The moment Lindsay raises his plastic gun, I lose hope of him winning me a ratty stuffed toy. The only thing less steady than his hands are his feet. When his last shot lands wide, he spits the gum out of his mouth like it’s responsible and sticks it to a metal pole.
Zac gapes at me with aDid he really just do that?look before he steps back from the group to answer a call on his phone.
I inch closer to Meghan, feeling bad for letting my professional envy overtake my support of her.
‘You’re really good at newsreading,’ I say, and it’s not a word of a lie.
She gives me an unsure glance. ‘Thank you. I saw that story you did this week about the guy taste-testing all the pies in the region. It was really good.’
I snort a laugh. ‘Thanks. Breaking news at its finest.’
A few metres ahead of us, Zac finishes up his call and joins Lindsay at the basketball game. When Lindsay says something to him, I tense up, but Zac barks a laugh and hands him his next ball.
‘He’s so hard to get to know,’ Meghan says beside me.
‘Who, Zac?’
‘Yeah. I feel like he’s a really closed book.’ We watch the two of them shoot basket for basket. ‘Like, we hang out together all the time,’ Meghan continues, ‘and he’s super sweet, and funny, and sexy as hell.’ My brow tightens. ‘But I feel like he’s holding back or hiding something, I don’t know.’ She stares at the side of my face like I’m supposed to reveal all of Zac’s secrets to her. ‘Has he had, like, some major heartbreak in his past or something?’
I stiffen, a little surprised that Zac hasn’t told her yet about Tara.
‘He’s had some serious girlfriends,’ I reply vaguely. ‘But honestly, anything other than that, you’ll have to ask him.’
Meghan looks away like she’s annoyed I’m not giving her any more intel on Zac, but she has no idea how far back he and I go. If Zac isn’t ready to share his past with her, there’s zero chance of me doing it.
Lindsay swoops over empty-handed, wincing at me. ‘Sorry, princess, came up short.’
Zac tosses Meghan a stuffed elephant, and she beams like he’s presented her with something you can’t get atthe two-dollar shop for less than what he paid for the game.
‘Who’s up for ice cream?’ Lindsay asks, jerking his chin at a truck painted with candy-cane stripes.
‘Hell yes,’ I reply, and the four of us wander over and order ice cream cones.
The blazing afternoon sun threatens to set my shoulders on fire, and I shrink into the truck’s sliver of shadow while I work on my salted caramel. My eyes fall on Zac as he circles his tongue over the crest of his ice cream, sliding it back and forth across the icy peaks like he’s making out with the damn thing. For a couple of seconds, I’m kind of hypnotised. When I catch myself staring, I give myself a mental slap and turn away. It’s not like I haven’t seen Zac eat ice cream before; it was basically our primary food group when we were seventeen. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.
Lindsay slides into my view, twirling the tip of his cone between his lips, having already demolished most of his cookies-and-cream.
‘Whoa, slow down there, speedy,’ I joke. ‘You’ll get a tummy ache.’
He finishes his last bite of cone. ‘That’s what happens when your date deserts you for lunch.’
‘You get dessert when you get deserted?’
My play on words expands the smile on his face. ‘Come here, gorgeous,’ he growls, reaching for my waist and tugging me against him. ‘Fuck, you smell good today.’
‘Wait, I’m not done yet!’ I squeal, holding up my half-eaten ice cream.
Lindsay buries his face in my neck, using his body to block mine from the view of the others. His palms make a brisk glide from my waist to my breasts, giving them a cheeky squeeze.
‘Stop that,’ I hiss through a chuckle, giving one of his hands a swat.
He pulls back, grinning. ‘Sorry, sorry. You’re just so tempting in that white dress. So fresh and innocent.’
I have to laugh at his ridiculousness, and my eyes catch on Zac’s before I set my gaze back on Lindsay.
‘Have you had kids or something?’ he asks, smirking.
I laugh through my nose. ‘What?’
