Life in the No-Dating Zone

  LIFE IN THE NO-DATING ZONE

  Patricia B. Tighe

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Copyright © 2014 by Patricia Brunhart Tighe

  LIFE IN THE NO-DATING ZONE by Patricia B. Tighe

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Swoon Romance. Swoon Romance and its related logo are registered trademarks of Georgia McBride Media Group, LLC.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Published by Swoon Romance

  Cover designed by Paper and Sage

  Cover copyright by Swoon Romance

  To Steven, David, and Topher:

  I love you. Thanks for all your love and support.

  LIFE IN THE NO-DATING ZONE

  Patricia B. Tighe

  One

  Claire

  Nothing is worse than finding a rogue LEGO brick with your bare foot. Except maybe finding out a boy has stolen one of your best friends.

  Case in point: A month ago, Rose came home from vacation attached at the hip to a guy.

  And not just any guy.

  No. Rose, who usually goes all red-faced and tongue-tied around boys, had to show up holding hands with a tall hotness named Sam. The kind of guy who’s sweet and funny. The kind of guy you don’t mind hanging around. Except Rose and Sam don’t hang around us much.

  “Claire.” Lindsey’s voice brought me back to the present. Right. Beach towels. The middle of Lainey Garza’s backyard at her annual end-of-summer pool party.

  “What?” I asked.

  Lindsey propped herself up on her elbows, her pink bikini practically fluorescent in the glaring north Texas sun. “Why are you trimming the Garza’s lawn? I don’t think their yardman needs your help.”

  “Ha, ha. Very funny,” I said, but flicked my fingers, scattering the mound of torn grass in front of my crossed legs. I hadn’t even realized I was ripping the grass into tiny pieces. I brushed the remnants off my hands. Get it together, Claire. “When is Rose supposed to be here, again?”

  “Not sure. She said she’d text. It depends on Sam’s schedule.”

  “Of course it does.”

  “Whoa. Easy on the snark. You know he’s going back to Houston soon. She wants to spend as much time with him as possible.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just that the three of us do this every year.” I swept one arm in a wide arc. “She’s breaking tradition.”

  Lindsey frowned. “You’re right about that. We’ll have to give her trouble for not holding court with us.”

  I laughed. “You hold court. The rest of us hang around like courtiers waiting for the peasants to arrive.”

  She lifted her chin in a regal pose. “As well you should. Too bad so many people are at drama camp. Our court today is way too small.” Something caught her attention across the yard. “Idiots,” she said with a grin.

  I followed her gaze toward the pool where her theater friends, Mike and Parker, wrestled in the shallow end. On the diving board, Seth Townsend posed like a body builder, then launched himself into the air, the sound of the shuddering board followed by a ginormous splash. People cheered.

  Beside the pool, bikini-wearing girls on lawn chairs held up their fingers showing a five, a six, a four, and a seven. Seth hauled his husky body up the ladder, water streaming from his swim trunks. “No way,” he shouted. “That had to be a ten!”

  I looked back at Lindsey. “I assume you mean Mike and Parker.”

  “Of course. And here they come.”

  The boys ran across the lawn, Mike’s stocky sturdiness pulling ahead of Parker’s giraffe-like movements. They arrived, grabbed up their towels, and started drying off.

  Mike paused, leaning over Lindsey like he was about to shake water from his curls. He grinned. “Should I?”

  She squinted up at him. “Don’t even think about it.”

  And because she was queen, he obeyed. Boys always did. Parker managed to get his towel on the grass beside hers before Mike, who was too busy squeezing water from his hair. He grunted and spread his towel at her feet.

  How appropriate. I wanted to chuckle, but held it in. Where was Rose? We always shared smirks and laughs over how guys acted around Lindsey. Especially her stupid boyfriend, Adam. Thank goodness he was at work this afternoon.

  “Did you see us?” Parker asked. “I so owned Mike in that wrestling match.”

  “You did not,” Mike said. “We were both drowned by the football players.”

  Lindsey laughed. “That part I saw.” Her phone buzzed and she leaned over to shield it from the bright sun. “Oh good. Rose and Sam are almost here.”

  Finally.

  Mike murmured something to Lindsey that I couldn’t hear through the background of country music, so I let my mind wander away from the conversation. Another boy cannonballed into the pool and the judges raised their digits. Clouds skidded in front of the sun, giving us a break from the heat. I surreptitiously pulled my clinging tank top away from my chest. I needed a distraction. Something to put me in a better mood.

  Too bad I hadn’t brought the new LEGO catalogue—it made me smile just to think about paging through it, examining all the new building sets. But even I had to admit that a pool party was definitely the wrong venue. Hmm. Maybe I could just imagine everybody as LEGO figures.

  I’d have a green base for the grass and maybe build the wall of the Garza’s house. I could pick out minifigures for Lindsey, Mike, and Parker. A couple of random male figures would work for the boys. I didn’t know of any bikini-wearing minifigures, but there was a female lifeguard. And a mermaid! I pressed my lips together to keep from snickering. Lindsey would probably love being a mermaid.

  “Claire!” Lindsey said, jerking me out of LEGO world.

