CHAPTER FOUR
ASHLEY
Whitney sat next to me on a shaded bench facing the playground. “You need to get laid.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I don’t. You just say that because you literally don’t know how else to survive.”
Whitney turned to face me. “False. Jimmy Walker, an elliptical, those little fruit cups from the snack shack, and then lots of sex. That’s my trifecta.”
“That’s more than three. Can’t be a trifecta.” I said.
“I know what a trifecta is. Still a good name for it.” She said.
“I hate you sometimes.” Look at that, the feeling was prevalent. I know this was incredibly catty of me, but I hated when she told me things I already knew… and could do nothing about. "You know why that's not possible."
"I know you love to use that as an excuse." Whitney looked at me very pointedly before giving me a squeeze. "You're allowed to have a life."
I sighed. "I do have a life. I live a life. Guys just... aren't invited."
"Not even incredibly sexy GI Joe guys who keep popping up in your life unannounced, dripping with sweat and practically begging you to jump on his--"
"I really need to stop telling you things." I chuckled.
"You should literally never stop telling me things, otherwise you'll become a hermit and disappear from the very earth on which we stand. Listen, Ashley my love, I know why you feel this way. I absolutely do. But I'm also here to tell you it is also allowed for you to have some fun in your life."
A rogue urge to cry seized my throat and I had to cover it up with a cough. I hated these talks. I know Whitney did it for my sake, and, honestly, I loved her for it. She never did let me hide and was always dragging me out, making arrangements, coming with me to the park on a Saturday morning when all she wanted was to sleep until noon. My life would be a pathetic little crumb of a thing without her, but it didn't make this any less terrible.
"I'm done now." I said after a minute.
"Fine." She said it kindly, because despite our bickering and teasing and lamenting, Whitney was the second best thing to ever happen to me. The moment I walked into our dorm room two years ago, we were attached at the hip. When life changed drastically, she came with me without being asked. She was always there. Always.
So maybe I didn't actually hate her, even if, sometimes, I really wanted to.
"I can't believe you got to race against Charlie Vermont, though. Jaysus Biscuits, woman, that man is pure, unadulterated sex."
"I know." I moaned a little too loudly. "And thank you for knowing it's always a race. I mean seriously."
"He was just saying that to get in your pants. That entire exchange was designed to get in your pants. He was practically hanging his dick out and saying, 'Come here, little Ashley. Come and give it a spin. Just a little lick. Here pretty girl. Come here.'"
"Gross. I'm not a dog."
"He's the antithesis of gross. You watch your mouth when you speak of our campus sex god that way."
I laughed and rubbed my face. "That's exactly why I can't. He has no idea who I am, not even my name, but I know exactly who he is and the reputation that guy carries. Cannot, will not, not even for a minute."
"No matter how damp your panties get?"
"No matter how damp." I said.
Whitney slumped in the bench and pulled her large sunglasses down over her eyes. "Damn. I hear it's good."
"I know." I sighed.
That familiar twinge squeezed my chest. In another life? Maybe. I was never that girl, not ever, but the way he looked at me in the gym almost had me racing towards his bedroom. Having someone that sexy, that powerful, turn his gaze to me was... intoxicating. Dangerous. So impossible it hurt to even have it offered.
I watched Ella barrel down the slide, squealing loudly with pure joy, and my chest squeezed again. There were more important things to life besides getting destroyed by a gorgeous man with a reputation for obliteration. The sting of that lost opportunity would fade eventually. It always had.
"I'd like to point out, by the way, that I'd be an amazing babysitter and all you have to do is freaking call me and say, 'Whitney, I need to get laid, please come watch Ella' and I will move mountains to be there in five minutes. You know this."
I didn't look at her. "I know."
"And you know Martha would, too."
"I know." I said.
"So next time he asks you out, freaking go already."
I spent a lot of time very seriously watching Ella make friends with another little girl on the playground. They raced and chased and giggled. It made me long for days that were easier, but it also comforted me to know she was still so happy.
"I think you're just scared." Whitney tossed out. When I turned to glare at her, she was busy poking around in her phone. "Don't look at me like that. You are. You are terrified any guy is going to be Eddie, and that's literally impossible. Eddie was a dick. But not every dude with a penis is going to be him."
"Oh, I forgot I'd had a subscription to Pot Kettle Monthly. Thanks, Whitney!" I laughed when she shot me a look. "Do we need to bring up your dating history?"
"I'm not the..." Whitney trailed off, following something going on behind us. A shirtless guy in loose basketball shorts chased down a basketball not five feet away. He caught Whitney's eye and offered a flirty grin.
