“He lives here. I live in Tennessee. It would never work.”
She pulls her phone out of her bag and taps the screen, holding it up. “Repeat that,” she says.
“What?”
“I want evidence, so when I say I told you so, I have proof.”
“Stop.” I push her hand away.
“What are we filming?” Griffin asks. He sets a huge brown bag and three bottles of water on the table.
“Oh, I was just telling Peyton here that you two seem to be hitting it off. I wanted to record the moment that she denied it.”
I glare at my soon-to-be-former best friend. “She’s just messing with you.”
“Hit record,” Griffin says.
“Action.” Karina grins.
“I, Griffin Anthony, want to go on record stating that Peyton—whose last name I don’t know yet—and I are most definitely hitting it off.” He winks at the camera.
“Saved to the archives,” Karina says. Her voice is giddy.
“What are we waiting on? Let’s eat,” Daniel says as he, Sam, and Oliver join us on the opposite side of the picnic table.
“All right.” Griffin begins to remove items from his brown bag. “There is a fish and a crab taco for each of you,” he says, passing them to us.
I unwrap the first one. “Which one is this?” I ask.
He leans over, getting all up in my personal space, which I don’t mind at all. “That’s the fish.”
Karina is the first to take a bite. “Wow,” she says, covering her mouth with her hand. “That’s so good,” she mumbles.
“Your turn.” Griffin leans his shoulder into mine.
Lifting it to my lips, I see that all eyes are on me. “You all can eat,” I tell his friends.
“Nope. We need to witness the full experience like we did with Karina.” Oliver points at my best friend, who is taking another big bite of her fish taco.
“Fine.” Lifting my taco, I take a small bite, and the taste explodes on my tongue. “Good,” I say after swallowing.
“Told you,” Griffin boasts.
We make small talk while we eat, and before I know it, I’m opening up my crab taco. Karina goes first with all of us watching. Her eyes literally roll back in her head.
“That’s better than sex,” she announces.
“Hey now, that’s a little extreme,” Sam says, serious as a heart attack.
“You’re up,” Oliver tells me.
I repeat the process, starting with a small bite, and Karina is right. This one is better than the other. “Wow,” I say once I’ve finished. “That’s so good.”
Griffin leans in close, his lips next to my ear. “I’ve got you,” he says huskily.
The funny thing is, he’s right. And it’s not just because he didn’t steer me wrong as far as lunch goes. He’s got my attention, something very few before him have managed to do. I don’t trust guys easily. Maybe it’s because we’re so far away from home and he doesn’t know my family. And maybe, just maybe, it’s him.
CHAPTER 2
Griffin
We’ve spent the entire day at the beach. Peyton and Karina have been with us the majority of the day, and I can’t say I’m mad about it. They’re both beautiful girl-next-door types. However, Peyton—with her long brown hair, those curves, and that smile—is the one who’s captured my attention.
They’re both the kinds of girls you take home to meet your parents. I can’t help but smile when I think about bringing her home to meet my family. Mom would love her. She’d also probably pass out from shock, considering I’ve never brought anyone home.
Oliver and I were best friends growing up, and even in high school, we never saddled ourselves with dates for the dances like homecoming and prom. There were way too many beautiful girls to dance with to commit to just one. Baseball was a big deal at our school. Hell, all sports were a big deal at our school, and we rode the high of the status being on the team brought us. Of course, it helped that we both dominated on the field.
Now, here we are, freshmen in college and living by the same philosophies. Baseball is life, and going pro is what we both want. Daniel and Sam enjoy it, but going pro isn’t their endgame. Oliver and I have laser focus when it comes to making our dreams of playing in the major leagues come true.
“I’m starving,” Sam announces.
“Yeah, it’s late. We should be getting back to the hotel,” Karina adds.
“Where are you staying?” I ask her.
She points over her shoulder to the Casa Playa Resort. “There.”
“Why don’t we grab some dinner, and then we’ll walk you back?” I suggest, my eyes moving back and forth between Peyton and Karina. I’m really not ready for the night to end.
“Thank you, but we promised Karina’s parents that we would have dinner with them when we got back,” Peyton answers.
“You’re on spring break with your parents?” Sam asks, horrified.