Free The Boyfriend List by R.S. Novelle, Renee Novelle

this very moment, I’ve actually got my head in a
million things.” She stood and stepped closer to the window to get a better
look. One of the athletes, sporting a mass of blond curls, was crossing the
lawn toward the street. Proceeding to the trash bin, she tossed her cup in and
stepped across the threshold. “Can I call you back later?”
    “No.”
    Reagan
suddenly paused in her path, noting the considerably stronger note to her
sister’s voice. “No?” She repeated.
    “No.”
The girl stated again, matter-of-factly. “I’m coming to stay with you. We’ll
talk then.”
    “You’re
what?” Reagan choked back the laugh that was trying to escape. But all she
heard was the dial tone in her ear. “Katie? Are you there?” Reagan pulled the
phone back from her ear in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
    But
there was no more time to waste. As Reagan eagerly looked around to see if she
could spot Brett – or the guy she’d assumed had been Brett at least
– she discovered that not a single player was in sight. It was too late,
the moment had passed. Throwing her head back in dramatic despair, she cursed
herself for letting the opportunity slip through her fingers. But as she stood
on the sidewalk, gazing across at the athletic department building, an inkling
of an idea began to cross her mind.

 
 
 
CHAPTER NINE
    Thursday

 
    Almost
a full twenty-four hours would go by before Reagan had finally summoned the
courage to return to the athletic department to execute her new idea. As she
stood on the sidewalk, frozen in her place with nerves, she evaluated the
looming and unfamiliar building in front of her. There was absolutely nothing
about this idea that aligned with her personality, and even less about the idea
that she was perfectly comfortable with. But this entire operation had been one
big stretch to her comfort zone from the start, so why deviate from that now?
    Taking
a determined step forward, she gauged how she felt. And though her stomach was
wrestling with jitters, she couldn’t find much to complain about. So she took
another step forward. Nope, too much now. Having just totally lost her nerve,
she circled back around to where she’d began.
    You can do this , she lectured herself while pacing
in a tight little line, just go in. Walk
right in, ask your questions and get out. Simple .
      Reagan glanced at her watch. It was early
enough that most of the athletes would probably still be in classes. Practices,
from her understanding, didn’t start until a little later in the day. But she’d
lose out on the opportunity if she waited much longer. She’d set so many
objectives for this little mini-recon mission she’d devised that if she didn’t summon
up the nerve right now, she’d have to give up on the idea all together before
she ran out of time. Or someone saw her standing there talking to herself. That
could get a little awkward...
    With
a determined huff, Reagan made the conscious effort to push down her nerves and
take one step at a time until she’d traveled the entire stretch of walkway up
the path to the large glass doors. Pulling hard at the handle and realizing it
was more difficult to open than it should’ve been, she decided it might be time
to get back into the gym herself as she crossed over the threshold. Be that as
it may, she’d just accomplished her first big objective: Getting her body fully
inside the building without getting kicked out.
    The
interior of the building was spacious, airy and light. It was more modern than
she’d expected it to be, with unique architecture and a splash of color against
the occasional accent wall. Clearly, the department had come into some money
from the football team’s recent stretch of season wins. But the glossy floors
were making her shoes squeak too much for her comfort as she crossed from one
end to the other, glancing down halls to make sure no one was around. Though
she saw no one at the moment, there was definitely