Grinning from the moment I left the girls at their door, I’m feeling encouraged by the way Grace has been acting for the past two days. Her eyes drank me in when we were in the car. She’d never admit it, but she must be just as attracted to me as I am to her.

Dropping my keys on the table, I notice the stack of mail addressed to me. I shuffle through the envelopes, bill, bill, bill. Fuck. I knew this was coming, I just didn’t think it would be this soon. I kick off my sneakers and pay no mind to where they land.

Our apartment is quiet as I trudge to my room. Closing the door behind me, I drop the mail on my nightstand and sit down on the bed. Resting my elbows on my knees and my forehead in my cupped palms, I stare at the wooden floor between my feet. If only I could find the answer to my lack of funds somewhere in the various woodgrains, a secret message I can decode if I look long enough. I need to find another job that pays well enough to cover all my expenses. The two nights at Davis Square Cafe won’t cut it and the bar Owen works at doesn’t have any regular hours. They’re only looking for someone to fill in sporadically. Steady income is what I’m looking for. Leaning back, I slip my phone from my front pocket and dial Brady’s number. He picks up immediately.

“Trevor, what’s up?”

“Hey, I was calling to see if the station has any positions open. I need more hours than I’m currently working.”

“Perfect timing, bro, I was just about to call you. I talked to one of my bosses and he said Chestnut Country Club always needs waitstaff for banquets. They hire B.U. students all the time. The pay is decent and you get a free meal out of it.”

“That’s awesome. Thanks, man. You’re a lifesaver. I came home to a pile of bills and had a mini mental breakdown.”

“No worries. I’ll text you the number, and you need to call tomorrow.”

“I will. You’re my favorite brother, you know?”

He laughs. “Yeah, I better be seeing as I’m your only one. Let me know how it goes.”

“Will do. Say hi to Harlow for me. Talk soon.”

“Sounds good.”

I end the call and fall backward on my bed exhaling a sigh of relief. If this works out, my big brother came through for me in a huge way.

“Hey,” I call out to Grace as I sit beside her in class.

She whistles looking at the clock on the front wall. “You barely made it.”

“I know, but I did make it.” I wink cockily.

Professor Gordon immediately begins to speak and we listen to her instructions before she passes out a quiz. Shit, I wish I’d taken the time to study last night, but I need the money the extra shift brought in.

I begin working on each question. There are twenty five of them and some are in essay format. This seems more like a test than a quiz. Fortunately, I know the answers to all the questions and I’m pretty good at bullshitting my way through essays. I’ve had a lot of practice between high school and my first two years of college.

Glancing side-eye at Grace, I see her busily writing and I go back to double check my answers.

We hand our papers in at the end of class and walk out together. “How did you do?” I nudge Grace, getting her attention.

“I think I did okay. I knew the material fairly well.” Taking hold of her upper arm, I steer her away from two guys horsing around in the hallway. We exit with the flow of other students and once we’re down the stairs I guide her to a patch of well manicured grass between the building and the sidewalk. My thumb caresses the outside of her arm before letting go. “Are you going to the frat party tonight?” she asks.

“No, I have a paper due and I can’t put off writing it any longer. I’ll be at the library for most of the night. Are you gonna be at the party?”

“I’m not sure. Leah wants me to go with her. I don’t really want to, but I hate to let her down. And Nolan wants me there.”

My teeth grind at the mention of Nolan. Does she have a thing for him?

“What’s up with you two anyway?”

“Nolan and me?” I nod. “Nothing. We’re friends and partners in class. I like him.”

“You like him as in like him or like him as in like platonically?”

“What are we in middle school?” Grace laughs. “I like him as a friend and nothing more. Why?”

“I’m just curious if I have competition or not.”

“Who says you’re even in the running?”

Cradling the side of her jaw, my thumb grazes the curve of her bottom lip. A raspy breath slips from her mouth. Leaning forward, our eyes link together and I’m lost in a sea of swirling blues. Ranging from icy to dark in color, the shards dot her irises in a kaleidoscope of pattern.

“The way you react to my touch tells me all the things you’re too scared to admit.” My fingertips trail down her cheek. “Oh, I’m definitely in the running.”

“Trevor,” Owen shouts as he jogs over. Grace takes a step backward and I frown. I was enjoying our talk.

“What?” I bark out angrily.

“We’ve gotta run, man. We have to be in the weight room in ten minutes.”

“Shit, you’re right. I almost forgot. Go ahead and I’ll catch up,” I instruct. Owen glances from me to Grace and back to me with a grin, and with a quick nod of his head he’s off.

“Sorry for the interruption. Coach wants to work with us in the gym today.”

“No, it’s fine. I need to go and so should you.”

Glancing down at my watch, I realize I have seven minutes to get to the gym and change. “Fuck. I really wanted to talk to you some more, but now’s not a good time.”

“No worries, I’ll see you tomorrow night at work.” She turns and walks in the opposite direction and my chest aches. I finally felt like I was making some headway with her before Owen came over.

Sliding my backpack strap on my other shoulder, I bolt forward running toward the gym. If I’m late coach will make me pay for it.

“What’s going on with you and the work situation?” Zeke questions.

I raise my feet one at a time to rest on the coffee table in front of me. “I’m working at Grace’s family’s restaurant two nights a week and starting Sunday I’ll be working at Chestnut Country Club. I got that job lined up today after the gym. I’ll make twelve bucks an hour and they feed us a hot meal. It could be worse.”

“Hey, that’s great. A free meal’s a nice bonus, one less for you to pay for each week.”

“Right. And the guy I spoke with told me I’d probably get hours at least two nights a week, possibly more.”

“Will that be enough to pay your expenses?”

Adding up the potential payout in my head, I shrug. “It might be tight. I’ll have to see how the next couple of weeks go.”

“I can chip in extra on rent if you need me to.”

“No, dude. I really want to do this myself. I appreciate the offer, but that wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“I don’t mind. I’m glad to help you out.”

“I know you are, but like I said, this is something I should take care of alone. I need to do this and prove to my father I can make it without his money.”

“Hey, what’s up?” Owen walks into the living room running a hand over his tousled hair and yawning widely.

“I didn’t know you were here,” I offer as he sits on the other end of the couch.

“Yeah, I came home from the gym and crashed. I’ve been asleep for hours and it feels like only minutes went by.” He rests his head back on the leather cushion. “I think I could sleep straight through until tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you?” Zeke questions.

“I’m going to the frat party tonight.”

“So, skip it.”

“Hell, no.”

“Then don’t whine about being tired.”

“Fuck you. I’m not whining.” He turns his head toward me. “You’re coming too, right?”

“Nah, man, I’ve gotta hit the library.”

“What? You’re gonna miss an epic party to do homework?”

“I guess I am. I need to stay on top of my schoolwork.”

“Dude, don’t turn into an old man on me. We already have one of those.” He points his stare at Zeke.

“It’s not like that. I’m about to start another job and my free time is going to be scarce. I’m trying to get ahead while I can.”

Owen shakes his head disappointedly. “Looks like I need a new wingman.” He glances at Zeke. “You’re no help. You’re in looove,” he sings the last word. We all laugh. “Guess I’ll have to settle for Clancy or Flynn.”

I rise to my feet. “I’m going to get going now. If I get to the library early enough I might be able to finish the paper my creative writing teacher assigned.”

“What’s it called? An ode to Grace’s booty… I mean beauty?” Owen asks wearing a pleased smirk.

Shaking my head, I point in his direction. “Don’t look at my girl’s ass.”

“She’s not your girl yet.”

“She will be.”