The Calling by Ashley Willis Read Free Book Online

the sun and water, and her smile hadn’t budged since she’d caught her first wave. The way she glowed, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
    She unwrapped the sandwich. “That’s more like it! Got any chips?”
    “Weren’t you the girl who always ordered a salad at Moe’s?”
    “And cheese fries, can’t forget those.”
    He pulled open a small bag of potato chips and handed them to her. “Ah, yes. I still think Sally’s Crab Shack has the best.”
    “No way. Moe’s puts more bacon on theirs.” She chomped down on a big bite of her sandwich. “Mmmm. Black olives,” she mumbled through her mouthful. “You’re a man after my own heart.”
    He mentally patted himself on the back for remembering her favorite food. “I’ve got beer if you want one.”
    “I don’t do alcohol, except for red wine. Polyphenols are supposed to lower the risk of cancer.”
    Justin reached into the cooler and pulled out what looked like a juice box. “Merlot.” He winked. “It’s even got a straw.”
    Mandy stared at him with awe shining in her sparkling blue eyes. “I’ve never seen you drink wine.”
    He pulled out a beer can and popped the tab. “That’s ‘cause I don’t.”
    Her eyes widened. “You brought these for me?”
    “Yep.”
    “How are you still single?”
    He shrugged, though he knew exactly how. He compared every girl he dated to Mandy. None of them ignited a spark in him the way she did. The entire time she’d been with Ty, he’d denied having a thing for her. Now that Ty was out of the way, he was surprised how easy it was to admit his feelings—to himself, of course, not to her, because Mandy overanalyzed everything.
    If he came right out and told her he had the hots for her, she’d find some way to convince herself that dating him was a mistake. He needed to get into her head before making a move. With her emotions in play, she’d have a tougher time turning him down.
    He scooted closer to her. “So what’ve you been up to the last year, besides being sick?” He bit into his sub. The jalapeños he’d loaded on his sandwich burned his tongue, and he savored the sensation.
    Mandy’s brow furrowed as if she had to think hard about what her life entailed besides cancer. “Working.” Her face lit up with a soft smile. “I’ve been babysitting for my niece a lot. And when I find time, I hang out with Lori and Kirsten.”
    Justin flinched at Kirsten’s name. He took a big swig of beer to tame his hatred of that girl. “What’s Lori up to?” he asked, hoping Mandy blamed his grimace on the jalapeños.
    She still smiled, but her shoulders lowered, and she sighed. “She’s signed up for a nursing stint in Colorado.”
    Well damn, that just left Mandy with Kirsten. “When’s she leaving?”
    “In a couple of months, but it’s only for a year while she trains for neo-natal. She’s always wanted to work with preemies.”
    He wished all of Mandy’s friends were as straight and narrow as Lori, and he wondered if she’d have anyone else to hang out with besides Kirsten the tramp. “You still hang out with that redhead… what was her name?”
    Mandy’s shoulders sagged even further. “Addie?”
    “Yeah, that one. I ran into her last week and called her Abby. She looked pissed.”
    Mandy shook her head. “I set you up with her. You dated for a month. How can you not remember her name?”
    “She didn’t make much of an impression.”
    Her gaze dimmed while she stared toward the breaking waves. “Figures. No, we’re not friends anymore. She was more of a goodtime girl, and when things got… not so good for me, she bailed, along with other people.”
    A knot formed in his stomach. If she thought he and Ty were still friends, she probably didn’t want to offend him by lumping Ty in with the people who’d bailed. But he had a feeling she was referring to him.
    Though he knew she’d rather not discuss her ex, he figured Ty would come up in the conversation eventually, so he might