Chapter Eighteen – Gunner

Gunner? Gunner, where are you?

Running through the trees, I tried to follow her voice. “Where are you? Show me where you are!” I shouted.

“Drew . . .”

I stopped in my tracks. No one called me Drew.

When I turned around, those blue eyes I’d seen before stepped out of the darkness. They were growing brighter.

I could feel the warmth of her as she moved closer to me. “Who are you?” I whispered.

When the showdown emerged, I stumbled back. My lungs felt like they were collapsing in on themselves as I fought to find air.

The breathtakingly beautiful woman before me smiled, but it was a sad smile. It didn’t reach those stunning eyes of hers.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head, trying to make sure I was seeing correctly.

When they opened again, she was closer to me, holding her hand out to me.

“Help me, Gunner.”

My hand reached for hers, but she was being pulled back into the dark shadows.

“No! Wait. Please wait!”

“Drew . . . I need you.”

Just as I was about to touch her hand, she vanished.

I stood there, staring at the fog in front of me, my heart pounding in my chest.

With a long sigh, I closed my eyes and whispered her name.

“Ellie.”

I shot up out of bed and nearly busted my ass. Standing in the middle of my bedroom, I placed my hands on my knees, and I dragged in a few deep breaths.

Holy fuck. I’ve been dreaming about Ellie this whole time?

“No. No. No. No. Nooo!” I shouted.

I cannot be dreaming about Ellie. Not Jeff’s sister. Not the one he has been keeping away from us for this very reason.

My hands pushed through my hair, where I grabbed tightly. What in the hell was wrong with me? Why was I dreaming about Ellie?

“You need to get laid, or it was the other night. It’s the forbidden shit. It’s . . . it’s . . . it’s so fucked up.”

The knock at my bedroom door had me screaming out like a girl.

“Dude, you got someone in there with you?” Jeff asked.

Rushing to the door, I jerked it open. “No! I’m not dreaming about anyone.”

Jeff’s brows pulled tightly together, and he jerked his head back. “I didn’t ask that. You screamed out like a pansy-ass. I was simply seeing if you wanted to go for a run with me.”

My eyes darted over to the clock. Six in the morning. “It’s so early.”

“Um, since when? You get up every morning and run.”

My heart was still racing, and I knew if I closed my eyes, I would see Ellie’s. I needed to be away from Jeff. Not running next to him as I thought about how I had dreamed about his sister last night.

Or maybe a run was what I needed.

“Yes! I need to run. I’ve some shit I need to work out of my head.”

He smiled. “Nothing like pounding the pavement to get it out.”

My hand brushed down my face. “Give me ten minutes to get ready.”

“You have five,” he stated while walking to the living room.

Rushing to the bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water, brushed my teeth, took a piss, and then hightailed it back to my room. A pair of jogging pants and a T-shirt would work fine. A late spring cold front had moved through, and the weather was supposed to be on the chilly side.

“Ready,” I called out as I walked into the kitchen.

Jeff handed me a water and a protein bar.

“No coffee?” I asked.

“Not before a run. Drink the water and eat the bar so you have some energy.”

I forced the bar down my throat. I never ate before my morning runs. At least I tried not to. “Jesus, it tastes like a cardboard box.”

Jeff laughed. “You get used to it. Let’s go; I’ve got some planning to do for Ellie’s graduation party in a few weeks.”

My body froze. Jeff turned back to look at me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Shaking it off, I forced a grin. “Nothing. Trying to get the rest of that brick into my stomach.”

He laughed and grabbed his iPod.

A good run was what I needed. I’d run that damn dream right on out of my head.

By the time Jeff and I got back to our place, I was covered in sweat. My heart raced in my chest, and my lungs burned.

“Jesus H. Christ, dude. I could hardly keep up with you,” Jeff panted, leaning down to rest his hands on his knees.

I paced back and forth in our front yard with my hands over my head, trying to open up my damn lungs to let more air in.

“I needed . . . that,” I panted.

“I’d fucking say so.” Jeff slapped my back and headed to the front door. He glanced back over his shoulder and said, “Get a shower! I want breakfast now, and Magnolia is calling my name.”

An hour later, and we were walking into the Magnolia Café. The last time we were there, Jeff and Josh got themselves in a bit of a situation with one of the waitresses.

