Free Winning Me Over by Amber Garza Page A

door.
    “Colt,” Paige stops me.
    I turn around. She steps away from her friend and toward me. Something about the gesture causes my insides to soar.
    “How can I get a hold of you? You know, other than by just showing up at your house? Do you have a cell phone or something?”
    “Um…no. I don’t. But my aunt has a landline. Want the number?”
    She nods.
    “Here. I’ve got a pen.” Hadley reaches in the purse that’s hanging over her shoulder and pulls out a black pen. She thrusts it toward me.
    When I take it between my fingers, Paige hold s out her palm. Smiling, I grip it with one hand while writing on it with the other hand. I scribble the numbers the best I can. Then I blow on it so it’ll dry.
    Paige laughs . “That tickles.”
    I toss the pen back to Hadley and surprisingly she catches it. Then I look back at Paige. “Talk to you later, McAllistor.”
    Paige nods as she opens the door for me. When I step outside I feel like a completely different person than when I first walked in.
     
    “Colt,” Aunt Callie calls from the kitchen. “Phone’s for you.”
    I glance at Zander who sits next to me on the floor in the family room. We’re building a tower with leggos and it leans to the side like a deformed rainbow. “Be right back, champ.” I touch the tip of his nose and he smiles.
    “Kay,” he mumbles, reaching for a red block.
    Scrambling up off the ground, I hurry into the kitchen. Aunt Callie holds the phone out to me, a funny grin on her face. “It’s a girl,” she whispers.
    I nod like this is news to me. Even though I already knew it was Paige. She’s the only person I gave the number to. After taking the phone from Callie, I press the receiver to my ear and face the wall.
    “Hi,” I say.
    “Hey, Colt,” Paige responds. “The phone number worked.”
    “Did you think it wouldn’t?”
    “ Dunno. I guess I was afraid I scared you off yesterday with all my blubbering.”
    I weave the phone cord around my finger, wondering why Callie insists on living in the past. Why doesn’t she have a cordless phone like everyone else? I can practically feel her listening. Sure she’s standing over the stove making pancakes, but I can tell what she’s really doing is eavesdropping. I silently pray that Bristol will wake up from her morning nap, so Callie will be forced to leave the room. Moving closer to the wall, I wish I could magically hide inside of it.
    “Nope. You didn’t,” I finally say.
    “Good, because I was wondering if you wanted to go to the lake with me today.”
    “The lake?”
    “Yeah. Hadley and her boyfriend Tripp are going and she’s begging me to join them. I would just say no, but my parents are practically forcing me to go. They think it’ll be good for me.”
    Jealousy snakes around my heart, squeezing hard. Must be nice to have parents who put your needs ahead of their own. Then I remember that her mom is sick and I feel like a jerk. “Um…yeah. Sure. I don’t have a suit though.” I had one back home, but I didn't think to bring it when we came to stay with Aunt Callie.
    “Well, I’d let you borrow one of mine but I doubt it would fit.” Paige giggles. “Could be fun to try, though.”
    I love that she’s laughing. I love that she sounds happy. Sadness may be familiar to me, but I still hated seeing Paige that way. If anyone in this world deserves to be happy it’s that girl.
    “I’ll figure something out,” I say.
    “We could skinny dip,” she offers, and I freeze. Then I hear a slight chuckle and realize she’s joking. Of course she is. Why would I even think she was serious?
    “Don’t tempt me,” I banter back.
    “Can you really be tempted that easily?”
    “You have no idea.” I rest my head against the wall, knowing that we need to get off of this topic. My mind is going to places it shouldn’t. “What time are we going?”
    “I’ll pick you up at noon.”
    “Sounds good.” I hang up and swing around to find Callie staring at