because he’s got ‘player’ written all over him. I mean, he might as well have it tattooed on his forehead.” A rueful smile appeared on her face and then quickly vanished. “He swears he’s a good guy, but I don’t buy it. He’s really cute, and he’s totally charming. But I saw him practically drool over some girl at the athletic club the other day. And he’s telling me I can trust him?”
“Wow,” Jessica said. She sympathized—she’d crushed out on a major player last summer (who also just happened to be Connor’s older brother, Liam), and even though nothing had come of it, the memory still stung. She snuggled farther down into her bed and thought about how glad she was that she and Connor were together, even if things weren’t particularly smooth between them at the moment.
From beneath her, Lara’s soft voice came out with another suggestion. “What if you test Hunter’s boyfriend potential, Greer?” she asked. “So you can find out if he means what he says, and see if his good-guy story holds up.” Lara was full of clever ideas tonight, it seemed.
Greer looked doubtful in the soft glow of her reading lamp. “I swore off games, too,” she said. “Even though I didn’t write that down on our list of goals.”
“Where is that list, by the way?” Jessica queried. “You’d better still have it.”
Greer bristled slightly. “Of course I do. Your little secrets are safe with me.”
Lara sighed and rolled over. “But back to the matter at hand, ladies. Greer, if you don’t test Hunter, you might never know if he’s angel or devil—”
Greer held up a manicured hand in surrender. “Fine, fine, you’re right. I’ll do it. I’ll figure something out.”
And Jessica, who always wanted to believe the best about people, added, “I’m sure you’ll find out he’s the perfect guy for you.”
“Maybe,” Greer said. But she sounded doubtful, and her expression was clouded.
Lara yawned loudly. “Okay, now that we’ve got everything settled, let’s go to sleep. I’ve got to work tomorrow, unlike you lazy layabouts.”
Greer and Jessica chuckled and then they all closed their eyes, though Jessica still tossed and turned a bit. This time, though, instead of worrying about Connor, she was planning the best date ever.
9
After nearly two weeks passed with no phone call from Marco, Lara began to regret giving him her number that day at Ahoy Grill. First her boyfriend ( ex-boyfriend , the little voice in her head corrected her) had vanished into the Vermont woods, and then Marco had disappeared into the rocky coves of Pebble Beach. It was just one more blow to her ego. For all she knew, Marco had asked for her digits only so he could rope her into babysitting that crabby little sister of his. Lara was an only child—and glad of it—but somehow people always looked at her and thought “excellent babysitting material!” She couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.
So when her phone rang on a Thursday at five with a number she didn’t recognize, she almost ignored it. She wasdeep into Jane Austen’s Emma , and was looking forward to a quiet night of reading and sipping iced tea on the patio. But then Greer walked by in some flowing beach-gown thing and said, “Please answer that. Your ringtone is really annoying.”
So Lara had obeyed her, only to find Marco on the other end of the line. Her heart flipped over and before she could think, he was asking her if she wanted to go on a picnic.
Asking her out!
Lara hesitated for a few beats while Marco whistled non-chalantly into her ear. “Go ahead and put me on hold while you think about it,” he teased. “I’ll pretend I’m calling the credit card company or something. Those people take forever.”
Lara laughed. What was the harm in a little picnic? “Sure,” she said. “I’d love to.”
Marco stopped whistling immediately. “Perfect. I’ll grab the goods and then I’ll be there in half an hour.”
She almost
“Wow,” Jessica said. She sympathized—she’d crushed out on a major player last summer (who also just happened to be Connor’s older brother, Liam), and even though nothing had come of it, the memory still stung. She snuggled farther down into her bed and thought about how glad she was that she and Connor were together, even if things weren’t particularly smooth between them at the moment.
From beneath her, Lara’s soft voice came out with another suggestion. “What if you test Hunter’s boyfriend potential, Greer?” she asked. “So you can find out if he means what he says, and see if his good-guy story holds up.” Lara was full of clever ideas tonight, it seemed.
Greer looked doubtful in the soft glow of her reading lamp. “I swore off games, too,” she said. “Even though I didn’t write that down on our list of goals.”
“Where is that list, by the way?” Jessica queried. “You’d better still have it.”
Greer bristled slightly. “Of course I do. Your little secrets are safe with me.”
Lara sighed and rolled over. “But back to the matter at hand, ladies. Greer, if you don’t test Hunter, you might never know if he’s angel or devil—”
Greer held up a manicured hand in surrender. “Fine, fine, you’re right. I’ll do it. I’ll figure something out.”
And Jessica, who always wanted to believe the best about people, added, “I’m sure you’ll find out he’s the perfect guy for you.”
“Maybe,” Greer said. But she sounded doubtful, and her expression was clouded.
Lara yawned loudly. “Okay, now that we’ve got everything settled, let’s go to sleep. I’ve got to work tomorrow, unlike you lazy layabouts.”
Greer and Jessica chuckled and then they all closed their eyes, though Jessica still tossed and turned a bit. This time, though, instead of worrying about Connor, she was planning the best date ever.
9
After nearly two weeks passed with no phone call from Marco, Lara began to regret giving him her number that day at Ahoy Grill. First her boyfriend ( ex-boyfriend , the little voice in her head corrected her) had vanished into the Vermont woods, and then Marco had disappeared into the rocky coves of Pebble Beach. It was just one more blow to her ego. For all she knew, Marco had asked for her digits only so he could rope her into babysitting that crabby little sister of his. Lara was an only child—and glad of it—but somehow people always looked at her and thought “excellent babysitting material!” She couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.
So when her phone rang on a Thursday at five with a number she didn’t recognize, she almost ignored it. She wasdeep into Jane Austen’s Emma , and was looking forward to a quiet night of reading and sipping iced tea on the patio. But then Greer walked by in some flowing beach-gown thing and said, “Please answer that. Your ringtone is really annoying.”
So Lara had obeyed her, only to find Marco on the other end of the line. Her heart flipped over and before she could think, he was asking her if she wanted to go on a picnic.
Asking her out!
Lara hesitated for a few beats while Marco whistled non-chalantly into her ear. “Go ahead and put me on hold while you think about it,” he teased. “I’ll pretend I’m calling the credit card company or something. Those people take forever.”
Lara laughed. What was the harm in a little picnic? “Sure,” she said. “I’d love to.”
Marco stopped whistling immediately. “Perfect. I’ll grab the goods and then I’ll be there in half an hour.”
She almost
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