Page 30 of Playing to Win
Chapter 11
It was Saturday and Callie found herself and Kyle again headed south on I-35 away from Oklahoma City. The Thunder had clinched the first round of the playoffs on Friday night, beating the Jazz and winning the series four games to one. They would face the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, but their coach had given them the day off after their win the night before.
Even though Callie told him they weren’t dating, she had to admit she had missed him. She’d watched all the away games on TV and had talked to him a lot via text.
When she got the results of her test that Kyle helped her study for, she sent him a picture of the copy. Look at what I made, she said about the 98% she had scored. Good thing I had such a smartie help me study.
Kyle had sent her a winking emoticon back with a snarky Told ya.
Kyle had called her as soon as he realized they had the day off to collect on his next hang out. When she asked him where they were going, he just said to wear warm, comfortable clothing. That’s why Callie found herself in an oversized Thunder hoodie that hung almost to her knees, a pair of black leggings, knee-high fur-cuffed boots, and a blue Under Armour head warmer, sitting in the passenger seat of his car with a frown on her face.
“Why won’t you tell me where we are going?” she asked him in a pout.
“Because I want it to be a surprise.”
“Not even a hint?”
“Nope.”
“How do you know I will like it?”
“Because your dad told me you would. And because like I said before, I’m a romantic.”
Callie bit back a smile. Despite what her brain was telling her, her heart was starting to warm up to Kyle. It was more than just his dimples. He was honest and kind. He was sincere and treated her with respect. And her friends and dad liked him, just for him, not the athlete, which was a big deal to her. If she had brought him home as just another average Joe, he would have been just as welcome. Maybe it was time to give him a chance. After all, the dimples were pretty cute. She was even starting to like his nickname for her.
“All right, Curly. Time to be open-minded.”
“Oh, boy. I’m not liking the sound of that, pretty boy.”
“I want this to be a surprise,” he said, pulling over to the side of the highway and turning his hazard lights on. “I’m asking you to put this on.”
In his hand, Kyle held up a sleeping mask. “What am I supposed to do with that?”
“Put it on?” he asked questioningly.
“Why in the world would I put that thing on?”
“Because I want where we’re going to be a surprise. Please.”
Callie was about to vehemently object, but he looked so cute sitting there, holding it in his hands, she couldn’t help herself. Before she could stop them from slipping out of her mouth, she felt herself agreeing to his crazy plan. “Fine. But I better get dinner out of the deal. And you better not be adding any kinky sex thing to the mix.”
“I haven’t even been able to worm a chaste peck on the cheek out of you, and you think I’m trying to throw some Fifty Shades of Grey into whatever this is between us? Curly, how little you know me,” he replied. “I’m a gentleman through and through. Now, if you want some kinky sex things thrown into the mix, just say the word.”
Callie felt her stomach flutter at his words. “I’ll keep that in mind, handsome,” she said softly. “Now, are you going to tie this thing around my eyes or not?”
Kyle smiled like he was a kid that had just been given two tickets to Disneyland. Gently he place the mask over her eyes. “Can you see anything?”
“How can I see anything when my eyes are covered by a mask, dummy?”
“I thought about just making you put your hair in front of your face like Cousin It on the Addams Family, but I figured you would try to cheat and peek,” he said.
Callie reached out and blindly tried to punch him. “Ow! How can you not see and find the target that well? And how can you punch so hard for a girl?”
“Easy. Your car is little, you’re a behemoth of a man, and my daddy taught me how to box because he didn’t have a son.”
“That hurts, Curly. I’m not a behemoth. And as for the car, at least you know I didn’t get a big car to overcompensate for a little something else.”
Callie rolled her eyes.
