Page 33 of Jumping In

“Yeah?” She turns to me and swims closer again.

“Do you think . . .” I take a deep breath. “Do you think we could be more than friends?”

“Is that what you want? Are you still into him?”

“I think—I think I’ve always loved him. I really don’t know if that’s ever going to go away.”

“Finally,” she breathes out. I raise my eyebrow in question. “I wanted you to get there on your own, but I know you could be more.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“Well, according to Blake, Mac has been confiding in him and Austin about you for the last few weeks, as well.” She rolls her eyes and laughs. “Boys are kind of dumb, not gonna lie.”

I laugh and shake myhead. “Wait, according to Blake? Since when do you two gossip?”

Shannon shakes her head. “No, no, no. We’re talking about you and Mac right now. Let’s just leave my drama out of this.”

“Your drama? What the hell? Now you have to tell me. I’ve been so selfish and hung up on my stuff. Spill!” She remains tight-lipped.

“Nope. There’s nothing to spill. Blake and I text, as infuriating as it is. He’s been asking me stuff about bartending, making drinks. I think he’s trying to mooch my ideas for his restaurant.” I raise my eyebrows and she continues. “We’ve hung out a few times, mostly at his house, with Austin. And they give me access to their parents’ fully stocked bar.”

A smile creeps across my face. I’m so going to grill Blake later. “So, it’s just business?” I waggle my eyebrows, and she laughs.

“Yes, just business.” Her cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink, which tells me it is so more than just business, but I won’t pry just yet.

“Alright. I’ll leave it be. So, what should I do about Mac?” I ask.

“I think he’s going to woo you now.” I give her a look and mouth the word “woo” jokingly. She shrugs. “I say let him woo you. Maybe you’ll finally get what you always wanted with him.”

Kicking my legs back out, I lean back into the water, letting it embrace me into a cool cocoon. What I always wanted with him—now that’s a thought.

Later that night, I find a comfy spot in the library, opting to sit on the window seat for the first time in years. I set my annotation caddy down and open one of the books Mac bought for me. I’ve been reading through it since I got home Sunday night and I’m almost done annotating it for him.

As much as I love annotating, I think I love reading his annotations more. I can’t wait to see his thoughts on the book I gave him, but he hasn’t returned it yet.

I stretch my legs out in front of me, a little sore from the hike down to the creek and back. We so should have taken a quad. Maybe next time. It was nice spending time with Shannon, though, and I feel like I have a renewed sense of hope. She gave me some good ideas to help potentially win my parents over. And I feel like I have a plan on how to proceed with Mac.

A sigh escapes me, thinking about Mac. I want to text him, check in on how he’s doing, but I also am not sure how to get the conversation going again. We agreed to be friends, but based on the conversation with Shannon, I think we both want more. How do we step past the line of friends and into the realm of more?

Blowing out a breath, I pick up the book I’m annotating for him. Maybe this is a start. Maybe rekindling that friendship and love of reading will spark something else between us. Flipping through the book, I look at the things I’ve annotated so far and have to look twice. Most of my notes and highlights are around the romance in the book. Whether it’s the tension between the main characters, the moment they fall in love, declare that love, it’s all got my little heart doodles and highlights. Pink tabs line the edges, which should have been my first clue since pink is what I use for romance.

Maybe my brain was already focusing on something my heart wasn’t quite ready to admit and subconsciously dialing in on the romance, knowing this would end up in Mac’s hands. Shaking my head, I pick up my pen and start adding more comments.

Chapter 14

Mac

June 21

Engine rumbling beneath me, I slowly back out of the shop’s driveway and pull onto Main Street. I have another meeting with Mr. Lawrence today and I’m excited to give MJ the book I just finished annotating for her. As I roll through the center of town, I notice people milling about in the open grass area and near the gazebo. It looks like they’re decorating for something. Turning with the roundabout, I see the sign advertisingMovie in the Parkand my lips twitch.

I haven’t been to a Movie in the Park event in years, likely the last time being with MJ. She’s always loved them, and while I enjoyed them when we were younger, it’s different now. The less I can be around other townspeople, the better, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad surrounded by friends.

Thinking about it some more, Movie in the Park would be the perfect way to spend more time with MJ. I guarantee she’s going. I park in the driveway of MJ’s house and shoot a text to the BAMF group chat.

ME:Yo, you guys going to the movie in the park tonight?

AUSTIN:Wasn’t planning on it. Why?

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