Page 55 of Silent Count
“I’m a chocolate girl. I can eat candy, but I prefer chocolate if I’m going to have sweets.”
“What’s your favorite chocolate then?” He rubs his hands up and down my legs.
“Probably Snickers or Twix. Snickers was my mom’s favorite too.” The words come out before I even process them. I never talk about my mom.
Aunt Laura’s words play through my mind again about being open to sharing with other people. It’s just that no one really knows my story here and why I was raised by my aunt, and I like that. The anonymity from my old life.
“Was? Did she pass?” I can feel him searching my face. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just want to get to know you better, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable either.”
I pull a deep breath in and decide to give him some partial truths. “Yes, she died when I was twelve.”
“I’m sorry, Chelsea. Did your dad pass away too?” The hand that’s on the back of the couch moves to my shoulder, stroking it in a comforting way.
As much as I want to be able to talk about this with him, I just … can’t. “He’s just not in the picture.” Which is true. “My aunt raised my sister and me, but you already know that.”
He’s looking at me like he can tell there is more to the story, but after a minute, he just smiles. “Right, yeah.”
Time to switch directions before I say more than I want to. “So, Bo Callaway, what is your favorite color and candy?”
“Easy. Blue, although it’s quickly changing to green. And Twizzlers are my favorite candy. I can eat an entire bag in one sitting, and I have no shame in that.”
He places his hand on his chest. I put my hand over his and laugh.
“I’m not shaming you. I don’t mind Twizzlers. But why is your favorite color changing?”
He moves his hand from his chest and slides it into my hair. “Because every time I see you and look into your eyes, I get lost in them.”
“You get lost, huh?” I start to laugh. “That’s a little extra.”
“Yeah, I guess that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. They’re almost like a soft teal green or something. I’ve never seen anything like it. They’re stunning.”
I can feel my cheeks heat. “Thank you. I do like my eyes.” I grab my ponytail. “But this, on the other hand, I could do without.”
“Why don’t you like your hair?” He pulls my hand away from the ponytail, laughing.
I shrug. “It’s just thick and hard to manage sometimes. Although it’s better here in Oklahoma than in Florida.”
He looks like he’s trying to hold in a laugh.
“Are you laughing at me?” I poke him in the side.
“No! I would never. I was just trying not to be a child and say,That’s what shesaid.”
“What?” Then it dawns on me. “Oh … thick and hard?” I laugh.
“Bingo! Sorry. I couldn’t help it. I think I’ve been around my friends for too long.”
I scoot into him closer so our bodies are touching. “You do have a good group of friends. Like, seriously, they’re all good guys. I won’t lie and say when I met y’all, I didn’t think you were just a bunch of jocks. But I really like all of you.”
“Ouch. But also, valid. That’s why I love my friends. They’re not full of themselves, and they’re just honest and kind people, genuinely. You know?” He tilts his head to the side.
“For sure. They’re good guys.” I turn to look at the TV and see Bo on the screen. “Look! You’re on TV!”
He nods, already watching. “Yeah, they’re probably just talking about the game this weekend.”
“It’s an away game, right?”
He glances over at me. “Yep, we’re going to Texas A&M. You gonna watch?”
