She flipped the page and shrugged. “Well, I’m not trying to be nosey for the sake of being nosey, but the car, the penthouse, that’s a lot for a guy who hasn’t actually made partner.”
“When I brought in Stettler Athletics and Siren Cosmetics, both deals came with hefty bonuses, so I was able to buy the penthouse outright. Now I just treat the maintenance fees like a mortgage.”
“That’s millions of dollars of bonuses for just two accounts.” She shook her head and laughed. “Man, I’m in the wrong business.”
“And what business is that, since I noticed you’re not doing so bad yourself?” he asked.
“I design dancewear. I guess you’ve never heard of it.”
He laughed.
She raised a brow at him.
He turned to her, confusion written all over his face. “I guess you’re not kidding. How did you get into designing dancewear?”
“Why does that seem so unbelievable?” she asked.
Hello, old insecurities. Long time no see.
“You just weren’t the type is all.”
“And what type is that? She asked as the air that had lodged in her lungs seeped out between her lips leaving her hovering on the brink of breathlessness.
God how she wished she didn’t care.
“Snooty and self-absorbed are the first things that come to mind. Not all dancers are like that, but…I have met a few and they had both in spades.”
The subtle compliment cooled the flash of temper. “It’s not that much of a leap, I danced for eleven years.”
His hands flexed where they grasped the wheel.
Great hands.
Long fingers.
“Seriously, how did I not know this?” he asked.
She blinked away the dirty thoughts creeping in and glanced back to the information in front of her. “Because you were too busy being a football legend and I wasn’t even a blip on your radar, besides being your best friend’s annoying little sister.”
“I wouldn’t quite say that.”
“Right.” She tossed the folder aside, crossed her arms, and watched the blur of green passing by her window.
After all this time, that awkward girl still lurked inside and he hated it. That lonely girl who had never attracted a guy, certainly not the most popular athlete in the history of Clendon High.
“You held up all that hair of yours with a butterfly clip,” he said quietly. “The stones varied from pale green to emerald. Halfway through the night, that strand, the one along your temple…” he reached over and traced his finger over the skin at her hairline, sending a shiver rocking through her “…right above that freckle slipped free and curled up just as it did every time you pinned your hair up with that tie dye pencil. The one with your teeth marks carved into the eraser.”
The air stuttered in her lungs. That whole night he had done all the right things. He’d been polite, attentive, and made her prom a perfect experience.
Well, almost perfect. She wanted the goodnight kiss.
The minute she turned to him on her front porch, he pushed open the door and backed her inside.
Then he promptly shut the door.
His favor fulfilled.
And her fragile heart cracked.
“Why do you remember that?” she asked.
He shrugged, but didn’t turn to her this time. In fact, he’d cleverly concealed his eyes with his sunglasses.
Only it wasn’t sunny.
“It’s a top three moment,” he said.
“Top three?”
“Of my life,” he said with a small smile, his eyes never leaving the asphalt.
3
the transformation
THE FARTHER NORTH THEY DROVE, the heavier the clouds became, until the sun had been completely obscured, leaving a lifeless, gray horizon. The weatherman had said a thin line of storms would move through with a quick, pounding rain that would cleanse the state. It also meant the temps would drop another five degrees, which was fine with her.
Muggy meant mosquitoes. No, thanks. Piper had had enough of summer. Bring on the sweater weather, the bite in the air, crisp leaves, and pumpkin spice! Autumn was her sole motivation for suffering through the sweltering heat.
The silence between them swelled like a tangible beast after Trevor’s revelation. His words transported her back to a time when he lived three houses down and in her fantasies. He’d been so far out of reach and as a young girl she hoped and prayed that finally this guy would see her. Really see her. Apparently, he did. Not that it helped her eight years later.
Please, like she would have made a move.
Or maybe she would have.
Who was she kidding…she never would have had the courage to make a play for her brother’s best friend.
For the first time in years, she hadn’t the first clue what to say or what to do, so she let it go and focused on the binder. She’d just read through his hobbies: golf, racquetball, and dead lifting. His favorite foods: New York style cheese pizza with oregano, smoked salmon, and jelly beans.
Okay then.
She assumed with that, she had hit the end, but instead, arrived at a whole new section marked: Piper.
She scanned the first page and ground her teeth. “What the hell is this?”
He glanced at her lap and returned his eyes to the road. “It’s your life.”
She turned the pages harder than necessary, tearing one. “You don’t know anything about my life.”
He glanced in his rearview, and without using his directional, he changed lanes and passed a semi on the inside. “I made up one for you. You’re an art teacher. You work with grade school kids. You’ve been at Great Neck Elementary for three years now. One day, you hope to have kids and be a stay at home mom.”
Just like that she felt like a colossal idiot for giving him so much credit after his little confession earlier. “Mmmmm, I see that,” she said dryly. “No hobbies?” she asked as she continued to scan the information. Gee, he didn’t go so far as to tell her what her favorite foods were. Generous of him, but...
“Loving me,” he said with a grin.
“It’s a wonder no woman has cut you yet.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What did I do?”
She tossed the binder over her shoulder without a care as to where, or how it landed. “Oh, I don’t know. You gave me a fake life when you could have just asked me about me. Hell, you could have asked my brother about me. Instead, you assumed I had dreams of being the little woman all barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen while you’re out waving your dingus at anything in a skirt.”
“Your assessment of me is flattering, but there will be no waving my dingus.”
She shifted in her seat and leaned her back against the passenger door. “Look, I owe you one. I know that and I’m willing to do my part. But don’t make me look like a foolish, meek girl waiting to bare the fruit of your loins, Trevor.”
“Hey, I’m just kidding. I will absolutely not make a fool of you. Look, keep studying the binder and if there’s something you really want changed, we’ll change it.”
“I don’t need to study it anymore. I’ve got it.” She turned back to the road and adjusted the edge of her skirt that had crept up her thigh.