Free Every Little Secret (Second Chances #2) by Kate Ashton Page A

sticks up out of the sand, reflecting the late afternoon sun. I leap down the cement stairs and sprint across the shifting sand. I pick it up and hold it out.
    She points to her clothes. “I’m not really dressed for catch on the beach.” She rubs her hands up and down her arms. “And it’s kinda cold here.”
    “Then a game of Frisbee will warm you up. Come on.” I don’t give her the chance but toss the Frisbee toward her.
    Instinctively, she reaches out and almost catches it. “No fair. I wasn’t ready.” She picks it up and lets it fly, except the wind blows it back at her. She ducks and squeals.
    She holds onto the Frisbee and I place my hand over hers while standing behind her. “Like this.” With a flick of our wrists, the disc cuts through the wind, low to the ground.
    “Amazing. You learn something new every day.”  
    “Now try it on your own.”  
    She catches on quickly and we play Frisbee until our bodies heat up but our fingertips turn icy cold. She jogs over and plops down in the sand. I sit next to her. When she shivers from the chill of the breeze I wrap my arm around her and press her body into my warmth.
    “Thanks,” she whispers.
    “For what?”  
    She hesitates. “For spending time with me. Having fun.”  
    “That’s what secrets friends are for. Don’t you think?”  
    “Aren’t you all Dr. Phil.” She bites her lip, then says, “But I agree. Friends should have fun together.”
    I’d like to do a lot more but she doesn’t need that from me. Not another boy pulling her into his bed. Just the thought of Carly in my bed, underneath me, causes a flush, not just desire but fear of the unknown. Of what happened last time and could happen again. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.
    “Chad and I used to have fun together before…”
    I don’t ask her to fill in the blanks. Dalia and I used to have fun together too. But people aren’t just one color, one shade of a person. They’re complex with many different sides. Ones that crop up when we least expect it.
    She threads her fingers through my hand hanging off her shoulder. Her touch is soft. “I’m sorry about earlier.”
    “What do you mean?” I ask, knowing exactly what she means.
    “For the coffee shop. And Chad.”
    I put my finger to her lips. “Shh. You don’t owe me an apology. I don’t know why you stay with him when you deserve so much more, but I’m your friend.”
    She puts her head on my shoulder and sighs. “I broke up with him.”
    “Oh.” Inside, I’m doing the tango and whooping it up. Maybe I have a chance. Not right now. But maybe in the future. Because I want to be so much more than her friend.

Chapter 6
    Carly
    Two more days pass. Two days! I wake up, attend class, study, and sleep. I avoid The Watering Hole, terrified Noah will show up and terrified he won’t. I probably bored him to death playing Frisbee on the beach—even though it was his idea—and he’s hoping to miss me. On the third morning I’ve had enough. No more sulking or sitting around waiting for a secret friend to show up and take me out for a good time.  
    I dress in dark blue skinny jeans and a fitted top with a scarf I tie around my neck, the ends dangling around my waist. Fuck boys altogether. I’m not going to change my routine for them. With that thought and determination, I open the door, ready to go back to my safe space at The Watering Hole.
    Noah stands, his fist ready to knock on my door. A grin reaches his ears. “Hey.”
    I nod. “Hi.” Then I grab my backpack and push past him. My steps are quick, running from the emotion flooding through me. The warmth at being near him, the relief that he wants to see me, the anger when I realize I’ve been waiting, hoping for this, the hurt that so many days went past, the frustration that I feel like such an emotional screw up.
    “Carly?” In a couple of strides, he’s by my side.
    “Hi, Noah.” I cringe at the cold tones in my words.
    “May I join