9. Jeff #2
I snorted, thinking about my roommates. They’d all been assholes and womanizers before they settled down.
I never judged them or second-guessed every decision they made…
and I owed Amber that courtesy too. With my new resolve in place, my chest felt lighter than it had in weeks. “You did really good tonight, Amber.”
She stopped in her tracks in the middle of the kitchen and faced me. She had one of her eyebrows arched and pursed her lips. “It is nice to be acknowledged for my hard work. Thank you.”
Her eyes were a little too big for her face and remnants of the red lipstick showcased how full her mouth was and suddenly, it wasn’t so cold. “I saw you order the shots and drink them and well… I almost bolted.”
She blinked slowly, realization dawning on her face, and her previous smile disappeared. “You still don’t trust me, do you?”
“I do now.” I closed the distance between us and placed my hands on each of her petite shoulders. “It took me a bit but I do. I won’t assume the worst anymore. You deserve that from me and I’m sorry it took so long.”
She shrugged and instead of looking at my face, she focused on the floor as red splotches appeared on her face.
Then, she met my gaze. “I can’t force you to like me and I’m not going to try and prove to you I’m not who you think.
But I appreciate you being honest, and having an element of trust between us is a good thing. ”
She thinks I don’t like her? I wanted to explain myself or ask why she thought that, but she moved away from me and reached up to a tall cabinet.
The motion showcased her legs and the thin material of her dress shifted up.
I gulped, unable to look away from her skin.
It wasn’t until she grunted that I looked up. “Do you need help getting mugs?”
“Yes, please. My leggy roommates forget I’m a shrimp.”
“You are kinda shrimpy.”
“I’m five-four, thank you very much,” she replied, attempting to make a disgruntled face that made her more adorable. I gave her a placating smile and took two mugs off the top shelf with ease. “Ugh, show-off.”
“Height has its benefits.”
She rolled her eyes and made us both mugs of hot chocolate before motioning to the stairs. “Let’s go up there to talk.”
“After you,” I said, overdramatizing my gesture with my hand. It made her smile and that was the whole point. I liked making her smile now… which was new.
We got into her small room and another wave of heat went through me when she shrugged off her blazer and waltzed around her room in that goddamn blue dress.
It hugged every part of her and I could imagine how smooth her bare skin was.
She removed her shoes and took out the extension she’d put in and gave me a sheepish look. “Sorry, this is odd for you, huh?”
“What? Watching a girl undress? No. Not really.”
She blushed a darker shade of red and mumbled something under her breath and I regretted saying it. I backtracked, hoping to get her to relax again. “Shit, I meant, it’s not weird watching you take out parts of your hair.”
“Oh. I meant… I meant hanging out with me in my room on a Tuesday night. I realize it’s about the investigation but if you’d rather meet up tomorrow, we can.”
“No, I’m free tonight.”
“Okay.” She moved from her bed to the closet and shut the door. A wave of disappointment hit me at not seeing her in that dress and it surprised me. Am I attracted to Amber?
She came out in sweatpants and a baggy plaid shirt that almost slid off her shoulder.
Okay, maybe it was just the dress.
“Do you know anything about tracing a call or text from an unknown number?” She sat on the wooden chest I’d used the last time I was here and pulled up her laptop. “It would be amazing to figure out who owned it or at least get a location. Like the crime shows!”
I chuckled. “Probably not gonna be able to trace it ourselves. Sorry to burst your bubble. Now, tell me what else you found out.”
“Right! You were so quiet in the car I didn’t get to blab it all.
” She set her computer onto the bed and gestured wildly with her hands the entire time she spoke.
“He never had a signing day in high school—just an unofficial visit where he only met two of the coaches. He couldn’t remember who because this guy with the number was there that day, too.
I played up the fact my sister had no athletic ability but was super flexible and he said talk to this guy and he’ll find the sport that makes the most sense. ”
“That makes the most sense?”
“Yeah. He said that this guy will make it work as long as the body type is similar enough for people to believe. He even went on to say he wanted to go for football but this dude said no because he wasn’t strong enough. This guy is smart.”
“Jesus.” I rubbed my forehead with my hand, already getting a light headache.
“I told him my sister is real skinny and pretended to be worried about her finding a team. Max assured me there are multiple opportunities to get her in. I just gotta give this guy a call.”
“Well fuck. It’s more than just baseball.”
“Yup.” She met my eyes with such a solemn expression that my muscles tensed. “This is bigger than I thought, Jeff, and a part of me is worried we’re going to piss off the wrong people.”