The Boyfriend League Read online

  “Not to be my boyfriend.”

  He sighed. “Okay. I see your point.”

  “So how are we going to handle this?”

  “This is going to sound strange, but what if we pretend, for the next ten minutes, that I don’t live here. I’ll walk you to the door. You go inside, then I’ll get back in my car and drive around the block.”

  I giggled. “That seems a little drastic.”

  “Yeah, but if we don’t do it like this I’m going to be kissing you all the way to your room. We sorta need to break the cycle.”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed me again. Slow. So slow. His fingers in my hair. His thumb drawing a circle on my cheek.

  He drew back. “Okay.”

  He opened the car door and climbed out. I opened the door on my side, and by the time I got out, he was standing there. He took my hand, gave me a quick kiss, and led me to the front porch where my parents had left the light on.

  “I had a really nice time,” I said with a very serious face.

  He chuckled lightly. “Yeah, me, too. Maybe we could go out again sometime.”

  I almost burst out laughing. “I’d like that.”

  “Good night, Dani,” he said quietly.

  Then he took me in his arms and gave me a good-night kiss to remember.

  When he stepped back, I was really sorry to see him go, but I knew we couldn’t stay out there forever.

  “Good night,” I said. I turned to the door, slipped my key into the lock, then turned back around. “You’ll call me, right?”

  He laughed, ducked his head slightly, and grinned at me. “Yeah, I’ll call you.”

  “If you don’t, I’ll short-sheet your bed.”

  With that, I slipped inside, closed the door, and pressed my ear against it, wondering if he was really going to get in his car and drive around the block.

  I heard a car door slam, heard him start the engine…

  I was giddy, so very happy. It seemed silly for him to drive around the block, but on the other hand, it seemed like the perfect way to actually signal the end of our date. I mean, we weren’t married, but we were living in the same house.

  Mom had left a light on in the kitchen. And knowing Mom, she was awake, too. I walked to my parents’ bedroom door and knocked on it.

  “I’m home.”

  “How was the game?” Mom asked.

  “It was fun.”

  “Night, hon.”

  “Night.”

  I went upstairs, thought about going to bed. That would have been the smart thing to do. Instead I went into the game room and turned on the TV.

  And waited.

  But when the door clicked open, it wasn’t Jason, it was Tiffany.

  She sat beside me. “Hey.”

  “So how’d you like the game?” I asked.

  “It was okay. I liked being with Mac a whole lot, so I guess I have to start liking baseball.”

  “You’ll feel different about it when you’re watching him play.”

  “What are you going to do about Jason?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You promised Mom.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “So?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know yet, Tiff.”

  “I just want you to know that I won’t say anything, but it seems to me that it’s something that will be really hard to keep a secret.”

  Yeah, it would be. I’d always been honest with my parents.

  “I’ll figure something out.”

  “Well, I’m going to bed.” She got up. “Unless, you know, you need me to stay to make sure—”

  “I don’t need you to stay.”

  “Okay then. Night.”

  It was a long while later before I heard footsteps on the stairs. Jason looked into the game room, grinned, and opened the door. “I was hoping I’d find you here.”

  “What took you so long?”

  He held up the DVD for The Rookie and a bag from Ben & Jerry’s.

  Grinning, I patted the love seat. We could be together in the house without getting into trouble.

  At least, we could try.

  Chapter 23

  The next morning, I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out exactly how to handle this relationship with Jason, because I thought it was safe to say that we did indeed have a relationship.

  And we were living in the same house, and that was kinda strange. If I saw him in the hallway, did I just say hi? Did I kiss him good morning? Should I fix him some breakfast?

  I could pour cereal into a bowl. I could slice bananas.

  I heard a shower go on, a distant shower, not in the bathroom next to my room, but in the one across the hall, which meant it was Jason.

  He’d taken at least one shower, usually two a day in that bathroom. So why was I suddenly freaked out by the thought of him in the shower? Naked?

  Oh, gosh, this was insane. What if he opened the door to my bedroom? What if he came inside? What if he wanted to give me a good-morning kiss?

  Okay, that was so not going to happen. Hadn’t we said no kissing in the house?

  Not that the rule had stopped us from kissing in the game room last night after we’d finished our ice cream.

  “I’m still craving the flavor of chocolate chip cookie dough,” he’d said.

  So of course, I’d let him sample.

  But it had been…stressful.

  Because every time the house creaked, we were looking at the French doors expecting to see Dad standing there with a baseball bat in hand.

  So I was pretty sure Jason wasn’t going to come into my room. Even if my parents had already left for work.

  He was going to finish his shower, go downstairs for breakfast, then go to work, then to practice.

  I was trying to decide whether or not to call Bird and invite her to go to lunch with me at Ruby Tuesday. If we did that, then I’d see Jason pretty much all day. And if Bird wasn’t available, maybe Tiffany would be interested.

  Was I really considering hanging out with Tiffany? How weird was that?

  Besides, I was certain she had something to deliver somewhere.

  I was pathetic. I wanted to be with Jason all day, and I couldn’t, because he had commitments. But I could watch him, at least.

  Would that make me a stalker?

  I heard his shower go off. Okay. I had to do something. I had to decide. Did I want to be out in the hallway when he came out of his bedroom? I hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet. No way was I going to say good morning if I hadn’t brushed my teeth.

  I heard another shower start up. Tiffany! She’d beat me to the shower.

  What was it about wanting what you couldn’t have?

  I got out of bed, knocked on the bathroom door, and walked in.

  “Hello?!? I’m in the shower,” she said.

  “I’m just going to brush my teeth. Besides, you’ve never been modest before.”

  I grabbed my toothbrush. “Uh, say, did you want to go to Ruby Tuesday for lunch?”

  Had I really asked?

  “Can’t. I have to go practice the national anthem. July Fourth is only a couple of days away.”

  “Oh, right. How’s that new-and-improved version going, by the way?”

  “It’s going great.”

  Terrific. I wasn’t really thrilled to hear that, but I knew Tiffany’s mind was set.

  I brushed my teeth in record time, pulled my hair back, then changed into my scruffy hang-around-the-house shorts and a tank. I went into the hallway. The door to Jason’s room was open, so I hurried past and went down the stairs.

  I found him in the kitchen, at the table in the bay window, already eating his cereal.

  “I was going to fix you breakfast,” I said.

  He grinned. “I wouldn’t want you to put yourself out.”

  “No one can pour cereal like I can. That’s true.”

  I crossed the kitchen. He scooted his chair back, and