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“Absolutely. You seem surprised.”
“I guess I am. I’ve never thought about what other people think when they watch me play. Speaking of playing… Where did you and Scarlett learn to play cornhole so well?”
“College. Where else?”
“We didn’t play cornhole at college. We played beer pong and lots of other drinking games.”
“Okay, if I’m gonna tell you this, we need to get out of the water. I can’t feel my legs.”
“You should’ve told me.” I capture her hand and we trek through the surf to the shore. Even when we’re walking on thewet sand, I don’t relinquish my hold. And she doesn’t seem to mind.
“So Brett was in a frat and Scarlett and I spent more time than we wanted to at their house. There was a cornhole setup in the backyard and the two of us playeda lot. We spent hours out there trying to avoid the guys who lived there. They treated us like it was a foregone conclusion that we’d take care of everything while we were there. It didn’t take long for us to learn to make ourselves scarce, and the best way to do that was to be outside playing cornhole.”
“Why weren’t they using the boards themselves?” I ask.
“Because they had a game room in the basement with a ping pong table, a pool table, and video games.”
“That explains it.”
“Scarlett and I repeatedly hustled most of the members of our football and hockey teams out of money. It’s how we paid for our groceries the last two years of college.”
I grin at her. “I wish I could’ve seen it.”
“Looking back, we probably shouldn’t have swindled them, but they were kind of assholes, so I don’t feel too guilty.”
“If that’s the worst thing you’ve done, you’re practically a saint.”
“What’s the worst thing you’ve done?”
“I’m a man. I’ve done my fair share of dumb shit. It goes with the territory. But sophomore year of college, my roommate and I went to a party. He drank too much to drive us home, so I did. And I had no business getting behind that wheel. I was too inebriated to drive but still aware how lucky we were to make it home in one piece and without hurting anyone else. That was the first and last time I let that happen.”
“Thank God it all worked out.”
“I still feel disgusted with myself over it.”
“We all make mistakes. It’s how you move on from them that matters. If you kept driving while under the influence, then you’d be a horrible person. But you didn’t. You grew from that experience.”
“Is that what happened when you and Brett broke up?”
“Not at first. I was too busy being hurt. After a while, I got sick of feeling sorry for myself. But I have to confess, it’s only been in the last week that I’ve really begun to realize how manipulative he still is with me. I’ve made a conscious decision not to fall for his guilt trips anymore.”
“If he bothers you in any way, will you tell me?” I ask.
Her lips press together. “Umm, probably not.”
“Why not?”
“Because we only met recently. I’m not even sure if I like you.”
Laughing, I give her hand a quick squeeze. “Oh, you like me.”
She shrugs. “You’re not horrible.” That’s probably the closest I’ll get to an admission from her.
“I’ll take it.”
CHAPTER 14
AUTUMN
