Page 20 of The Perfect Catch

Once that was all arranged, I walked over to the concessions booth. “Are you all set in here?” I asked. The smell of nachos and hot dogs drifted through the window, and my stomach grumbled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten dinner.

Doris, one of my favorite people, was all decked out in her hairnet and apron, waving her plastic gloves in my direction. “We still need more utensils for the food. Do you mind grabbing some?”

I gave her a thumbs-up and waved for Dax to follow me.

“Where is the rest of the committee? Don’t the other officers come early to help?” Dax asked, his long strides making it so I had to almost skip to keep up.

“They usually come a few minutes before game time. But I like to help out, so I come early to make sure everything is in place.”

Dax laughed and shook his head. “You are one of a kind; that’s for sure.”

I turned, feigning shock with furrowed brows and my mouth open. “What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying that I do everything I can to avoid school, and here you are, spending extra time trying to get everything organized.”

We both laughed at that, and I found his laugh to be relaxing, music to my soul.

“We just need to get this stuff, and then we’ll head up to the stands. It looks like more students are filing in.”

Dax circled his hands a few times and gave me a slight bow. “I’m at your service, Highness.”

I slapped him lightly with my hand, again pleasantly surprised by the strength in his upper arm.

The guy was growing on me more and more, and my hopes to find the Masked Kisser had started to take a back seat, which I counted as a win. Serena would definitely be happy that I was starting to move on.

Chapter 15

Dax

It had been a while since I’d shown up to a football game. Usually playing baseball or working got in the way of it.

“Go, Logan! Run it all the way!” I cheered as the kid who played outfield in baseball was one of the starting wide receivers for our team. Some days I felt he had more speed than most of our team combined.

I watched Kate get excited about the game but then get distracted by all the people swirling around us. She knew just about everyone, and I was amazed at how she could treat everyone the same. The popular kids and the nerds were all equal in her book. But it still made me wonder why she was suddenly so interested in me. Maybe it was because she felt sorry for me and had decided to help me out with this new punishment I’d been given by Mr. McKee.

The thing that linked us together the most at this point was the death of one parent, and that amazing kiss we’d shared last spring. Had her sudden interest in me been because she found out I was the one to kiss her? I wanted to ask her about her kissing history in the hopes that it would come up and I could gauge my feelings compared to her reaction, but I was worried that would give me away.

Turning to her, I touched her arm and asked, “Do you want something? I’m going to get a drink at the concession stand.”

She gave me that wide grin and shook her head. “No, I think I’m good for now.”

I headed down the stairs of the stands and burrowed my way through the crowd. I raised my hand a few times when I heard people call out my name, but it was hard to find anyone with all the people around me. I finally made it past the stands and into a more open area, allowing me to breathe freely.

“One Coke, please,” I said to the woman behind the counter. It was the same one Kate had spoken to before the game.

The woman nodded and took my money before filling up the cup. When she handed it to me, I leaned in, lowering my voice, and asked, “You know Kate pretty well?”

A smile spread quickly, the woman’s expression lighting up. “Oh yes! She’s an amazing young woman. Are you two dating?”

The question caught me off guard, and I shook my head. “I just joined Senior Committee, so I know her from there.”

“She’s just the nicest girl, though. I hope she finds someone who will treat her right. She’s one of those people who make you feel good whenever you see her.”

I thanked the woman and stepped back, sipping at my drink. She’d been right about one thing: Kate did make me feel good each time I saw her, which was different than most days lately.

“What brings you here?” a familiar voice asked from behind me.

I turned and laughed when I saw Nate and Colt behind me.

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