Chapter 26
PACE – LATE OCTOBER
We’re Friends Who High Five
Annie high fives me now.
All the time, too. Not just like, Hey, high five on that awesome podcast episode, or Can I get a high five for my professor accepting my original element?
Since our near miss in the bathroom Sunday night, every time Annie enters or exits a room in my house, she holds that palm right up and refuses to make eye contact, even though I catch her looking my way sometimes.
The fact we’re both so blatantly trying to make what happened not awkward is making it awkward.
Which is why I’ve been back and forth in my mind about this coming bye weekend and surprising Annie with a trip to Dallas.
On the one hand, maybe she’ll think I’m making a move on her, trying to get her into another zip code where what happens in Dallas stays in Dallas becomes a motto.
Honestly, after the way she’s behaved for the last thirty-six hours, she’d probably run a mile if she thought I was making a play.
But I’m not going to do that, obviously.
There’s clearly unfinished business between her and Auston and as much as I hate it, I think it might be about more than only Nelson.
Even if I’m calling that wrong, I’m standing next to her big brother, each of us leaning on the head of our driver as Terry tees up a shot on the fifth.
It’s Tuesday, our off day, and off is exactly what’s happening with my game. I haven’t overshot this many holes on one round of golf since I was in college.
Which means it’s time to take the big old bull by the horns.
Because I have had my reservations about this trip but I keep coming back to two things.
One, I had the idea for Dallas before Sunday night and our incident hasn’t changed that Annie deserves someone to do cool things for her that she wouldn’t ask for.
Two, I need this trip to put us back in the friend zone.
No more high fives and casting her gaze to the ground.
That’s not what I do for her. That’s not what I bring to the table.
I’m Tanner Pace. The bearded giant. I bring the fun.
Plus, my comfort blanket is about to be manipulated into making the trip with us. And boy do I need Colton to come to Dallas to make sure that I don’t step out of line again.
Pace Junior will remain perfectly flaccid for the entire weekend. I’m the older guy, the man of our house, and I won’t let Annie feel anything other than respected and safe around me. No matter how hot she is, I can beat the urge!
Colton being in Dallas with us will make that a hell of a lot easier.
“Hey, Quinn, do you and Sas want to come see my sister in the Dallas rodeo for our bye this weekend?”
He tightens the Velcro on his glove, preparing to replace Terry at the tee box. “The rodeo?”
I shrug. “No pressure, just I know Sas would like it, if you haven’t already booked an incredibly romantic surprise for her to get away for a couple days.”
He raises one brow – gotcha. “Should I have done that?”
“Should you have done that? Jeeze, I’m perpetually single and even I know to book something for your girl on bye weekend. The WAGs compare notes.”
He takes his driver across his shoulders, and the color literally drains from his face. “You think she’d like Dallas?”
I shake my head. “No, I know she’d like Dallas because I already asked her.”
“Way to get me in the shit, Pace.” I laugh as he thumps my arm.
“Sorry, man. But Sas and Darce get along well, so why not come for the rodeo, then you and Sas stay on for a couple nights on your own?”
He nods as if he’s considering the option against the other plans he’s made… Oh, duh. “Yeah, we should do that.”
“And, hey.” I try to sound casual but my throat gets tight and my words come out as if my balls never dropped.
I cough and try again, deeper, manly. “You know your sister is Darcy’s biggest fangirl, right?
Why don’t we bring her along for the night?
Something to cheer her up through all this shit with Auston.
For one night. A break from being mama.”
“Yeah, sounds—” He makes for the tee box but stops short and does a one-eighty to face me. “Hold up.”
Shit.
“Pace, I’ve spent my life trying to keep my guy friends away from my sister. Tell me this isn’t part of a move on Annie because we’ve been over this—”
I flick my club, maybe a little too dramatically, in protest. “For fuck’s sake, Quinn, you need to relax.
We’re friends. She’s going through a hard time and she could do with a night off.
” I have a flashback to sitting on the edge of my bathtub, dick hard as nails, my finger hooked into her belt loop, so close to stripping her down and tasting every part of her right there on my bathroom floor.
“But if you want to start putting ideas in my head…”
“Fuck you, Pace.” He sets his ball on the tee and starts to wiggle his hips into position to take his shot.
“Right back at you, buddy. So we’re good? I should make it happen?”
“Let’s do it.” He takes a practice swing, then turns to point his club in my direction. “But, Pace, I swear to God, if it turns out that there’s only one double bed left at the hotel—”
“Annie’s off limits, Quinn, I get it.”
Terry scoffs behind me and Max asks, “What did I miss?”
Now is not a time to catch on, for anyone. I need to fix my relationship, friendship, with Annie, that’s all.
With that settled, Quinn takes his shot – a long drive down the fairway, landing a chip from the green. Now, I need to switch my focus to kicking some ass on this golf course.
I call for a ball from my caddy.