Page 7 of The Perfect Hit

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

Hazel hopped into the truck, and I shut her door before running around to the driver’s side.

“What happened to your grandpa?” Hazel asked, a line etched into her forehead.

“He fell this morning. The doctor said he’ll need surgery and then a few weeks of therapy to get back to normal.” Saying it like that made the process seem so simple, but I figured the whole idea of being away from his home for an extended period of time would be painful for him. My grandma had passed a few years before, and he’d been struggling with the idea of selling and moving into a smaller home since all her memories were there.

Hazel’s hand rested on my forearm, sending sparks of excitement zipping through my body. “I’m so sorry. I’ll be honest, I was a little sad when I didn’t hear from you when you got back from camp. But you were probably at the hospital. Where you totally should’ve been.”

I nodded. “Nate dropped me off there once we got back to town. And my phone died right after I got off the phone with my dad about heading to the hospital. I would’ve called if I’d had the battery power.”

Was I being too eager? Too transparent about my feelings for her? I tried to sound like a best friend, but my tone might have edged into flirting.

Embarrassment flooded my cheeks at that realization, the heat radiating off of them a signal that I was probably turning as red as whatever my mom had been canning. Then again, that happened a lot. Working out, being in the sun too long, and being embarrassed all brought about the same tomato shade of redness.

“Well, I sent you, like, a thousand text messages.”

I laughed, knowing it was really in the fifties. “I have to say it was nice to be missed.”

“Oh, I completely forgot to bring over your present. I had it all put together in a bag but forgot it. I’ll have to give it to you when we get back.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You got me a present?” My heart was jumping up and down while my brain was doing its best to keep my face from revealing heart eyes like in the cartoons.

She shrugged like it was no big deal, even though not too many people gave me gifts just for existing. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten you anything, and I like getting people gifts. I feel like it creates excitement.”

“It definitely does that. What’s in it?” I asked, leaning over and trying to coax the answer out of her with a smile.

She tipped her chin up and crossed her arms over her chest. “My lips are sealed.” After another few seconds of silence, she asked, “Where do you want to go?”

“How about Lou’s diner? They have good milkshakes there.”

She nodded, and I turned the truck in that direction.

We pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later, and I took a quick glance over at her, admiring the loose curls of her hair over her shoulder and the bright red of her lips. It reminded me of when I'd gone to see her performance inBeauty and the Beast.

“So, are you auditioning for anything in the play?” I asked as we walked toward the front door. Her hand swung back, brushing mine, and I flexed, trying to keep from taking her hand in mine.

Friends. I’m her friend.

Hazel shook her head, looking more distraught about the play than I thought she would.

“No,” she said. “Mrs. Sanderson wants me to learn how to direct. She thinks that will help me get into a good college. As much as I love to perform, I'm both terrified and kind of excited about this new skill I’m learning.”

“Who do you think will be the leads, then?” Not that I knew much about who was really good for which part, but I liked watching her face light up when she talked about things like this.

“Ellie was my understudy for Belle,” she said, waiting for me to open the door. “And I think she's got a pretty good shot at being the lead this time. And then Scott Daniels will probably be the male lead.”

My insides twisted at the mention of Scott Daniels. He was what my brothers would call a “wannabe future celebrity.”

He didn't have the build for athletics, but there were a lot of girls at the school who seemed to think his face should be on the cover of one of the fashion magazines. I honestly couldn’t remember the names of any because we never had any at our house. Even Hazel's voice had gotten a little breathy as she'd said his name. How could I compete with a guy like that?

We stood next to the podium at the front of the diner, and Penny walked over with a big smile.

“Hi, guys. Just the two of you?” she said, grabbing two menus.

We both nodded, and she said, “Sweet. Come follow me.” She took a few steps and said, “It’s good to know you’re back, Colt. Jake didn’t know what time you’d get in, and we’ve been busy here tonight so I haven’t had a chance to check my phone to see if he called.”

“Yeah, we got back a couple hours ago. Jake did well at the camp. I think he might be getting a few offers for scholarships.”

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