The Heartbreaker

“Are we boring you, Josephine?” Nana asks.

“No, ma’am. I can’t think about anything more exciting to talk about than Jagger’s plans for the future.” She yawns again. I shake my head, fighting a smile.

“What are your plans for the future?” I meet her gaze in the rearview.

“I’m just trying to survive this semester.” She glances down at her hands again. “I had all these elaborate plans, but after the summer I had, I just want to focus on one day at a time.”

“That’s fair.”

“Smart,” Nana says. “But I still haven’t heard what exactly happened this summer. I can’t believe they kicked you off the volleyball team!”

“I’m surprised you still live all the way out here,” I say, trying to change the subject, for Jo’s sake even though I’m dying to hear details about her summer.

“When Henry decided to move here and Ray and I followed, there was nothing out here. I liked that. It reminded me of my farm back home, but now, now look at this place,” she says as I pull into her driveway.

“You have everything right in front of you.” I nod, looking at the plaza across the street. There’s everything from a grocery store to a popular makeup chain.

“It’s preposterous, if you ask me. Ray would be annoyed by all of the traffic if he was still here. And our new neighbors, don’t even get me started on them. They complained about my chickens, as if we don’t have enough land between us.” Nana starts getting out of the car, but Josephine beats her to the door and I scramble to get out so I can walk her up the few steps, not that Nana needs my help. She’s a grandmother, sure, but I’d bet money she’s as agile as a twenty-year-old. She says good night to Jo before walking up the steps and I follow. “Thank you for the ride,” she says after unlocking her door. “Next time I need to go somewhere, I’m calling you so you can pick me up. Josephine’s car is entirely too uncomfortable.”

“I’ll be here.” I wink and jog back down the steps.

Josephine’s sitting in the passenger seat now, reaching over and messing with the radio. For a second I wonder if our moment is over, if the kiss was just a fleeting lapse of judgment, but when our eyes meet through the windshield I feel a spark and I know moments with Jo, if not taken for granted, could never be fleeting.

Chapter Twenty

Jo

My phone buzzes on my lap and I see a text from Bobby that says, It was nice to meet you. Let’s go out soon. Misty dutifully gave him my number when she ran back inside to get my food. I smile at the text because guys don’t normally text the same night. Or do they? I don’t even know anymore. After Lawrence, I haven’t dated anyone, and Lawrence and I started on Instagram, so it’s not like he texted right away either. I look at Jagger, who’s focused on driving.

“Do guys usually text the same night they meet someone?”

“Bobby texted?” He slides his eyes over to me and back to the road. “I thought we agreed you’d use my body.”

“Use your body?” I laugh.

“That’s what a casual hookup is.” He shrugs a shoulder.

Is it? I wouldn’t know. I glance out the window and focus on the trees and houses and strip malls. The kiss we shared is still tingling my lips. The thought of more is causing a burning deep in my stomach. I’m living with him though. How will that work? Will we hook up in the living room and then sleep in our respective rooms? Uneasiness starts to take over the previous burning feeling.

“I think we need rules,” I blurt out.

“Rules?” He parallel parks in front of our shared house.

“Yes. Rules. Like are we going to hook up and then go to our separate bedrooms?”

“What do you want to do?”

“I think it’s best we stay in separate rooms.” I lick my lips. “Just in case.”

“Just in case?” His mouth twitches but he doesn’t push. “Okay. What else?”

“Will we still be allowed to date other people?” I unbuckle my seat belt, but instead of getting out of the car, turn to face him in my seat. He does the same.

“I don’t date.” He says it with a look on his face that almost looks bewildered by the mere idea of dating and makes me believe him.

“You don’t take the women you hook up with to dinner?”

“Not if I can help it.”

“Why?” This makes me laugh for some reason, the ridiculous fact that he sticks his dick in someone’s vagina but won’t share a meal with her.

“I don’t know. They want to fuck a football star. They don’t care about dinner.”

“You’ve asked?”

“I don’t have to ask, Jo. It’s pretty obvious when someone grabs your dick in public that they’re not thinking about food.”