Page 53 of Quarterback Sneak

“Why are you so easy to talk to? I feel like I could talk to you for hours.”

“I think you already have been,” he says in a teasing voice.

I’m suddenly aware of the fact that he’s a very busy guy. I can’t believe the major he’s pulling on top of football. “I’m sorry, Zane,” I rush to say. “I didn’t mean to take up so much of your time. I’m sure you have so much to do.”

“There is nothing I’d rather be doing, Evie. Nothing in the world.” That warm feeling comes back, stronger this time. “And I think it’s really easy to talk to you too. Maybe we just click.” His words draw a laugh out of me, and I can’t stop my goofy grin. “I totally sounded like a high school girl right then, didn’t I?”

I don’t even bother denying it. “Yep.”

Chapter 23

Evie

When we finally hang up, I look at the time in shock. “We were on the phone for over an hour?”

Tessa looks up from the book she’s studying. “Yes, you were.”

“That’s crazy.”

Tessa puts down her book. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I’ve been asking them of Zane all night, so go ahead.”

“Why are you dating Jace when a guy like Zane is so obviously interested in you?”

“I don’t know that he’s int—”

She puts a hand up, stopping me. “Come on, Evie. Don’t play that card; you know he is. You just talked to him for over an hour on the phone, and he gave you all that stuff. He’s definitely interested.”

I drop my shoulders in defeat. “I don’t know.” Everything with Jace comes crashing down around me, and I feel the urge to talk about it. “Honestly, I don’t even really know how we came to be dating anyway. It’s like, it just happened. He’s just been...around. And every time I try to put some distance between us, he just pushes his way in again. I don’t think it helps that Sam thinks we’re great together. That’s definitely been driving some of it.”

“You’re not, though,” Tessa interjects.

“Yeah, I know.” My voice is flat. “He left me at the restaurant the other night...with the bill.”

“What?” her voice is a piercing shriek. “Are you kidding me?”

I laugh humorlessly. “No. He got mad at me, basically called me thebword, and then left me with the bill.”

“Where did he go?”

“I guess back to school; I don’t really know.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“I wish I was. The bill was almost three hundred dollars. “

Her eyes widen. “Where in the world did you go for dinner?”

“A really expensive seafood restaurant.”

“But you hate seafood,” she points out.

“I do. I also hate getting a bill I can’t pay.”

“Oh, yeah. I don’t have three hundred dollars in my account right now.”

I nod. “Yeah. I didn’t either.”