Page 42 of All Wrong
Whether she liked it or not, Corinne fell under the protective umbrella of the Callaghan clan, and they looked out for their own.
Except in this case, apparently, which was why the onus fell on him.
He saw her before she noticed him. She had her head down and was looking at something on her screen. A text from the jock strap, asking to meet up, perhaps?
Stop it.
He stepped into her path. “Hey,” Nick said.
Startled, Corinne stopped abruptly and turned those bright blue eyes up at him. “Oh, hey.”
“Got a minute?”
“Yeah, sure.” She stepped off to the side to let a few kids pass, smiling and wishing them a good night before turning her full attention back to Nick. “What’s up?”
Her blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. Her skin was dewy and still held a slight flush from her class. He resisted the urge to rub at the center of his chest, where an odd sensation had taken up residence. Must be the chili dog he’d had for lunch.
“Is Brett Buckman the guy your sister was trying to set you up with?” The words came out sharper than he’d intended.
She blinked, her expression one of confusion. “Sorry, what?”
“Brett Buckman,” he repeated, enunciating the name clearly. “He’s the guy from the school that your sister was trying to set you up with, isn’t he?”
Another blink. “Yes.”
“And you’re seeing him now?”
Her brows pulled together. “We’ve gone out a few times. Why?”
Afewtimes? Were there other times Nick wasn’t aware of?
“How much do you know about him?” he pressed.
She crossed her arms, lifting her chin in a stubborn tilt, piercing him with those baby blues. “What’s this about?”
He tightened his jaw. What could he tell her? That he didn’t like the guy? That he liked the idea of him cozying up to Corinne even less? Or, hey, maybe he should be brutally honest and tell her that something about Buckman set off every innate predator alarm he had? But all he had were fucking feelings. Feelings and instincts and not one goddamn shred of evidence.
He went with, “Just curious. Last I heard, you weren’t crazy about your sister’s matchmaking.”
Her eyes narrowed. She peered at him as if she could see right through his bullshit, but that was ridiculous. No one, except his twin, could do that, and even then, only when he let his guard down.
“Why do you care?”
Another question he couldn’t answer. He shrugged. “Whatever. None of my business.”
When he went to move away, she reached out and stopped him by placing her hand on his forearm. It was a light touch, warm and gentle, but it had the impact of a sucker punch to the gut. He inhaledsharply, gazing down into those pretty eyes, now filled with concern.
“Nick, talk to me.”
More kids were coming out of the center. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking, but this was neither the time nor the place.
Corinne must have read his thoughts because she dropped her hand, stepped back, and said, “Have you eaten yet?”
“What?” He blinked and shook his head at the abrupt change of topic. “Uh, no. I haven’t.”
She hefted her sports bag higher onto her shoulder. “I’m stopping by Schmidt’s on my way home to have some barbecue. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like. I’ll even buy.”
Then, without another word, she stepped around him and walked out to the lot. She didn’t look back once.
