“It sounds like you know from experience.”
“I do. I actually have a coffee date of my own on Thursday.”
“Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky girl?”
“A junior at UNC-Wilmington I met at one of Ben’s shows.”
“Oh, well you’ll have to let me know how it goes.”
“Same to you. If Ronny gets out of line, you just tell me, okay?”
I smiled. It was nice to have someone worried about me. “I will.”
We pulled into his parent’s driveway, but he didn’t move to get out. “Don’t you need to come in and get your books?”
“Oh, I’ll just get those next time.”
“You never planned to get them, did you?” I crossed my arms and tried to bite back a smile.
“Nope. But I could tell you’d had enough.”
I smiled. “Thanks. That was really cool.”
“I try. Have a good night.”
“You too.”
As I got ready for bed, I thought about how I’d managed to make a friend, line up a date, and earn myself an enemy. Not bad for a little over twenty-four hours in a new town.
Chapter Six
Becca
Molly picked me up for brunch, and we met up with Kelly at Surf Song, a cute restaurant overlooking the water. The staff was friendly, and they all seemed to know Molly and Kelly. I was really going to have to get used to that. At Molly’s suggestion, I tried the French toast and ordered mine with strawberries.
“So, I hear you have a date with Ronny later this week.” Kelly grinned, taking a sip from her mug.
“It’s not a big deal. We’re just meeting for coffee.” I drank some orange juice, enjoying its obviously fresh squeezed taste.
“Uh huh.”
“Molly didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. Is there something about him I should know?”
“No. He just isn’t the one I would have thought you would have gone for.”
“Oh? Is there someone you’d suggest?” I really didn’t mind Kelly talking about my personal life. I appreciated her friendly nature. Her warm welcome made the transition easier.
“Tom and I both figured you would have picked Gavin.”
Molly groaned. “Oh please. Tom is not allowed to try to set up every girl who comes to town with Gavin.”
“It’s not just Tom. Gavin seriously needs a girlfriend.” Kelly spread jam on her toast.
“I wouldn’t waste your breath. I, uh, don’t think I’m his type.” I savored a bite of the French toast. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten such a carb-heavy breakfast. “I think that was made pretty obvious last night.”
“Wait, so does that mean he’s your type?” Kelly pushed.
“No,” I said quickly.
Kelly relaxed back into her chair. “You’re a really bad liar.”
Molly snickered. “That she is. It’s probably good she’s all about honesty. What the heck was that about by the way?”
“Hmm?” I looked up from stirring in a packet of Splenda into my coffee.
“What was that whole fight with Gavin about last night?”
“Like I know? Seriously, you could have warned me he was so intense.”
Molly looked pensive. “He isn’t usually. Besides, I didn’t expect you guys to meet so quickly. It’s pretty lucky he found you the other night.”
I shivered involuntarily. As annoying as the guy was, I was glad he’d been the one to find me. I could have been dead in a ditch without him. “I know. Maybe he just thought I was ungrateful or something.”
“Maybe. I’m sure you can find a way to really thank him,” Kelly said suggestively.
“Stop it, Kelly. You will not subject my innocent friend to your dirty, dirty mind.” From the look on Kelly’s face, I was pretty sure Molly kicked her under the table.
Kelly recovered, and her smile returned. “Innocent friend? Are you really that innocent, Becca?”
I shrugged. “It depends how you define innocent.”
“Wait, are you a twenty-four year old virgin?” Kelly’s mouth practically fell open.
“Does it really matter?”
“Stop it, Kel,” Molly warned.
“It’s okay.” I reassured her. “I just haven’t met the right guy.” That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
“Okay, cool. I get that. Well, you might want to be careful with Ronny then. He’s, uh, certainly not innocent.”
I smiled lightly. “I assumed that much. I doubt I’ll be seeing him again after this one coffee date. I just figured it couldn’t hurt.”
“You know who is kind of innocent though?” Kelly asked.
I was afraid to hear the answer. “Who?”
“Gavin. I mean, he’s obviously not a virgin, but he’s not a player either. He’s not into the casual thing.”
That information surprised me a little. Clearly being a jerk didn’t mean you slept with every girl who walked, but in my experience, they often went hand in hand. “Oh, that’s cool of him, I guess.”
“That’s why I know he really needs a girlfriend. Tom’s worried it’s bad for a guy to go that long.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “How is it bad for him? It’s not going to hurt him.”
“Maybe not physically, but—”
“Okay, new subject,” Molly interrupted. “How about Jake giving you a ride home last night? It’s funny. You bring out this weird side of Gavin but the decent side in Jake. He told Ben you might be the first girl he’ll actually be friends with.”
I laughed. “Yeah, he’s really nice. And it’s definitely just a friends thing, which makes it really comfortable.”
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to spend time with Jake, but it’s good, I guess.” Molly wiped her face with her napkin before placing it back on her lap.
“You’re the only one who fights with him, Mol. It’s kind of like Becca with Gavin. You just bring out that side in him.” Kelly finished off the last of her juice.
“All right, is everyone ready for the beach?” I was itching to get outside.
“Sure.” They both agreed, and once we settled the check, we headed down to the beach.
Molly was right. I needed the sun. After a semester when the only time I spent outside was traveling to and from school, the beach was perfect. I stripped off my sundress as soon as we got there and put down my towel.