Page 106 of Never His Girl

“Dad and I tuned in to the championship game,” she says with a dim smile, lowering into the seat across from mine.

“Yeah, it was a close one.”

“Close? Kind of an understatement,” she adds with a reserved laugh. “But I think it was that Hail Mary you threw thatreallykilled us.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?”

She shrugs at that. “Maybe. But even desperate, the throw was clearly calculated, which is why my father can’t wait to get his hands on you next season.”

Hearing that is bittersweet. Hopefully, once the truth comes to light, he won’t change his stance on that.

“Been a while since we talked. What’s new?” I ask.

“Not much time for‘new’,” she answers. “If I’m not working, I’m at school, and vice versa.”

We’re interrupted briefly when a waiter approaches our table and we order, keeping it light with two coffees and a couple turnovers. But I’m aware of how Casey’s eyes dart around while she thinks I’m distracted. She’s checked over her shoulder twice, and even jumped a little when the chime over the door sounded a moment ago.

The waiter leaves and it’s just us again.

“Well, I’d ask whatyou’vebeen up to, but from what I hear, NewGirl’s keeping you on your toes,” she teases, making me focus less on her odd behavior.

“You caught that, huh? Guess that means you’re still following Pandora’s bullshit.”

She shrugs. “Some might argue that if I’d followed her sooner, I might’ve avoided a bit of heartache back in the day.”

The reference to our past dampens the mood a bit, but she isn’t wrong. If one had known who the other was, we would’ve avoided crossing paths that night last year.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

Two mugs are set on the table in front of us, then a basket with two cherry turnovers in the middle. Casey does that thing when she glances over her shoulder again, but it’s more subtle this time. The waitress leaves and Casey’s brow quirks while she sips her coffee.

“Got you a south side girl, huh? Your parents good with that?”

I know she isn’t so much asking about my mother’s reaction, but more so my father’s.

“Who gives a shit what he thinks.”

“Same old West, I see,” she says with a smile. “I only ask because I know your dad’s big on image—yours, your family’s.”

Fuck him and all that superficial shit.

I bite into the pastry and somehow manage not to say those words out loud, but Idosense that Casey has another question.

“From what I’ve seen, you and NewGirl seem to be getting pretty serious,” she comments. “You know, now that she’s forgiven you for the whole… sex tape thing.”

I breathe deep when she mentions it, hoping my damn face isn’t red right now. Probably is, though.

Shit.

“You don’t miss much, do you?” I ask with a laugh.

She smiles back. “Nope. Not much. Didn’t miss the‘I swear I’m not a douchebag’campaign you put on to win her back, either.”

Shaking my head, I shrug. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” I say again. Only, this time I’m not talking about a football play, but rather a play of the heart.

Casey smiles, stirring cream into her mug, and she seems lighter now. At least a little.

“You’re serious about this one, aren’t you? It’s not like with Parker?”