Do I bring that up and have Jeff’s good mood fade? Nah.

Sitting at a table, I let out the breath I was holding when a male waiter came to our table.

“What can I get you gentlemen?” he asked.

“Coffee,” Jeff and I both said at once.

“I’ll take an ice water as well,” I added.

“Make that two!” Jeff stated.

Jeff tossed the menu onto the table and leaned back in his chair. “I’m getting French toast.”

“What?” I asked with a puzzled face. “You just ran, and you’re going to ruin it with French toast?”

He nodded. “Yep.”

Rolling my eyes, I scanned the menu. I knew the damn thing inside and out so why was I absentmindedly roaming my eyes over the menu? By the time the waiter came back with our coffee and water, I forced myself to pick something.

“French toast for me,” Jeff said.

The waiter looked at me.

“House omelet,” I said.

“Toast or biscuit?”

“Wheat toast,” I answered.

He took our menus and hightailed it to another table.

“So you want to tell me what’s going on with you?” Jeff asked.

I stared at my best friend. Do I tell him I had a dream about his sister, or try my best to push it all out of my head and forget it happened? Forget that his sister had me twisted in some kind of weird knot?

“I had a bad dream. It sort of threw me for a loop, and I just need to figure out how to get it out of my head.”

“Aw, so that’s why you were running like a lunatic.”

Laughing, I nodded. “I guess so.”

“Well, the best way to get it out of your head is one of two ways.”

“I’m listening,” I replied, more curious than anything to see what he was about to say.

“Fuck it out or drink it out.”

“Considering I haven’t had the first option in a while, it’s starting to seem like the best option.”

Jeff laughed. “Yeah, I agree.”

The waiter brought our food and left us to be. He came back twice to make sure we didn’t need anything else.

“I say we make a plan to go out. Get Josh and Brad and hit some clubs,” Jeff said.

“I’ve got to meet someone for dinner; I can’t tonight.”

That little comment had Jeff sitting up straighter and giving me his full attention. “Really? Who are you meeting? Do I know her?”

“I’m going to go ahead and say there is a one hundred percent chance you do not know this young lady.”

“Try me.”

I laughed. “Trust me, Jeff. You don’t.”

“So then just tell me who it is. Unless you’re keeping it a secret. Are you keeping secrets from me, Mathews?”

I finished off my water and sighed. “No, Jeff. I’m not. Not really.”

His brows darted up. “Fuck, now you have to tell me about her.”

“Well, she’s cute.”

Jeff nodded. “I knew it was about a girl. Go on, tell me about her.”

“Blonde hair. Pretty hazel eyes. A feisty little attitude and a little bit stubborn.”

Jeff leaned closer. “Interesting, sounds like my type. Keep going.”

I shrugged. “And she needs my help with something.”

His eyes widened, as if he knew the answer right away. “Holy fuck, she’s a virgin and wants you to pop the cherry.”

“No,” I said, snarling my lip up at him. “She needs help learning how to play football. She wants to try out for the school team.”

It took everything out of me not to laugh when Jeff’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“What?” Jeff asked.

“She’s twelve, and her father asked me to give her some private lessons. It seems Laney—cute name, isn’t it? Well, she wants to tear some walls down and be the first female player on her middle school’s football team.”

Jeff closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “You asshole. You made my damn heart drop when you said she was twelve. Fucker!”

I let out a laugh.

“So you’re coaching a little girl to play football. I like it. Good for her. I hope she kicks some serious boy’s ass.”

“Want to come? You can help.”

“Would her dad mind?”

“No, I’m sure he wouldn’t care. I’ll call him and make sure it’s okay.”

A smile moved over his face. “Cool. This could be a lot of fun. I’m totally going to teach her how to tackle the little bastards.”

“Well, the goal for her father is to make sure this is something she really wants to do, not something she thinks her dad wants her to do.”

Jeff nodded. “Ah, so the dad doesn’t want her playing?”

I shook my head. “No. Not at all, but he’s not about forcing his hand with it. He’s hoping I can change her mind.”

“I have an idea.”

“I’m all ears,” I replied.

“We need to call Josh. We’re going to show her what playing football is really like.”

A grin moved across my lips. “Tell him to bring his football gear.”