Page 24 of My Return to the Walter Boys (My Life with the Walter Boys #2)

No, that doesn’t sound right . Nathan wouldn’t make a commitment only to be a no-show. It was out of character for him. “He hasn’t responded to any of your texts?”

She pulled out her phone to check. “No.”

Strange. I thought back to earlier this evening as I watched the Walter boys trickle out of the house one by one.

Even though he was grounded, Isaac had slipped out the back door and taken the truck without Katherine noticing.

Lee left not long after in an SUV blasting EDM.

Alex had been the last to depart; Skylar picked him up, and it was weird seeing him go with all my friends.

Playing things back in my head made me realize I hadn’t seen Nathan leave for the dance.

The courtyard door snicked open. “Jackie?”

Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Cole waiting for me. “Be right there,” I called to him, then turned back to Paulette. “It’s weird that Nathan isn’t responding and hasn’t shown up, but how about this? If I hear from him, you’ll be the first to know.”

We exchanged goodbyes, and as I rejoined Cole, I moved Nathan to the top of my mental priority list. This was a problem I needed to solve ASAP.

***

“Having fun?” Cole asked, handing me a Dixie cup of lemonade from the refreshment table.

I looked over to him as one of the stage strobe lights caught his face. It was hot on the dance floor, and at some point, Cole had lost his tie and unbuttoned his collar. The brief flicker of light revealed a gleam of sweat on his brow and that his hair had started curling around his ears.

“Yeah,” I shouted over the music, “but I could use a break. These heels are killing me.”

His gaze dropped to my feet as I downed my drink. “I’m honestly impressed you haven’t taken them off yet. Everyone else has.”

He was right; most of the girls on the dance floor were barefoot or had swapped out their heels for flip-flops or flats.

I felt weird about not wearing shoes in the gym, and I hadn’t thought to bring a more comfortable change of footwear.

Besides, a large part of me was loath to ruin my outfit by taking them off.

Formal occasions were few and far between here, unlike in New York, where my family and I regularly attended charity galas or award events.

On the ranch, it was jeans and sneakers the majority of the time.

There was nothing wrong with that—I’d adapted and even grown to love how casual the Walters were—but I missed getting dressed up.

In the end, the pain won out over my sentimental side. “If I can’t take these off in the next two minutes, you might have to amputate my pinky toe,” I told him.

Cole laughed and placed his hand on the small of my back. “We can’t have that. Come on. I think I saw my idiot brother and some of your friends.”

We found Alex, Kim, Skylar, Chase, Riley, and Marcus sitting on the bleachers across the gym.

“Thank God,” I hissed after sinking down onto the bench and kicking off my shoes. “Where’s Heather?”

Riley’s lips twitched in amusement as she watched me massage life back into my toes. “Still dancing. Why did you wait so long to take those off?”

“That’s what I said.” Cole sat down behind me and, wrapping an arm around my waist, drew me between his legs. “Apparently, she’s a masochist.”

“I thought we agreed that was your thing?” I said, tipping my head back to get a good look at him.

Over his shoulder, I noticed the massive logo painted on the wall above the bleachers.

It featured a knockoff version of the Frosted Flakes tiger surrounded by our school name.

“Hey, why are we called Valley View?” I asked as I studied the design.

“Aren’t most high schools named for the town? ”

Skylar followed my gaze, then frowned. “I think the better question is why is our mascot a tiger?”

“Because it sounds more badass than the Copper Valley Mountain Goats?” suggested Alex, who was lying across a bleacher with his head in his girlfriend’s lap.

“Sure,” Kim said as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through his hair, “but tigers aren’t native to Colorado. Why not pick something like a black bear or a mountain lion?”

“Babe, we played Alpine Heights tonight. Their mascot is a mountain lion,” he said and tugged on one of her loose curls. “If everyone chose a native species, there’d only be, like, five cool animals to pick from.”

“I’ve always been partial to the nine-banded armadillo,” Chase said to no one in particular.

“Mascots don’t have to be animals, though, right?” Kim continued. “Why can’t we be something historical like a gold miner? There could even be a pickax in our logo.”

Alex opened and closed his mouth. “Have you never heard of the Forty-Niners?”

“Oh, I know!” Riley said, her face lighting up. “How about the Valley View Golden Nuggets?”

This made Alex and Marcus groan in unison.

With a laugh, Skylar threw an arm over Riley’s shoulder. “You’re not much of a basketball fan, huh?”

Cole leaned down, his mouth brushing against my ear. “Wanna know the answer to your question?” he whispered as everyone continued to debate. “I can tell you, but first you have to follow me.”

I nodded eagerly, then hesitated as I considered how painful it would be to put on my heels again. There was no way I could shove my poor toes back inside, so I left them on the floor and accepted Cole’s proffered hand. Nobody noticed when we slipped away from the group and out of the gym.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as we slunk down a locker-lined hall. I wasn’t sure whether it was because the lights were out or the corridor was empty of students, but it felt wrong for us to be here.

“On a field trip.” His tone was teasing, and I knew he enjoyed withholding information too much to give me a real answer.

Old me would have balked at the not knowing, but Cole had a habit of whisking me away on mini adventures, so I trusted him with this.

That was until he led me straight into the boys’ locker room.

“Cole!” I gasped, tugging my hand out of his grip. “I’m not supposed to be in here!”

“Relax,” he said, flipping the light on. “The football team went home hours ago. This is only a pit stop to pick something up, and then we’ll be on our way.”

The floor was slick in places, most likely from the football players showering after their game, and I kept my eyes on the ground as I trailed after Cole, not wanting to step in a puddle.

