Chapter 16 Donovan #2
“All those girls out there, and you go for Charisma? I’m disappointed in you, buddy.”
“Tell me more…”
“She’s about as deep as a puddle. If you’re interested in conversations about nail wraps, then be my guest.” Carrie shakes her head. “Jesus. All those hours of work and this is the best you can come up with?”
“I drive her to dance class,” I protest. “She’s a nice girl.”
“Nice?” She scoffs. “You’re pretty easy, aren’t you? If I’d known all my hard-core theory would be for someone like Charisma McAllen, I would’ve kept things lighter.”
“Ooh, burn!”
I shift over to join her on the other side of the table.
“Okay, so what about this one.” I flick over to a fresh photo. “How about Janis?”
My thigh and shoulder are pressing into hers. I watch as she peers at the screen, before shaking her head.
“Now what?” I sigh.
“Well, firstly—the name sucks.”
I laugh, and she snatches the phone from me. She sifts through the profile pics, biting her lower lip as she swipes.
“Lindsey? Okay… That’s a little better…”
“I can sense there’s a ‘but’ coming up…”
“But didn’t you notice the purity ring?” She smirks at me. “Something tells me you’re not the type to hold out for a wedding.”
“Fuck!” I let my head drop into my hands.
“Or not,” she quips.
I can’t stop staring at Carrie, and I’m not sure why—whether it’s because I’m desperate for her to green-light someone, or if being so close to her right now is getting me excited.
My gaze drifts to the bun piled high on her head.
Why does she never wear her hair loose? I have no idea what she looks with it styled down.
Whether it reaches her bra strap, or even lower.
Shit. I’m picturing her now—back arched, blond hair tumbling down, swaying in time with the roll of her hips. I swallow hard.
“What?” she murmurs.
Should I ask…?
No. Focus, Wolinski! You seriously need to find yourself a girlfriend—and fast.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all.” I shrug. “I thought you’d want to hook me up with the first vaguely appropriate person so we could call it quits.”
“Right.” She snorts. “And then two weeks later you’d be back, feeling even shittier about yourself.”
She plucks a pickle out of her sandwich, and I swipe it before she can toss it away, popping it in my mouth, my gaze drifting across the lawn. I freeze mid-swallow. There, in the park—I recognize that face.
I wave at Cheyenne.
“Who’s that?” Carrie wants to know.
“Someone I met at Tod’s. She’s new.”
Carrie glances over my shoulder, sizing Cheyenne up as she picks her way over to us.
“Wanna join us?” I gesture at the seat across from me.
“Sure.”
She smooths her skirt over her lap and licks her lips.
“This is Carrie Wolinski.”
“Wolinski? Your sister?”
I turn my bark of laughter into a cough.
“Yup.” I elbow Carrie. “Cheyenne, meet my baby sis.”
Carrie glares at me. “Oh, so when it suits you, I’m no longer your precious little wife?”
She has one of those damn eyebrows arched and God do I want to dive into that bit with her. But we’ve got an audience, and that would be super inappropriate.
I turn my attention back to Cheyenne, who’s staring at us, clearly confused as hell.
“How’ve you been since the party?” I try.
She shrugs. “A lot of classes, assignments…”
“Fascinating,” Carrie mutters.
“What are you studying?”
“Medicine.”
My eyes drift back to Carrie, who is now scrolling on her phone.
She shoots me a hostile sideways look before going back to her screen.
The mood’s shifted again—she’s wrapped in that prickly little bubble of bad temper.
If I didn’t know her better, I’d almost think she doesn’t like seeing me flirt with another girl in front of her.
And honestly? The idea that she’d be annoyed by that… yeah, I like that. I like that a lot.
Cheyenne takes a deep breath in. Crosses her arms, uncrosses them, then leans toward me.
“Do you have plans after class?” There’s a quiver in her voice. “Maybe we could grab a coffee?”
