Page 50 of Decidedly Off Limits
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked him.
“You remember how I promised your mother I would renovate the kitchen?”
“Not really,” I said, watching Kelsey’s fine ass walk away from me. The fine ass that I would be exploring (along with her other body parts) in a few hours.
“Well I did, and now I need your help with it. It’ll be like the old days, when you used to help me fix things around the house.” Meaning a late night, with beer and pizza afterward.
And hanging out with my father.
Who had just earned the new title of cockblocker.
But cockblocker or not, I couldn’t say no to him. Helping him out with the renovations was the least I could do after everything he and Mom had done for me over the years.
Now I just had to hope that once the renovations were finished, nothing else stood in the way of me finally getting to experience Kelsey in the way I’d craved for as long as I could remember.
21
Kelsey
For some people, being a member of an exclusive country club was the ultimate status symbol. It was a goal they strived for, even when they couldn’t afford it.
Me? I was the exact opposite. Possessing a country club membership meant nothing to me.
But as I pulled into the club’s parking lot, I was once again reminded why I didn’t belong here. All the vehicles, other than my poor baby, were high priced, much like Trent’s BMW. I didn’t belong here. I knew that, my car knew that, but try telling it to Holly.
Holly met me at the front entrance, wearing an adorable white tennis outfit. My outfit wasn’t quite so adorable. I wore the black shorts I usually ran in and a white T-shirt with a cute owl on it. Even my sneakers weren’t meant for tennis. They were the ones I ran in. Yes, I was better suited for running on a track than chasing a tennis ball around the court.
Again, try telling that to Holly.
Besides, the only place I really wanted to be right now was the camera store. After yesterday’s hike, I had checked out a dozen or so photography books from the library. I’d even gone online and registered for a portrait class that was starting in two weeks. Which meant between now and then, I needed to buy a camera and figure it out.
But first up? Surviving the afternoon with Holly’s tennis pro.
“I promise you’ll love Caleb,” she said as I approached. “He’s a great instructor plus he’s really cute. I mean not as good-looking as Josh.” She winked at me.
“You know there’s nothing going on between me and Josh, right?”
“Perfect, then you’re available for Caleb.”
I was about to tell her I wasn’t available, but the stubborn words clung to the back of my throat. Besides, “unavailable” meant I was dating someone. And if she was anything like Erin, she would want to know who that someone was.
Do you think Chris Hemsworth was available to be my imaginary boyfriend?
Or maybe Ryan Reynolds?
We entered the pro shop and she introduced me to Caleb. Holly had been right. He was hot—and he had a warm smile that lit up his eyes when she mentioned my name.
“I haven’t played tennis since high school,” I warned him, “and I wasn’t very good at it.”
“Not a problem. We’ll begin with the basics.”
Because I didn’t own a racket, Holly loaned me one of hers. That’s right. She couldn’t have just one racket. She had an army of them.
Good thing we wouldn’t be dueling (aka playing tennis) to see who had the right to enjoy mind-numbing sex with Trent. And yes, I had no doubts whatsoever that sex with Trent would rock my world.
Caleb had me warm up and stretch first, then he taught me the basics of the forehand and backhand. Holly was right. He was an amazing instructor. By the end of the lesson, the ball flew in the generally direction I was aiming for. I mean, I was nothing like him and Holly. Both could hit an ant on the opposite side of the court—intentionally. I was lucky (or rather, the ant was lucky) if I could get the ball within a few feet of it. But that was okay—at least I didn’t land on my ass at any point during the lesson.
Once it was over, I expected Caleb to walk off to meet with his next student. He didn’t.