Leaving my heels behind had been a major mistake.

We walked past rows of lockers until we reached a small room with a wide window.

Through the gaps in the aluminum blinds, I could make out a desk and some filing cabinets. Cole reached for the doorknob.

“Do you really think it—” I cut off when the handle turned effortlessly.

With a grin, Cole gave the door a little push, and it swung open. “Coach always leaves the room unlocked so his players can grab the keys and hit the weight room whenever they want. It’s a poorly kept secret.”

“Couldn’t he get fired for that?” I asked, watching him rifle through the top desk drawer. Worse, couldn’t someone get hurt? The more I thought about it, the deeper my frown grew.

Cole shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “He trusts us to—aha! Found ’em.” He held up a silver ring packed with different keys, but before I could protest the theft, Cole was exiting the office, and I had no choice but to follow.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” By my count, we were breaking at least three different school rules, and the trust I’d placed in Cole dwindled further.

He rolled his eyes. “A few months back in New York is all it takes, huh?”

“A few months is all what takes?”

“To forget my advice about living a little.” He shook his head like he was disappointed in me.

Oh, that. I huffed in response but dropped the subject as we left the locker room.

When we climbed up to the second floor, I puzzled over where Cole was heading.

There was nothing of interest up here, just the liberal arts and foreign language classrooms, but I doubted any of them were our destination.

I nearly asked where we were going again, but then Cole stopped in front of a door I’d never noticed before.

He unlocked it and gestured for me to go first. The temperature dropped as soon as I stepped over the threshold, but I didn’t realize why until I climbed a final flight of stairs.

A gasp escaped my mouth as I stepped out onto the school roof. It was cold enough to see my breath, and once again, I cursed my decision to abandon my heels.

“Here,” Cole said, shrugging off his suit coat and draping it over my shoulders. He went a step further by kicking off his shoes.

“Those look a little big for me,” I said, even as I danced back and forth on my toes, trying to give the frigid concrete less exposed skin to freeze.

“Well, it’s either that or I carry you.” A wicked grin accompanied Cole’s suggestion, and nope . There would be no carrying of any sort, so I stepped into his shoes before he could follow through with that option.

Cole guided me across the roof, and I clopped beside him, trying not to trip. I felt ridiculous, but my embarrassment was forgotten the moment I saw the view. From our vantage point, I could see the entire town sprawled below us, lights gleaming in the night like embers of a fire.

“See that peak over there?” Cole asked, pointing to one of the mountains Copper Valley was nestled between.

“There’s an abandoned ski resort about halfway up.

It brought in swarms of tourists in the seventies and eighties, so the population here was much bigger back then.

At some point, a second high school was built to accommodate the size of the community. ”

“Ah,” I said with a nod. “I see where this is going.”

“The original school was Copper Valley High. This one was constructed at the highest point in the valley, which consequently gave it the best view in town. Hence the name,” Cole answered as he slipped a hand beneath his jacket to caress my bare back in a whisper-light touch.

“So, what happened?” I asked, trying to ignore his fingers, but each gentle brush felt like a sear against my skin, and I shuddered.

He must have thought I was cold, because Cole wrapped his arms around my waist before continuing with his explanation.

“The lodge burned down, and the owners never rebuilt. That was before my time, though, so I don’t know any of the details.

Long story short, fewer tourists meant fewer jobs, and eventually there was no need for a second high school. ”

“The history’s a bit sad, but the name makes sense,” I said. “This really is a great view.”

“Too bad it’s cloudy, though. On a clear night, you can see the Milky Way from here,” he replied, and I tipped my head back to look up at the sky. Not even the moon was visible behind the wall of gray, but I could see how this would be the perfect spot to stargaze from.

“Then I guess we’ll have to come back when the weather’s more cooperative.” Next time with a blanket, snacks, and proper footwear.

“Is that your way of asking me out again?”

“Again?”

“Yes, again ,” he said, trailing a knuckle up my hip. “Don’t you remember showing up in my room, trying on this sinful dress, and begging me to come with you?”

“What?” I spluttered and spun around to face him. “That is not what happened.”

“How did it happen, then?” His breath fanned across my face, and I was suddenly aware of how close we were standing.

If I pushed myself onto my toes, our lips would brush.

Cole’s gaze dropped to my mouth as though he could hear my thoughts, and his eyes darkened.

The hand he was resting at the small of my back glided up my spine to curl around the base of my neck.

Another shiver wracked my body. “I—we…” We asked each other concurrently was what I wanted to say, but my brain stopped working, and the words wouldn’t come.

A wolfish grin slashed across Cole’s face. “We what, Jackie?”

Instead of responding, I tracked the upward curl of his lips.

I didn’t realize I was staring at his mouth until he grasped my chin and tilted my head back just so.

His face dipped, and this time, I was sure he was going to kiss me.

I closed my eyes, heart fluttering in anticipation, but before his lips found mine, a blaring siren made us jump.

“What the heck is that?” I asked, stuffing my fingers in my ears as I glanced around for the source of the noise.

Cole peered over the railing and frowned. “I think it’s a fire alarm.”

Sure enough, when I looked down, the entire dance was streaming out of the building into the parking lot. Nobody appeared to panic, but that didn’t mean we weren’t in danger.

I licked my lips. “We should leave,” I said, wrapping a hand around Cole’s arm. Even if there wasn’t a fire, my friends were probably wondering where we were.

“Yeah,” he agreed, tearing his gaze away from the scene below. “Let’s go find out what happened.”