Ten
Montana
After a Sunday reading in my room while Than watched football and barely acknowledged me, being around other people had been a little jolting. But I’d survived it and even enjoyed myself at times.
I’d found all my classes, been invited to sit with a girl I’d met in Economics—Kate Metree. She had just transferred here at the beginning of the year. Her dad had gotten a job in Jackson, and they’d moved from Florida.
Through her, I met Ariel, Tabby, Nia, and in a roundabout way, Crew Owen. Quarterback of the football team. He came to the table we were eating at and spoke to Kate first, then asked who her new friend was. After that, he told Nia to move down one and took the seat beside me. Crew had made it clear with his attention that he didn’t rank me as a six.
Rolling my eyes at myself for even caring about what stupid number I ranked on Than’s scale for females, I tugged on my backpack, which was weighed down with the laptop I’d been assigned from the office and several books from my American English Literature class, and I headed for the exit. My first day was over.
Stepping outside into the sunlight, I wished I’d brought my sunglasses. Lifting my hand, I shaded my eyes and scanned the parking lot for Than’s truck. Tabby was getting into a silver Honda Accord, and she waved at me. She’d been nice. Nia? The jury was still out on her. I got the feeling that her attitude toward me had to do with Crew. I’d wanted to just tell her I wasn’t into him, but that would have made it awkward.
I was so ready to be done with high school. There was always drama.
When my eyes finally fell on the truck I’d been looking for, I blew out a breath. Leaning against the front of his truck, Than had his arms crossed over his chest, making his biceps stand out even more. A cigarette was hanging from his mouth, and he had on a pair of dark aviator sunglasses. I’d not seen him smoke since Friday, when he’d come to the motel room. I was also ninety-five percent sure there was no smoking allowed on school property.
Not that he cared.
This morning, on the drive to school, he’d barely said a word to me. Much like Saturday evening when we’d returned to the cabin and all of yesterday. For a moment Saturday, I’d thought perhaps he didn’t hate me. He’d seemed…friendly almost. But that had been a fluke. His dislike for me was something I needed to just get over and stop letting it bother me.
Yes, he is incredibly hot, but he is not into you.
Besides, I didn’t need Than Carver to like me. I had bigger issues. But since I’d arrived here, there had been no blue notes. Every day that went by and nothing showed up, I started to feel more relaxed. Whoever had been leaving them for me hadn’t followed me here.
I heard someone call my name, and I glanced over to see Kate waving. Her eyes were wide with interest as I reached Than. She was assuming the wrong thing. I gave her a small wave before turning my attention back to Than. He was still smoking and hadn’t moved from his relaxed position.
“You know that is against the rules,” I said, pointing at his cigarette.
He smirked and took a drag from it before taking it out of his mouth. “First day, and you’re already the hall monitor. Congrats,” he drawled, then dropped the cigarette to the pavement and put the toe of his boot over it.
I scowled at him and walked over to the driver’s side.
“Montana!” a deep voice called just as I reached the door.
I turned around to see Crew jogging toward me in his football uniform, carrying a helmet in his right hand and running his fingers through his damp, sweaty brown hair with the other.
“Oh, look, the hall monitor made friends.” Than’s voice was dripping with sarcasm.
I shot him an annoyed look before turning back to Crew. He slowed as he reached me, his eyes darting to Than, then back to me. I could see the uncertainty before he even asked.
“Uh, I was gonna ask for your number, but”—he paused—“I didn’t know you were seeing someone already.”
I let out a small laugh. “I’m not. This is just my ride.”
He still didn’t seem convinced. “Oh, okay, my phone is down in the field house. I’m afraid I’ll forget yours without putting it in there. Can I put mine in yours and you text me so I’ll have it?”
I wanted to say no. This was not going to become anything. Our worlds were not the same. He had a full-ride football scholarship to the University of nessee. During lunch, I’d learned his parents were married, and he had three younger sisters. His life sounded like one of those happy family sitcoms. Mine did not. But I had two months until graduation, and having friends wouldn’t hurt. Especially since the man I lived with didn’t like me.
I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out my phone, then handed it to him.
A slap on the hood of the truck startled me, and I jumped before turning around to look at Than. He grinned as if my reaction was funny.
“Let’s go,” he said, walking around to get inside.
Rolling my eyes, I shifted my attention back to Crew. He was glancing up, watching us while entering his number into my Contacts, and then it looked like he sent a text. Probably to himself. He smiled as he handed it back to me.
