CHAPTER 20
JIMMY
Damn it. Maybe kissing Mackenna had been a mistake.
No. That wasn’t true at all.
It was the best thing ever. That kiss was everything.
I hadn’t expected her to respond to me that way. Feeling her mouth open for me. Listening to that quiet moan of satisfaction. Watching her melt under my touch.
It put me on a high that was better than being drunk, more fun than any party, and more intense than the adrenaline rush I got after a fight.
And when she begged me to kiss her again? In that moment she totally owned me, and I loved every second of it.
Problem was, now that I’d had a taste I wanted more. A lot more.
I thought having a night apart might be a good idea. Knowing Mackenna was safe at her parents’ house gave me peace of mind, and it gave us some distance to think about the past several days.
But I wasn’t used to this feeling—missing someone so much it made me restless—and I didn’t like it.
“What are you brooding about over there?” Grandma’s question cut into my thoughts. “Wedding Crashers is supposed to be funny. You look downright depressed.”
“I’m not brooding,” I lied. “My favorite part is coming up.”
“Ah, the motorboatin’ quotes. Those are the best. Vince Vaughn is a fine piece of ass. I’ll spare you the details of my fantasies about that man.”
Cringing, I laughed. “You’re not right in the head, you know that?”
She pointed a finger at me. “But I got you to laugh. Does this have to do with a certain next door neighbor?”
There was no point in trying to deny it.
“Yeah,” I sighed.
“Why aren’t you spending the night over there tonight?” she asked, and my eyes widened at being called out. I thought I’d been sneaky enough that she wouldn’t notice my absence the past couple nights. “Oh, you thought I didn’t know? I might be old but I’m not senile. I made your bed two days ago. Can’t help noticing it’s still the way I left it.”
“How do you know I didn’t make it?”
She shot me a look. “Jimmy, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your bed-making skills are absolute shit.”
I barked out a laugh and held up my hands. “Alright. Yeah, I’ve been staying over there but I’ve got a good reason for it.”
“You don’t need my permission to spend the night elsewhere. You’re an adult and I’m a lousy babysitter anyhow. Things certainly moved fast with you two—not that I’m judging.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” I told her, then paused. “How much do you know about what happened to Mackenna a few years ago? With her ex?”
“This is Tolson. I know everything.”
“I thought so. Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “Figured that’s Mackenna’s story to tell. Besides, a first-hand account is a lot different than rumors or news reports.”
I nodded in agreement. “Well, her ex recently got out of jail. He left a threatening letter at her house. She’s pretty shaken up about it and I’m worried about her.”
“Ah, the knight in shining armor.” She smiled. “If that’s not a way to get a girl to fall for you, I don’t know what is.”
“It’s not even about that. I just want to be there for her,” I explained before admitting my true feelings. “I care about her. A lot.”
Grandma beamed. “Even better.”
*
When I got into bed, I looked at the clock on my phone. It wasn’t even 10:00 yet. As I scrolled through my contacts, I brought up Mackenna’s number and fought the urge to hear her voice.
For some reason, the thought of calling her made me nervous. What if she didn’t pick up? What if I was coming on too strong?
Never in my life had I second-guessed calling a girl. If I was being honest, they usually contacted me first. Like a chicken-shit, I opted for sending her a text instead.
I typed out ‘Hey beautiful’ then immediately deleted it.
Way too lame.
Then I typed out ‘Hi’, but changed my mind again.
Way too short.
I thought about earlier when I walked her home. I bet she had no clue about how disheveled she’d looked.
I grinned as my fingers flew over the keys.
Me: How long did it take you to scrub off my handprints today?
I stared at my phone for a minute before setting it down on the nightstand. I told myself to play it cool. But as soon as that ping sounded, I snatched my phone with lightning speed.
Mack: A while. Next time it will be your responsibility to clean it off
Images of her in the shower flashed through my mind. All soaped up and naked. Part of me hoped she meant it, while the other half wanted her to stop saying shit like that. My willpower was hanging by a thread.
