Page 54 of Full Coverage (Boys of Fall)

Randi turned to look at Nolan. He was shaking his head over Jackson. She couldn’t help her big grin. “I never slept with either Jackson or Carter.”

Nolan nodded. “I know.”

“You do?”

“Are you kidding? If you had, those guy would have been telling everyone.”

Randi gave him a little frown. “What?”

“Randi, every guy in high school wanted you. Taking you out was big bragging rights. Getting you to talk about something other than football was a huge accomplishment. Getting you to stop talking at all long enough to get a kiss was big time. More than that—” He shrugged. “Everyone knew that you were special. They would have been talking.”

She didn’t think that was true at all. But she felt warmed by his assessment. “And no one ever made stories up?”

He shook his head with a smile. “It’s Quinn. Everyone knew everything. They could have tried, but your girlfriends, who knew the truth, would have kicked their asses. And then your girlfriends’ boyfriends would have kicked their asses again. You have a very loyal group of friends and everyone liked you—no one wanted to make stories up. They wanted to make stuff come true.” He reached out and drew her near.

And she went willingly into his arms.

“And don’t think for one second that I don’t realize how amazing it is that I got you to fall for me.”

She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Not amazing. I might have almost failed geometry, but it turns out that I’m pretty smart about the things that really matter. And being with you really matters.”

Chapter Eight

“What do you think? This one or the blue?”

Randi stepped out of the dressing room and executed a three-sixty for Annabelle, Lacey and Lela.

“Oh my God.” Lacey stood from her chair and came forward. “This one.”

Annabelle was nodding. “Definitely this one.”

“I don’t know. Blue is safer,” Lela said.

Randi looked over her shoulder at the mirror. The white dress hit her at mid-thigh. It crossed over one shoulder, leaving the other bare, hugged her breasts and waist and then flared at her hips. It made her tan look amazing and she loved the light, floaty material. She knew that people were sometimes surprised by how girly she could be, but just because she knew CCV valves, didn’t mean she didn’t also know tulle and chiffon.

“The blue is safer?” Randi asked Lela. She liked the blue dress too, but there was something about the off-the-shoulder white that she really loved.

“You won’t make it out of the hotel room on time—or at all—with the white one on,” Lela said with a grin.

Randi laughed. She could live with that. “Well, it’s notmyagent and editor at this party. Guess Nolan will have to risk it.”

The girls had been talking about the party in New York, and Randi had been asking for opinions of some dresses she’d found online. They’d all finally agreed on one thing—she needed to order a bunch and try them all on to really make a decision. Lela and Annabelle had headed downtown and asked Corinne, who owned the shop where everyone bought their jeans and boots, if she’d be willing to order some things in. Corinne had been excited to do it and today was dress-up day.

“Okay, so all for the white?” Annabelle asked.

All the girls, including Randi, raised their hands.

“Awesome. Now shoes.” Randi was equally excited about the heels Corinne had insisted on ordering as well.

The three girls headed up to the front to find Corinne, and Randi twirled in front of the mirror in the changing area. She really did love this dress and she couldn’t wait for Nolan to see her in it.

She was surprised by how excited she was about the New York trip now. She’d been worried, she could admit. New York was as different from her usual life as she could possibly get. But now, with everything that had happened with Nolan, his reassurances that she would be fine in conversation with these people, but even more, how muchheclearly loved being with her, made her feel so much more secure. It didn’t matter what the editor and agent thought of her. Nolan loved her the way she was. She’d be herself and trust that they would too…or that it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t.

She watched the skirt float up and then settle as she stopped turning. She checked the dress out again, running her hand down the front of the bodice. But when she lifted her gaze, something caught her eye in the mirror.

No, nothing something. Someone.

Teresa Winters.

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