  “What?” I sounded half asleep.

  “What were you smiling about?”

  Uh, no. Not admitting that in front of Mike and Parker. “Nothing.”

  She lifted an eyebrow like she was deciding whether to push the issue or not. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.” I gave her a tiny shake of the head so she’d drop it.

  Lindsey grinned and sat up.

  Oh, crap. What was she going to say?

  She laced her fingers together and stretched her arms straight ahead, making Mike and Parker look like two puppies drooling over their next treat. “I,” she said with a dramatic pause, “am absolutely parched.” The deep Southern accent had strolled on stage.

  Whew. Thank you, Lindsey.

  Mike sat up. “I know, Scarlett O’Hara, right?”

  “You want me to get you something?” Parker said, climbing to his feet, all skinny sweet eagerness.

  “Why yes,” Lindsey said, “a libation would be delightful.”

  “Libation?” Parker asked.

  I laughed. “There are only Cokes, tea, and water. No libations to be had.”

  “Do libations have to be alcohol?” Mike asked.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “In that case,” Lindsey said, “I’ll have tea.”

  “’Kay, be right back.”

  “Thanks, Parker, you’re a peach.”

  “No problem.” He trotted away.

  Mike pulled his knees toward his ch
est, draped his arms over them, and let his hands dangle. “I’m right, aren’t I? It’s Scarlett?”

  Lindsey cocked her head toward him, but I spoke first. “I think it’s just a random Southern belle.”

  Lindsey stuck her tongue out at me. “Claire’s right. As usual.”

  I stuck my tongue out in return, then smiled. “Yup, I’m always right.”

  “I was close, though,” Mike said, clearly proud of himself.

  But Lindsey ignored him. “Yay, they’re here.”

  Over by the gate stood Sam and Rose. Sam was looking around like he wished he were somewhere else while Rose scanned the yard. When she spotted us, she waved and headed over. And since Sam was attached to her hand, he came too.

  “You’re not gonna believe it,” Rose said, dropping onto Parker’s unoccupied towel and tugging Sam down next to her. “Ew, this is wet.” She jerked the towel out from under her. “We have the best news. Sam is—” She turned to him. “You should tell them.”

  He fingered the end of her side braid of dark blond hair. “No, you.”

  “Are you sure?” Rose asked.

  Lindsey flapped a hand near their faces. “One of you spit it out.”

  “Sam is staying!” Rose said, her face glowing. “He’s gonna live with his mom in Dallas. He’ll only be forty-five minutes away!”

  “That’s so great!” Lindsey said.

  Mike leaned over her to fist-bump Sam. “Sweet.”

  My LEGO-induced happiness fell away. “What about your school in Houston?” I blurted before I could stop myself. “Isn’t it your senior year?”

  “Yeah,” Sam said, “but I never cared about that school. I’ll just do homeschool, you know, take some classes online to finish up.”

  “Cool,” I said, forcing enthusiasm into my voice. I mean, I was happy for Rose, I really was. Wasn’t I?

  Parker showed up with Lindsey’s iced tea, and the area exploded with more fist-bumps and high-fives. It was like someone had won the lottery and was sharing the cash with everyone but me. Okay, maybe that was over the top, but as I sat there watching everybody, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were all on the stage together and I was in the audience. In the back row.

  A particularly loud shriek rang out from the pool. Some boy had cannonballed close enough to the pool’s edge to spray the girls. Maybe a really good shriek was what I needed. But unless I joined the girls around the pool, I should probably go home. Random shrieking is generally frowned upon.

  Besides, I could actually spend time with the new LEGO catalogue. That would take my mind off things. For a while, anyway. I stretched out my legs, then stood. “I’d better go, y’all. Have to babysit.”

  “I thought that was later,” Rose said.

  “It is, but my mom wants me to help with Baby Jack before then.” Just a partial lie, since my mom only said she wanted help sometime this week.

  Both Lindsey and Rose looked at me like they knew I was lying and they wanted answers. That made three of us. I wanted answers, too. I said a quick goodbye and headed for the patio to grab a bottle of water for my walk home.

  Unless I could find a way to get over Rose’s new relationship, it was going to be a really long school year.

  Two

  Gray

  It would take about twenty steps to get there. Twenty normal steps—no lunges or anything—and I’d be standing beside Lindsey Taylor’s group in the middle of the lawn. It was the perfect opportunity. No sign of her boyfriend, Adam Castro, and only a couple of guys to compete with. And Mike and Parker were complete tools. There shouldn’t be anything stopping me.

  Except the fact that I hadn’t had a real conversation with Lindsey since seventh grade. That, and an up-close look at her in that pink bikini might make me turn purple. I cursed under my breath. Why did I have to suck at this? Lindsey and Claire were some of the nicest girls in school. It’s not like they’d tell me to get lost. I could just sit down and join the conversation.

  I probably wouldn’t even have to say much. There was a lot of noise over there with the football players throwing themselves off the diving board and the girls cheering. I could become part of Lindsey’s group. And then someday, when Castro did something stupid and she dumped him, I’d be there to console her. Right. Me and about ten other guys.