Me: I might take you up on that challenge. There’s always tomorrow
Mack: ;)
A fucking wink face. What I wouldn’t give to see her wink at me for real.
Me: I want to see you. Send a pic
Mack: I don’t think you want that right now. My sister and I are doing the whole girl sleepover thing.
Me: What’s the definition of that exactly?
Mack: Braided hair, painted nails, and face masks
Me: Now you definitely have to send a pic
About a minute later, a picture of Mackenna and her sister came through. I grinned. Their faces were covered with green goop, and messy pigtails stuck out at weird angles.
She was gorgeous.
Me: Hideous
Mack: Hey! You were warned
Me: I’m just kidding. You’re beautiful, even when you look like an alien
Mack: Thanks, I think
Me: So what else is on the agenda tonight?
Mack: Probably sleep soon. I’m having a great time. I think I needed this
Me: I’m glad. That makes missing you a little bit easier
I wondered if I was being too honest, but fuck it. I was done playing games. Holding my breath, I waited as I saw those dots appear. Then they stopped. Then they started again.
Mack: You miss me?
Me: Like crazy
Mack: Good. Because I miss you too
Her confession caused a grin to pull at my lips.
Me: I’ll let you get back to your sis. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow
Mack: Looking forward to it. Goodnight Jimmy
Me: Night Mack
I stared at the picture she sent for longer than I should have. I loved seeing her happy, seeing her having fun with her sister.
It made me miss my brother. This was the first summer of my life we weren’t spending together. As if he could read my thoughts from two states away, a text from him appeared.
Ezra: Hey. How many laws did you and Grandma break this week? Do I even want to know?
I laughed.
Me: I’ve been keeping her in line. I was just about to text you. What are you up to this weekend?
Ezra: Went to a graduation party tonight
Me: Oh that’s fun
Ezra: Eh. Not really
Me: Did something happen?
Concern caused my heartrate to pick up. It wasn’t like Ezra to go to a party in the first place. When he didn’t respond right away, I lost patience and called him instead.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey.”
“What’s wrong? Did someone fuck with you?” I didn’t waste any time getting straight to the point.
Ezra sighed. “No. It wasn’t anything like that. It was just lame and, well, I’m sort of confused about something that happened.”
“What is it?”
“That girl I like… She tried to kiss me.”
I chuckled. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Not when she has a boyfriend,” he replied, sounding miserable.
I frowned. “Oh. Yeah, that’s not good.”
“I wish I’d just done it,” he said, exasperated. “I should’ve let her do it.”
“Nah, you don’t want to mess around with someone who’s taken. Not cool.”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, I know you’re right.” He paused. “It’s just that it would’ve been my first kiss. And I really wanted it to be her.”
It wasn’t news to me that Ezra hadn’t even kissed anyone before. I had a feeling that when he finally gave his heart to someone, that person would have it forever. But that meant the girl on the receiving end of his love needed to be worthy of it.
“Don’t sell yourself short, okay? You deserve better than being runner-up,” I said confidently. “But, hey, at least you’ve got some game, huh? You’ve got committed girls throwing themselves at you.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” he grumbled before changing the subject. “Hey, you’re coming back for my graduation next weekend, right? Mom and Dad want you to bring Grandma.”
“So I get to add chauffer to the list of my duties, too? No problem,” I said with humor.
That humor disappeared when I realized I’d be leaving Mackenna in Tolson for two days. The thought of her being here alone made me uneasy.
Then I had an idea.
“I might bring someone. A girl,” I added.
Ezra’s laughter was so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. When he finally calmed down, he said, “I thought you were done with women.”
“So did I. Mackenna’s different, though.” There was no need to hold anything back with my brother, so I spilled my guts. “It’s been less than a week and I’m crazy about her. I am so completely fucked.”
“Well, shit. If she’s got you by the balls already, I definitely need to meet her.”
I thought about the bumper testicles and laughed, because that wasn’t the first time someone referred to my balls when it came to Mackenna. It was literally and figuratively correct.
Now I just needed to get her to agree to come home with me. I had a feeling that was easier said than done.