“Isn’t that Than Carver?” he asked.
How did he know Than? Than hadn’t acted like he knew Crew.
I nodded. “Afraid so.”
Crew grinned, but there was a touch of something in his expression that I wanted to say was concern…or fear maybe—I wasn’t sure.
“How, uh, do you know Than?”
Linc had called me this morning to go over questions like this one.
“Family friend,” I replied.
He nodded slowly, then let out a short laugh. “Okay, cool.”
“Get in the truck,” Than demanded.
Apparently, he’d rolled down the window on my side so he could bark orders at me.
“He’s an asshole,” I told Crew.
He smiled, but it was a nervous one, like he was afraid to agree. “I gotta get back to the field. I’m working with the freshmen who are moving up to varsity in the fall. But I’ll call you tonight, if that’s okay.”
I wished I had some excuse on hand, but with Than rushing me and listening to us, I was frazzled. I just nodded, and with one last grin, he turned and jogged back toward the field. Annoyed with the entire situation but mostly Than, I jerked open the truck door and tossed my backpack inside before climbing in.
“Making friends with Governor Baskin’s nephew.” Than chuckled. “Maybe he’ll invite you over to meet the family.”
I paled and slowly turned my head to look at him. “What?”
Than gave me a fake sympathetic smile. “Does that ruin your plans to be the quarterback’s girlfriend and go to prom with him?”
I fell back on the seat and sighed heavily. “Jesus,” I muttered.
Not that I was into Crew and wanted to date him, but still. This was convoluted.
“Yep, Baskin’s wife and the quarterback’s dad are siblings,” he told me as he backed out of the parking space. “What a twisted tale of woe and the forbidden. It’s a love story in the making.”
“Shut up,” I groaned. “Why don’t you go back to the ignoring me thing? I liked it.”
“No female likes it when I ignore them, Montana. That’s not even a believable lie,” he replied.
I glared at him, but said nothing.
After a few moments of silence, he reached over and turned up the volume on the sound system. George Strait was singing “Amarillo by Morning.” At least his taste in music didn’t suck.
I rested my head against the seat and stared out the window as we drove away.
The sound of a phone ringing came over the sound system, startling me.
Than pressed a button on his steering wheel before saying, “Hello?”
“How did her first day go?” Linc’s voice came over the line.
Than glanced at me with a wicked glint in his eyes. “Great. She made friends already. In fact, Crew Owen chased her down after school to get her number. He’s got stars in his eyes.”
“Fuck,” Linc muttered. “You told her who he is, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir,” Than replied.
“All right, I’ll call Baskin. He needs to know about this. Can she hear me?”
“Yep.” Than smirked at me.
I shot daggers at him.
“Don’t tell Crew Owen anything,” Linc warned.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” I replied.
“He’s not to be a pawn in your game. Do you understand?”
A pawn in my game? Was that what he thought I was doing? Playing a game?
I needed the man whose sperm had contributed in giving me life to help for a couple of months, and he’d refused. So, now, because I’d had to threaten him out of desperation, I was playing a game. My molars hurt from clenching them.
“I understand.” I didn’t say more.
“There will be no relationship of any kind between you and Crew.”
“Got it,” I clipped out.
I didn’t want a relationship with Crew, but being told what to do made me angry.
I was looking straight ahead, but I could feel Than’s eyes on me. He needed to watch the freaking road.
“Take her phone. Keep it when she gets home every day.”
My eyes widened. Was he serious?
“All right,” Than replied.
“Send me whatever Crew sends her.”
“He put his number in her phone because he didn’t have his phone. He didn’t get her number,” Than told him.
“I’m pretty sure he texted himself from my phone before handing it back to me,” I said, not looking at him.
“I missed that,” Than replied.
Yeah, well, Than, you don’t know everything.
“Take her phone. Block his number, then delete it from her phone.”
“Will do.”
“I’ve got another call,” Linc told him.
“Yeah, all right.”
The line went dead.
“Perhaps you should look through my school laptop and check all my notebooks. Just in case I’m hiding something.” The bitterness in my tone was thick, but at least it hid the hurt I didn’t even understand. Why was I feeling hurt or betrayed? It wasn’t like either of those men liked me.
I missed my momma. Tears stung my eyes at the thought of her, and I closed them to keep any from breaking free. I couldn’t think about her right now. I had to be strong.