and shot him a look.
“I don’t know, man. When we all went out to that bar last week, she was really touchy. With, like, every guy there.”
“She’s just Southern. They’re all like that.”
Cade nodded and scrubbed the pot. He didn’t want to say anything, but he couldn’t forget how many times Courtney had touched his dick through his jeans beneath that bartop table. When her hands hadn’t been all over him, she’d stared at him and the message had been clear. I’m yours if you want me. Cade knew better than to say anything overt to EJ. They’d been down this road before. All that would happen was he’d end up getting blamed for something he never did. Just keep your trap shut, he told himself.
“This is what I like to see. Men in the kitchen.” Cade turned at Lily’s voice and gave her a smile.
“Hey, Lily,” Cade said.
“Hi. EJ, do you have a minute? I wanted to ask you about those scholarships at Oregon State you said I should apply to…”
As Lily grilled EJ about applications, Cade stole glances at her.
Damn, she’s really blossomed in the past year, he thought. Verified bombshell. Her short skirt and white Keds were the perfect combination to show off those long legs.
Cade felt a sudden sting on his arm. “Hey, man,” he said. “That hurt.”
“That’s my sister, dude,” EJ said. His voice was playful, but there was a current underneath it that told Cade to back off.
Lily blushed and looked at her feet.
“Ah, I shouldn’t even bother,” EJ said. “Lily’s too smart to fall for you, anyway, you bastard. She’s saving herself for her future husband. Right, Lil?”
“Uh, no,” Lily said. “You guys are weird. Anyway. Have you seen Dad?”
“Probably in his office,” EJ said.
Cade did his best not to stare as she left, especially with EJ’s eyes on him. EJ hit him again, harder this time. “Why don’t you try thinking about that brunette? You know, the one you actually have a chance with—and won’t get killed for hooking up with?”
“First of all, I’ll have you know that I’m irresistible to all women.”
EJ chuckled as they wrung out the cloths and tossed them into the laundry bin.
Lily
2015
Lily stood in the parking lot of her favorite coffee shop and let the rain wash away her tears.
Former favorite coffee shop, she reminded herself. It was where Tim had taken her on their first date. And now it’s all over. Who dates someone for three years and then dumps them like that?
She searched for her keys that jingled at the bottom of her bag.
“Asshole,” she said aloud.
Lily couldn’t stop going over their last conversation. When they’d started dating as freshmen, Tim told her he was totally okay with her being a virgin.
“I think it’s cool!” he’d told her.
However, in the past three years, she had started to get the idea that he was more excited about being the one to “pop her cherry” as he put it, rather than being impressed with her morals and values.
“I want to. Eventually,” she’d told him numerous times.
She just didn’t know when, and she wanted to be absolutely sure about it. Lily knew it wasn’t cool or sexy to be a virgin, especially by her senior year in college.
But she hadn’t cared about that, and didn’t think Tim did either. Not until he dumped her at the exact same place they’d had their first date.
Now, she was heartbroken.
“Lily?” She jumped at the voice and looked up. Cade stood over her, dripping wet. “Are you okay?”
She sniffed.
“Fine,” she said. Lily hoped with everything in her it just looked like she was soaked and not crying.
You look freaking pathetic, she thought to herself.
“You don’t look okay,” he said.
“My, uh. My boyfriend just dumped me,” she admitted, her eyes downcast.
Of course I’d run into Cade, also known as the longest crush ever.
“What an idiot,” Cade said. “Come on, get in the truck. You’re getting drenched out here.”
He took her elbow and ushered her toward his baby blue vintage Chevy.
“Can’t find your keys?” he asked as he turned on the heat and slid onto the bench seat beside her.
She shook her head. “I don’t… I don’t know…”
“Let’s go to my place,” he said. “EJ has a spare key to yours, right? He’s not home, but I’m sure we can find it.”
“Oh, um. Okay,” she agreed.
The ride to the apartment was fast, and thankfully quiet.
“Here you go,” Cade said as they walked into the small two-bedroom. He pulled a t-shirt and shorts, both with emblems of the Salem Fire Department emblazoned on them, out of the basket of freshly laundered clothes on the couch.
“Thanks,” she said, and took them gingerly.
Lily changed in the shared bathroom and rolled up the shorts numerous times to get them to stay on.
“Hey, you look good in my clothes,” Cade said with a wink when she emerged. Something about the way he said it made her burst into tears. “Lily, I’m sorry!” he said. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Cade jumped up and embraced her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He pulled her onto the couch next to him and pushed the laundry basket aside. Lily picked at her peeling pink nail polish.
“He …” she started with a sigh. “I don’t know. We’ve been together three years, you know? Since the start of freshman year. And I thought—God, I don’t know what I thought. That we’d get married, and all that. Not that we talked about it or anything.”
She could hear herself rambling but couldn’t stop.
“And then there was, I don’t know. There were little things. Issues, I guess. Red flags, I don’t know.”
A part of her wanted to tell Cade about the whole V-card thing, but her guard was up too high. Lily craved a drink, just a touch of liquid courage to get everything
