going to work at getting to know more about my business partner.

Settling into the black leather bucket seat of Neal’s BMW I begin my quest. My seatbelt clicks into place. “So you grew up in Breck and ski, right?” I ask.

“I ski and snowboard.”

“Which do you like better?”

“Neither. I learned to ski first, switched to snowboarding after my high school racing career was over, and now it depends on who I’m with.”

The blinker ticks softly as we wait at the light to turn left. “Flexible, I like it.”

Neal glances at me, but his eyes are covered in sporty-looking sunglasses. His grin gives him away when he says, “I aim to please.”

“That you do, and it’s quite charming.”

“Wow, I’m getting a lot of compliments today. I must have done something right.”

“At the risk of swelling your head before I trounce you in mini-golf, you do a lot of things right.”

He snorts. “Trounce?”

“Crush, beat by a mile, skunk—”

“I know what it means. It’s just an odd word to use.”

I think about how I used to spend time playing golf with my grandfather on his homemade putting green. Trounce is a word he would have used. “I guess.” I’m about to tell him about it, but stop myself since I’m supposed to be on a get-to-know-Neal mission.

I ask, “What others sports did you play in high school?”

“Soccer and lacrosse. What about you?” The engine barely purrs as we speed up.

“I ran cross-country and spring track. But it was mostly to stay in shape. I wasn’t good at it.” Jeesh, I have a way of monopolizing the conversation when I’m with Neal.

“You look like a runner to me. What were your events?”

“Long-distance stuff.” I renew my effort to turn it back to him. “What positions did you play?”

“Offense. So did you run the two-mile?”

Huh, he’s good at deflection. No wonder I don’t know much about Neal. “Yes. I’ll bet you were good at offense. You like to get the job done. Were you also a straight-A student?” I grin because I managed to turn it back on him.

“No. That was my sister’s job. But I did okay. You?”

“Nope, I rocked the B’s though.” He’s slowing down, and the blinker lights on my side view mirror flash to indicate he’s turning right.

He chuckles and says, “Yup, me too. I did better in college when I started to take classes I liked.”

“Where did you go?”

“CU Boulder.” He turns to look out the back window, and he maneuvers us into a parking spot.

“And you majored in business, right?”

“I did.” The gear shifts into park, and he lifts his glasses to gaze at me. “What’s with all the questions?”

“I realized I don’t know you as well as you know me. I’m trying here, but you’re awfully good at changing the subject so it’s not about you.” I open the door to get out.

The remote beeps as he locks his car, and we walk toward the miniature golf building. Designed to be used year-round, there are two golf courses. One outside and one inside, along with various video games to keep kids entertained. Neal says, “I’m not that interesting. There are a million guys like me.”

Oh, no, there aren’t. “Really? A million guys that own multiple businesses, retail locations, and fund random girls to be nice?”

“There are a million guys that have a decent job and treat people right.” He pulls the clear glass door open for me to enter the building.

“You sell yourself short, Neal Morgan.” I step ahead of him into the breezeway and pull the cold metal handle of the next door, holding it open for him to enter.

We walk up to a long counter painted royal blue. I say, “Two for golf, please.” The woman behind the counter scans us quickly and reaches over to get clubs.

I turn to Neal. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Red.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes when he asks, “What’s yours?”

“Magenta, but they don’t have it.” The putters thud on the counter, and I ask, “Can we have a red and a purple ball please?”

Neal chuckles as the woman digs through the bucket to give us the colors I requested.

I grin at him. “You laugh, but the right color ball makes all the difference.”

“I bet. Purple balls are known for trouncing red ones.”

I palm the cool plastic and toss the ball lightly in the air. “Oh, Neal, it won’t be the color that lets me trounce you.”

We approach the first hole of the miniature golf course. It’s designed in an old mining town theme, and the ball has to travel through a mountain tunnel that turns sharply to the left.

Neal’s ball drops onto the fake grass with a thud. “Let’s put a wager on this game.”

“What do you have in mind?” I hold on to my ball and rub the smooth dimples in the surface with my finger.

“How about for each hole the winner can ask the other any question they wish?”

Considering Neal already knows my biggest secret, my answer is easy. “Deal.”

“Want to go first?”

“Nope. You go. I’m thinking about my question.”

Neal lines up his putter and taps the ball with force. It rumbles through the tunnel and pops out the other side, toward the hole, where it stops short.

I set my ball down and take a moment to plan my shot. I take it, and when my ball comes out of the tunnel it rolls slowly in. “Yes!”

Neal shakes his head. “Wow. Okay, what’s the question?”

I know he’ll answer with as few words as possible so I craft my wording carefully. “What was the name of your high school love?”

“Jenny.”

I grin because now I know he fell in love in high school. I try for more. “Where is she now?”

“You only get one question, but I’ll answer as a bonus. She went to medical school, and I heard she’s a pediatrician in Denver.”

The next hole is a train bridge over water, and I go first. I hit my ball harder than it needed, and it bounces off the lip behind the hole to end up a few feet from the target.

Neal takes his time and does a better job judging how to strike the ball. His lands near the hole, but on my turn I tap my ball in easily while he manages to overshoot and miss.

This time I’m afraid my question might be too personal but go for it anyway. I watch carefully to see his reaction. “What was the name of the girl that broke your heart?”

He answers quickly, and I’m glad to see he doesn’t seem upset. “Kate.” He walks to the next hole but turns to look at me as he does. “I already told you about her.” He smirks. “That was a wasted question.” Neal places his ball down and plans his attack.

Not wasted at all. I smile but wish I could jump up and down, because he’s not hung up on her and that leads nicely to my next question.

Neal wins the third hole. “Did you have any serious boyfriends in college?”

I wonder what he’s really asking. Does he want to know if I fell in love after Trevor, or if I had sex? I put my hand on my hip and tilt my head. “Define serious.”

He grins. “Sleepovers.”

Heat rushes to my face. “Yes. You’re so going to regret you asked that.” Neal’s wink makes me roll my eyes.

I win the next hole. “Casey called you a man whore.” I wink back at him when his eyes widen. “But Nika says you’ve changed. When was your last sleepover?”

Neal moves toward hole five and doesn’t answer until we get there. “Over a year ago.”

I squat down to determine the best direction to hit my ball. I glance up at him. “Why haven’t you gotten involved with anyone?”

“You’re not very good at only asking one question.”

I shrug and take my shot, hoping I win so I get the answer. My ball goes in, and I quietly say, “Yes.”

Neal takes his turn and misses. I’m about to walk to the next hole when he grabs my arm and pulls me close. His eyes sparkle under the artificial light. “I got tired of meaningless relationships. The next woman I date will be more than a pretty face and sex for me.”

I stare into his eyes, and heat smolders deep inside me. He licks his lips, and I want to taste them in the worst way. Let me be that girl.

Chapter 29

Du
ring our golf game, I learned that Neal had a dog as a child and wants another, and he has an apartment above the Wine and Cheese Shop and a plot of land outside town to build on someday. He wants children, would be a famous rock star if he could be anything, and his favorite ice cream is Coffee Toffee Crunch. Oh, and he wears briefs. That last little morsel has many visions flashing in my mind.