Page 40 of A Little Crush
“Seriously,” I add. “The long-time fans will love it.”
“Well, then. I guess it’s settled,” Rory murmurs. “I’m in until you find a replacement.”
Part of me wants to jump for joy like a kid on Christmas. The other part? Well, I guess I can’t help but acknowledgethe guilt spreading through my marrow. “You sure you’re up for this, Rore?”
She rolls her eyes. “Jax?—”
“Trust me. I don’t want to be the voice of reason right now,” I admit dryly. “But agreeing to watch a kid while also traveling across the US and Canada is a lot. It’s gonna be long nights. Long days. Long flights. Long stints in the hotel with nothing to do while Poppy naps.” Another punch of guilt spreads through my chest as I consider giving her an out even if I don’t want to. Does it make me selfish? Yeah. Yeah, I guess it does. “Shit,” I mutter as another snag filters through my mind.
“What?”
“What about Dodger?”
Her brows pull. “What about him?”
“You really think your boyfriend is okay with us traveling together?” I challenge.
Understanding hits her pretty eyes, and her body relaxes. “Oh. Yeah, it’s not a problem. Honestly, he’s the least of my—” She clears her throat. “Sorry. Uh, yeah. No. That’s. It’s fine. Dodger is…fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yup.” She paints on a fake smile, though I don’t miss the way she refuses to look me in the eye. “One quick phone call and…he trusts me, so. We’re good.”
“Okay.” I tilt my head, studying her. “You sure you’re up for this?”
“I already said yes.”
“Well, I’m gonna need your answer one more time.” I fight the urge to tilt her chin up and force her attention. I tuck my hands into my pockets instead. “You sure you’re up for this, Rore?”
Nibbling on the edge of her lip, she peeks up at me. “What are friends for?”
“Friends?”
“I meant what I said last night.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “I want us to be friends again, Jaxon. And clearly, you’re a friend who could use a helping hand.”
The organ in my chest skips like a broken record, constricting as I stare down at her. She’s always been selfless. And even though we agreed to try the friendship route again last night, I never would’ve expected this. She’s giving me a lifeline. A much needed lifeline. And I couldn’t be more grateful for it.
“One month,” I decide. “Give me one month, and I promise I’ll find a replacement.”
Something hits her baby blue eyes, though it’s gone in an instant.
“Yeah, Jax.” She smiles. “Whatever you need.”
15
RORY
“What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing?” I pace my childhood bedroom as Hades watches my mental breakdown from my bed. I thought if I slept on my manic offer to nanny Poppy, the nerves would go away. Pretty sure they’ve multiplied.
I’m supposed to go home today. My bags are already packed, and I had no intention of doing anything but escaping back to Harden Heights as soon as Mav and Lia said “I do.” Instead, I opened my big, fat mouth and offered to help Jax out of a bind. And not just a little bind. Oh, no. It’s a big, fat one. My big, fat mouth got me into a big, fat doozy, and now I don’t know what to do about it. Is there anything I can do about it? I mean, I could always back out. But that’s a terrible idea. Not only is it selfish, but it also screws over Jaxon. He’ll look untrustworthy to his ex and will probably be distracted during the first weeks of coaching the Lions. It might even set them up for a bad season, which will hurt my dad’s wallet, might even put stress on their relationship, notto mention affect my cousins’ livelihoods, which would be absolutely terrible and?—
“Knock, knock!”
Flinching at the sound, I press my hand to my chest as the door handle twists and Tatum steps inside.
As soon as she sees me, her brows clash. “Okay, what happened?”
With a fake smile, I force my feet to stay in place and stop tapping my outer thigh. “Hi.”