Is it me, or did Carrie’s jaw just twitch? I can’t tell whether she’s trying hard not to laugh, or if she’s pissed. I glance across the table. Cheyenne is still waiting for a reply, and I suddenly realize I don’t want to say yes.
“I need to check my practice schedule. Give me your number?” I offer. “I’ll let you know after training.”
“Sure!”
I sit patiently while she saves her details.
She smiles as she hands my phone back. “Can’t wait to hear from you. Catch you later!”
I give her a small smile. “Sounds like a plan.”
She sneaks a glance at Carrie, who doesn’t look up—just gives her a half-hearted wave.
As I watch Cheyenne cross the park, I turn to Carrie and slap her thigh playfully.
“Ah! This feels good.”
“What—you hitting me?” she snaps.
“Realizing that you’re a bitch to other people, too.”
“What can I say?” She shrugs. “The world needs more negativity. And the library feels like a good place to start spreading it around.”
She scoops up her things and hops off the bench. What’s the hurry? I hate seeing her this cold—it reminds me of how she was when we first met, and it only reinforces the thought that maybe she’s sick of hanging out with me.
Instead of asking her directly, I decide to fuck with her a little.
“I think I get it now,” I say slowly. “You’re all bratty because you want me to yourself.”
Her bag falls to the ground as she stares at me, her eyes wide as saucers. I had to dig deep for the exact right thing to trigger her, and it seems to be working.
“You’re worried that once I find the perfect girlfriend, there’ll be no more Wolinski premium sex ed for you, and—”
She throws her empty can at me. “Are you out of your mind?”
I hold up my hands in protest. “Hey, listen. I showed you a bunch of profiles, and you shot them all down. I get it, Carrie. You’re scared to lose me, but don’t w—”
“What the hell, dude?!” she yells. “You asked for my opinion, so I gave it—that’s all. You really are an arrogant, narcissistic jerk, aren’t you?”
She crouches down, cussing as she scoops up her things, and straightens, taking a few deep breaths before slapping a smile on her face and looking me straight in the eye.
“Cheyenne seems like a real sweetheart. Kind, smart—and she was cool with giving you her number. She’s not an airhead, and she read the room—she knew when it was time for her to go.” Carrie nods. “Ask her out for that coffee. I’ve got a good feeling about her.”
And then she turns on her heel and stalks away.
I watch as she crosses the park. “I was only kidding, you know!”
She doesn’t turn back. And I just sit there like an asshole, and a little irritated at how unbothered Carrie seems to be about this first date I’m going on. Because yeah—I will grab that coffee with Cheyenne. I’m suddenly feeling very motivated to go on that date.
I jump up and head back over to the parking lot, where my three buddies are leaning against Adam’s car.
“What’s up, guys?”
“We were just wondering…” Lane trails off.
There’s an engine revving somewhere behind me, and I spin around to see the greatest fucking car I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Holy shit,” whispers Lewis. “A Pontiac Firebird.”
“Year?”
“Sixty-eight,” Adam says without missing a beat.
“Best year ever,” Lane adds. “No question.”
The sun is blinding as it bounces off the windshield.
“Never seen it around before.”
“Nope.” Adam shakes his head. “Must be a newbie.”
“The kind of guy who drives a car like that is definitely someone we need in our lives,” I murmur.
“So much beauty, it hurts.” Lewis slaps a hand to his chest.
We watch as the car cruises into a free space, straining for a glimpse of the driver. The car door opens.
“Holy fucking shit!” Lewis gasps.
“A girl?” Lane frowns. “Not a bad idea. A female Campus Driver could be good for business.”
Adam nods. “Totally. Get all the guy students hooked.”
“No way!” Lewis’s eyes are flashing. “A girl driver would be an absolute disgrace! A disaster. A caseload of potential trouble. Case closed.”
As he strolls off muttering, I exchange grins with the other two. Then my mind wanders back to my conversation with Carrie, and the smile slips right off my face.