Free Third Date by Kylie Keene Page B

spent five days just hanging out on the beach.”
    I imagine him lounging in the sand with a bikini-clad, fake-breasted blond on each arm and a drink in his hand. All I remember hearing about this guy in high school was that he partied hard and had girls lining up to sleep with him.
    His phone rings and he answers. “Yeah, I’m at a diner a few blocks from the hotel.” He listens. “No, just go without me. I’ll see ya tomorrow.” He hangs up.  
    “Do you need to be somewhere?” I picture a couple of women waiting outside his hotel room. This guy couldn’t have changed that much from high school. Why would he? He was living every guy’s dream. He’d want to hang on to that life for as long as possible.  
    “Some of my friends from work are going to a club.”
    “Okay, I’ll hurry and eat so you can go.”
    “Take your time. I’m not going with them. I’ve kind of outgrown the whole club scene.”
    “Yeah, right. It wasn’t that long ago you were partying every day of the week and had so many girlfriends you couldn’t remember their names.”  
    I wait for him to laugh, but instead he looks serious. “So you do remember me? Well, that was high school, Morgan. I’ve grown up a lot since then.”
    I don’t believe him. No guy lets a hot body like that go unused. He’s playing some kind of game with me. Trying to come off as innocent. Pretend he’s someone else now.  
    “Did you stay in touch with Jake, or anyone else from the football team?” I pour more syrup on my pancakes. I feel like a sticky mess but I don’t care. It’s nice to enjoy dinner with a guy without having to worry about every little thing.
    “Jake lives in Oklahoma now. Works for a research firm. He just got married.”
    I almost choke on my pancakes. “Jake got married? Back in high school, he refused to date a girl for more than a week.”
    “People do grow up, Morgan.”
    It’s true, but not for people like Jake and Brad. The popular people. They live life to the fullest. Take trips to cool places, like Cancun. Go to clubs. Stay out late. Have golden brown tans in the middle of winter.
    “I almost got married a couple years ago,” he says casually.
    “You?” I put my fork down. “The guy who had a different girl every night?”
    He shakes his head. “Wow. You really can’t get past that whole high school thing, can you? I admit I had my share of girls back then, but that’s what you do at that age. I played football. I didn’t even have to try. The girls came to me.”
    There’s the Brad I know. I knew the rumors about him had to be true. And I’m sure his college years were even wilder than high school.
    “I met this girl, Jessica, my junior year of college and we got serious. We were supposed to get married after graduation.” He crumples up his napkin and drops it on his empty plate. “Anyway, it didn’t work out.”
    “What happened?” I regret asking the question as soon as I say it because I’m sure it’s a sensitive topic and it’s really none of my business.
    “She had someone else on the side. I’d rather not talk about it.”  
    “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
    The diner is almost empty now and one of the workers is cleaning tables and getting ready to mop the floors. I finish eating and we head back to the hotel.  
    Talkative Brad is quieter on the way back, probably thinking of his cheating ex-fianće. He walks me to my room.  
    “Thanks for taking me to the store,” I say. “I really appreciate it.”
    “Sure. If you need anything else, just let me know. I’m down in room 612. And stop by the booth tomorrow. I’m handing out samples of oatmeal.”  
    An image of this big football star from my past handing out oatmeal makes me laugh.
    He smiles. “You find that funny? Just wait till you see what they’re making me wear.”
    “What do you have to wear?”
    “You’ll see. Let’s just say I lost a bet. See ya later, Morgan.”
    I go in my room and get ready for bed. I