Free Divide by Jessa Russo Page B

break down her walls with that defiance, that spark. Or maybe that was just the pull to her that I felt. Either way, I wasn’t going to give up on her.
    Regardless of our intertwined fates, or the fact that I was destined to know her, I wanted to know Holland Briggs. And I was going to.
    It had to work. I’d planned for it.
    Ro said she knew what to do to get Holland thinking about me. So either it hadn’t worked, or Holland was really good at not calling the person she was thinking about.
    I had less restraint.
    I checked the time—just after four o’clock—I assumed she’d probably be home by now.
    Ah, hell. I stopped questioning myself and picked up my cell phone. What could it hurt?
    She answered on the third ring.
    “Hello?”
    I was momentarily relieved her parents or Cam didn’t answer, although that momentary relief was quickly replaced by stunned silence when I forgot the reason I called, and simultaneously lost all cognitive thought.
    “Hello? Is anyone there?”
    “Yes, yes. Uh, sorry. It’s me.”
    “Me?”
    Smooth .
    “Yeah, sorry. It’s Mick.”
    She giggled.
    I loved the sound.
    “I know,” she said.
    I still had no idea why I’d called. And like a little kid, my heartbeat jumped a bit when she said she knew it was me.
    For Christ’s sake!
    “So, what’s up? I really don’t have time to talk to you, Mick.”
    I heard the smile in her voice, could picture it on her face with perfect clarity—slight and a bit of a smirk—and I imagined her biting her bottom lip on the left side. She was a walking contradiction—her eyes daring me to strip away her walls, while her absence indicated she wanted nothing to do with me. And now, just listening to her voice on the phone, I heard the invitation to get to know her, even when she tried to push me away.
    How could I know this girl so well without even knowing her at all?
    “Can you go out on school nights?”
    “What?”
    “ Can you go out on school nights? ” I slowly pronounced each word, even though I knew she heard me.
    “Yes. I mean no. No, I can’t.”
    “No? But Cam can? That seems like somewhat of a double standard, doesn’t it?”
    “Cam? How do you…? Oh. He’s out with Rosemarie, isn’t he?”
    “Possibly. So, do you want me to come talk to your parents about this unfair double-standard they’ve got going for you and your brother, or are you going to rethink your answer?”
    She sighed.
    I waited.
    “Yes. I can go out on school nights. Is this a phone survey?”
    “Yes. You’re doing well, and we’re almost finished. I just have one more question for you?”
    “On the record?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Fine. Go.”
    “Have you had dinner yet?”
    “No.”
    “Good. Then I’ll see you in ten.”
    I started to hang up, unwilling to give her the option of saying no, when she called my name.
    “Mick! Wait!”
    “You know, I do have other customers to call, in order to reach my survey quota.”
    “I’ll meet you somewhere, okay? I’ll drive my own car.”
    “Works for me. Buffalo Wild Wings on Crown Valley? In thirty minutes or so?”
    “Fine.”
    “Sounds good. Oh, and Holland?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Try to leave some of that enthusiasm at home, okay? I don’t want you to overwhelm me.”
    She giggled again, and I hung up as I walked outside to my truck.
    Exactly thirty minutes later, every guy Holland passed watched her as she approached me. And I watched her ignore every single one of them.
    She kept her eyes on mine, that quiet defiance daring me once more. She could play coy as much as she wanted, but I knew this feeling was mutual. Call it fate, call it attraction, call it whatever. Something about Holland Briggs was pulling me to her, and I knew she felt it pulling her to me.
    She stopped a few feet away from me, with her hands in the pockets of a bright red pea coat, not pulling them out to hug me or get any closer than she had to. That was fine. I could work with it. I let my gaze travel down the length of