"C'mon Rudolph, eyes on the ball, man." A familiar voice hollered.
No. Way.
I turned around and there was none other than Charlie Vermont himself, also missing his shirt, glistening like a Greek God in the middle of an otherwise empty basketball court. My traitorous heart leapt into my throat and breathing became embarrassingly difficult. Before I could look away, his gaze met mine, and a blinding smile crossed his face. He jogged over and there was not one single place for me to hide. Not one.
Whitney smacked my leg as he did, still captivated by Rudolph. We went from almost alone at a park to surrounded by sweaty half-naked men awfully fast.
And Ella was only a few feet away. Panic shot through me like a rocket. This was so bad. So, so bad.
"I'm beginning to think you're stalking me." Charlie said with a wink.
My entire body was at war with itself: pure terror at his proximity to Ella, and an utter meltdown from the nearness of him. It was like going insane.
"Maybe you're the one doing the stalking." Whitney intervened on my behalf. "This poor girl, trying to sit under a nice shady tree, minding her own business."
"Maybe I'd like to know her business." God, he was so smooth. Just a few innocent words somehow sounded incredibly inappropriate coming from his mouth and my stomach exploded with butterflies. "The least you can do, after this many clearly stalkerish run-ins, is give me your name."
"Ashley." Whitney tutted dramatically. "You never told this poor man your name? Oh, you silly girl." She tossed her head back to Charlie's friend. "And I'm Whitney."
"Joel. That asshole is the only one who still calls me Rudolph." Joel had a toothpaste commercial smile. In any other circumstance, he'd be a shining beacon of sexiness. Next to Charlie, though, he fell a little flat.
Not that I was looking, because I was too busy trying to still my heart and prevent a panic attack from really making me look stupid.
A shrill cry broke through all of that and snapped me awake. Whitney and I both jumped up as Ella came sprinting across the playground, clutching her finger.
"It hurts!" She wailed.
I scooped her up and brought to her the bench for a better look, slipping into Nurse mode and ignoring everything around me. In the center of her middle finger was a nasty looking splinter. I frowned and looked around. I didn't remember seeing any wood on the playground.
"Maybe it's a paint chip?" Whitney murmured over my shoulder.
"Maybe." I winced. Whatever it was, it couldn’t stay in her tiny finger. "It's okay, baby. I'll make it all better."
Ella nodded, her little eyes wide and wet while she howled in pain. I kissed the top of her head and grabbed my bag from behind the bench. When I came back around, Charlie was on his knees, eye level with Ella, talking softly to her.
"Whenever I'd get hurt, I'd always close my eyes and picture going to the beach with my mom. It was my favorite place in the whole world. I'd squeeze them tight and keep seeing that beach until they were all done fixing me. Do you want to try it?"
Ella wiped her nose along her sleeve and gave a shuddering breath, but nodded very seriously and squeezed her eyes tight. Charlie gave me a smile and moved so I could get to her. The splinter came with relative ease, thankfully.
"All done, little bug."
"It didn't hurt!" She stared in wonder at Charlie, and then jumped up to give him a huge hug. I reached out to stop her, but he scooped her up and squeezed her back.
"You are one brave little girl." He tapped her nose with a finger and set her back down.
She raced back to the playground, proudly displaying her wound to her newfound friend. I, on the other hand, could only stare at Charlie in disbelief. All of that was... not the Charlie Vermont I knew of.
"I was just telling Joel how much I love babysitting little Ella here." Whitney sidled up and threw an arm around my shoulders. "And how I'm off tomorrow night."
"Sounds like tomorrow night would be the perfect opportunity for you to fulfill your half of the bet." Charlie flashed a giant smile and my resolve crumbled into dust.
"You never won." I said, summoning a little courage. "Let's not get too presumptuous here."
He snapped his fingers. "You're right. Whitney, is a treadmill an unofficial racing location?"
"I have never heard of that in my life." Whitney feigned confusion. "I only use the elliptical." I shot her a look and she whispered, "Shut up, you love me."
"Interesting." Charlie stroked his chin and nodded. It was pathetically mesmerizing to watch. "I guess that means I win. Looks like you’re having dinner with me tomorrow night."
Everyone stared at me. I stared at Ella. Whitney gently nudged me and offered a warm smile. She was right, she always was.
"I guess that was the bet." I finally said, still not certain it was the right thing to do.
Charlie's whole face lit up. "Great. I'll pick you up at seven."