  Tool #1 Parker jumped up from where he’d been sitting beside Lindsey, and after a short conversation, jogged toward the patio where I was holding up the wall of the house. Now there was only one guy. I should go now. Right now.

  The sliding glass door to the patio opened and dumped out Amy Acton and that girl whose name I could never remember. They edged over to the tables of snacks. Parker got there and, after rifling through an ice chest, pulled out a bottle of tea. He then started messing with the other coolers. Lift. Slam. Lift. Slam. What the heck was he looking for?

  I grabbed a handful of potato chips so I wouldn’t look like I was hovering, then went back to leaning against the house. I sensed the snacking girls staring, but ignored them. Instead, I concentrated on Lindsey’s reddish-brown hair, which shone in the sunlight like a beacon. I really should go over there.

  In fact, Lindsey’s friend Rose, and some guy I’d never seen before, had just joined the group. I could’ve gotten there at the same time and not looked so obvious.

  “Hey, Grayson,” Amy called, and then both girls giggled.

  I almost launched into an explanation about how I’d shortened my name to Gray, but didn’t really want to get into it. Besides, the country music blared loud enough that I’d have to get closer if I really wanted to talk to them. I didn’t. So I settled for a brief smile. For some weird reason that made them giggle more.

  Amy elbowed the taller one, who opened her mouth, but then laughed again. “Did you try the guacamole?” Amy asked. “It’s really good.”

  “No.” What was the tall one’s name? Nita? Nyssa? Something unusual. She’d transferred to our school during sophomore year and I didn’t know her well.

  Please don’t come over to talk.

  Thankfully, the door slid open and Berger stuck his head out. “Hey, we’re almost up to play pool. You coming in?”

  “In a minute.”

  Berger sauntered over. “Couldn’t hear you.”

  “In a minute.”

  “If we don’t hurry, someone’s gonna take our spot.”

  Over on the lawn, Parker handed Lindsey a drink. If I would only grow a pair, I could be the one doing that. “It’ll be fine.”

  “C’mon, man, what’s—oh, her again.”

  The resigned tone in Berger’s voice made me feel like an idiot. “You know,” he said, “this has been going on for a stupidly long time.”

  “I know.”

  “You either need to forget about her or make your move.”

  “You’re probably right.” What else could I say? I couldn’t admit I made my move all the time in my fantasies. But I knew in the real world, Lindsey would shoot me down.

  Berger grabbed a huge chocolate chip cookie. “I’m gonna make sure we’re still in line. You coming?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t be long.”

  “I won’t.” I needed to quit standing around like this—the whole thing was lame.

  I went to one of the ice chests—away from the giggling girls—to force myself to stop staring at Lindsey. I fished out a root beer and popped the top, but movement out of the corner of my eye made me look back at the yard. Claire Gardner was heading toward the patio, her ponytail of dark brown hair swinging as she walked.

  Berger would have to wait. This could get interesting.

  I took up my spot against the wall. When Claire reached the patio, the giggling girls got in her face. Well, sort of. They moved in close and both started talking at once. But with the loud music, I couldn’t hear any of it. Claire smiled, nodded, said something, then pulled a water bottle from an ice chest.

  The girls kept talking, with Nita/Nyssa doing most of it. Claire ta
pped the water bottle over and over against her hip while she listened. I couldn’t be sure, but she seemed antsy. She leaned closer to the girls and spoke, making little karate chop gestures with one hand. Whatever it was, she really wanted them to get the point. Geez. Why couldn’t I talk to people like that? Or at least, to one person in particular.

  The music cut out and the girls looked around. Way over by the volleyball net, Lainey Garza was trying to make an announcement. Good luck with that.

  “I’ve got to go,” Claire said, her voice sounding so close I almost banged my head against the wall. I straightened, then focused on my root beer. Better if they didn’t realize I was eavesdropping.

  “Thanks so much,” Nita/Nyssa said.

  “Yeah,” Amy said, “you give the best advice.”

  “No problem,” Claire said. “See ya.” She turned away from their goodbyes, puffed out her cheeks like she was glad that was over with, and marched toward the gate.

  I held in a laugh. That would teach her to talk to giggling girls. But wait. Had Amy said something about advice? Claire gave them advice? Maybe she could do the same for me. Maybe she could even tell me the best way to approach Lindsey. It was worth a shot.

  I set my drink on the table and, before following Claire’s path, texted Berger:

  Gotta go

  By the time I left the yard, she’d made it halfway down the block. I jogged after her, ignoring the voice inside telling me this was a really bad idea.

  “Hey, Claire! Wait up.”

  She jerked around, the uncapped water bottle near her chin, and started coughing. “Oh.” Cough. “Grayson.” Cough, cough. “Hi.”

  “Sorry. Did I make you do that?”

  She pressed a hand against her chest and cleared her throat. “It’s okay. You just surprised me.”

  “Sorry. And it’s Gray.”

  “What?”

  “I go by Gray now. You know, our junior year, do something new.” I tried to smile, but my lips felt all rubbery.

  “Right.” She sipped her water.