Page 44 of Unlikely to Stay
Chapter 11
CC couldn’t help the warm tingles filtering through her body at Brant’s words.Shewas the only person who knew his story.Colleen Chandler.She couldn’t believe it.
She also couldn’t believe he grew up as a foster kid.It seemed like he had everything together.If you had asked her when he first moved to Parker, she would’ve guessed Brant Billings was a rich politician’s kid.Or doctor’s kid.Maybe lawyer.Certainly not an angry foster kid who bounced from home to home.
The thought of his foster-turned-adopted mom made CC smile.Betty Billings sounded amazing.If CC were ever to meet her, she needed to thank Betty for raising such an amazing person.A person who became less scary the longer they were around each other.
“Why are you smiling?”Brant asked her, taking a bite of cantaloupe.“Picturing how cute I was as a little kid?”
“Nope.”
“Then what?”
“If memory serves me correctly, which it does, I seem to remember you saying if I guessed everything in the basket correctly you’d swing across the creek.I guessed everything in the basket.So you, mister, need to get to swingin’.”
Brant stood up and wiped the muffin crumbs off his shorts.“Okay, a bet’s a bet.I’ll do it.On one condition.”
“Why am I thinking I won’t like this condition?”
“You have to stand by the tree, that way if the rope breaks or something you might be able to hang on to it so I don’t plunge to my death.”
CC started laughing.“I won’t be able to hold you up!Your momentum will send me with you.Besides, the creek is only like five feet below the rope.You’ll be fine.”
Brant shook his hands out by his legs.
“Wait.Are youafraid?”she asked him.
Brant frowned at her.“No.I’m not afraid.I’m just notnotafraid.”
“That totally means you’re afraid!”CC bent over and held her side.She couldn’t stop laughing.
“I just don’t like heights.Or swinging.Or ropes.Basically, I don’t like anything too risky.”
“Then why’d you make the bet?”
“Because I didn’t think you’d guess everything!”he moaned.
“You seriously underestimated the power of our friendship.”
“Indeed I did.”
CC put her hand on his arm, trying in vain to ignore the streak of heat that ran up her hand at the contact.“Brant, it’s okay.You don’t have to do it.”
“Nope.A bet’s a bet.I’m doing it.Just stand by the tree.Please?Even if youcan’tfeasibly keep me from falling, it will make me feel better thinking you’ll try.”
CC smiled.“Okay.”
Together they walked over to the tree, CC standing by Brant as he tested the rope.“Are you sure this thing will hold me?”
“Yep.Some of the high school kids were out here last weekend, in fact.”
“How do you know?”
“They told Breckin they had to install a new rope because the old one was rotted.They know we all still come out here from time to time.”
Brant shook his head.
“What?”she asked.