Blitzed by the Brit: A Secret Baby Sports Romance by Jessica Ashe Read Free Book Online Page B

day.
    “Looks like someone has a busy year ahead of them,” the young female cashier says.
    “A busy year and a boring year.”
    “Yeah, this isn’t really my type of light reading either. I don’t envy you, and that’s saying something; I major in calculus.”
    “I’ve made a huge mistake, but it’s too late now.”
    “Let me guess—trying to impress someone?”
    “Got it in one,” I reply. “Although I don’t think buying the books is enough to impress her. I’m going to need to understand them as well.”
    “I think I can help with that.” She disappears and comes back a few minutes later with even more books, although these look mercifully short. “I never would have made it through my first year without study guides. These will help you understand some of the more complicated books.”
    “Sounds a bit like cheating.”
    “You care?”
    “Not in the slightest. Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome. She’s a lucky girl. Good luck.”
    I smile and walk out of the store with three bags of books weighing down my arms. When I get home, I pick out the Shakespeare book Becky wants to start with and flick through it before putting it back down again and picking up the study guide. This is more like it.

    “ Y ou’re late .”
    Becky reserved a small conference room on the third floor of the library, and I made it to the library on time. I know better than to keep a woman waiting. Unfortunately, once in the library I got lost.
    I walked up three flights of stairs to what I assumed was the third floor. Wrong. After ten minutes walking around looking for Becky, I realized Americans don’t have a ground floor and that I was actually on the fourth floor. Given that I’m trying to avoid looking stupid, I decide it’s better she think I’m just a bit late.
    “Sorry,” I reply. “Women kept stopping me to ask for photos.”
    “Ugh, this is a library not a sports field. I don’t know who I’m more disgusted with; you or them.”
    “Trust me, if you heard some of the things they said to me, you’d be pretty disgusted with them. American girls ain’t shy.”
    Becky sighs and makes a space for me at the table. “Whatever. Let’s just get down to work.”
    “Fine by—”
    With impeccable timing, a girl bangs on the window excitedly and then just walk straight in.
    “Oh my God, I thought it was you,” she exclaims. “You’re the new running back from England. Please, please, please, can I get a photo?”
    I quickly put my arm around the woman and smile for her selfie. Becky stares daggers at us the entire time.
    “You quite finished?” Becky asks me after the woman has left.
    “You’re not jealous are you? Because if you are, I’m more than happy to pose for a photo with you as well.”
    Becky stares at me, breathing heavily through her nose, the noise echoing in the small room.
    “ Twelfth Night ,” she says sternly. “What’s it about?”
    “Hang on,” I reply with a sigh. “Let me get my notes.”
    I can tell she’s impressed that I’ve made notes; she’d be less impressed if she knew they came from a study guide.
    “Okay,” I say, pretending to refresh my memory as if I hadn’t read this just an hour ago. “ Twelfth Night is a love story, and specifically a romantic comedy, however Shakespeare also reminds us that in the game of love, not everyone gets what they want.”
    “Sure,” Becky replies suspiciously. “Not a bad summary of the main thesis. But let’s go through the story act by act. That way we can really see the progression of events, because it can get quite complicated what with all the characters dressing up as different people.”
    “Great,” I reply, trying not to sound sarcastic. “Lead the way.”

    “ C harles ?”
    “Huh? Did you say something?”
    “You’re staring at my chest,” Becky scolds. “And I don’t think you’ve listened to anything I said in the past five minutes.”
    “I have,” I insist. “You’ve been talking about how Olivia