Sporting a wide grin, Keeley waved goodbye as the customer she helped tuck the new board under her arm. She knew she looked foolish, grinning like a loon, but she couldn't help it. She'd been in a great mood ever since her date with Talon.

Pink stained her cheeks as she remembered how long they stood in that cave. It was the most intense make-out she'd ever experienced. She shocked herself by how bold she'd been with him. Never before had she taken such initiative, but maybe that was a testament to how comfortable she felt with Talon. They had an easy and natural rapport that seemed to build the longer they were around each other.

Unfortunately, she hadn't seen him much since their date. Both of their schedules clashed with each other. It seemed whenever he was free to hang out, she had work and whenever she was off, he had football practice. However, they made up for it by nightly phone calls and constant texts during the day. 

Her favorite part of the day was lying on her bed, listening to him ramble on about stories of his mom's cooking escapades or what it was like growing up in Texas. She loved how he included her in everything, saying things like, "Wait till you taste her Christmas cookies, you'll run for the bathroom," or "You'll love the pond by my house," as if he naturally assumed she would be there.

The front door jingled and her head came up as Shawn walked in. He gave her a brief nod as he passed and went into the back room where Van currently was. She didn't know what was going on with him today. Van had gone from grumpy and irritable to downright boorish. He was even rude to the customers. He snarled at one kid and made another cry. Fed up with his behavior, Keeley shoved him in the back room with a pile of invoices. She kept expecting him to come out and berate her, but he remained holed up in that room for the last hour.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Half expecting to see a text from Talon, she was surprised when it was from Nicky. 

We still on for The Factory after your shift? –N

The Factory was a well-known restaurant, famous for its eight-inch cookies topped with ice cream. The first time they experienced the double chocolate chip, peanut butter cookie was on Keeley's sixth birthday. Wide eyed, they watched the waitress set the large platter down and light the candles. They hadn't even waited for her family to sing Happy Birthday before digging in. Since then, they made it a ritual to go The Factory every couple months and share the cookie.

Definitely. You want me to swing by and pick you up? –Keeley

No need. I'm at the mall. –Nicky

You're not trolling the food court for samples again are you? –Keeley

Why are you saying that like it's a bad thing? –Nicky

You promised me you were going to stop! How long have you been sneaking around behind my back? –Keeley

The last time Nicky staked out the food court, she almost got in a fist fight with an old lady over the last sample of fried chicken. Apparently, the lady belonged to a group of senior citizens who routinely showed up at the mall to receive free food. They'd threatened to call the mall cops on her, but Keeley had been able to dissuade them with a handful of coupons and the promise that Nicky wouldn't encroach on their turf again.

*hangs head in shame* Every Tuesday and Thursday for a couple of weeks. –Nicky

It's because of that new girl at the soft pretzel stand isn't it? I saw her slip you that second sample the last time we were there. –Keeley

I'm sorry! She told me her schedule and I couldn't stay away. They are like little pillows of salty goodness. –Nicky

Keeley didn't know whether to be amused or appalled by Nicky's lack of self-control, but God help her, she loved her best friend, crazy antics and all.

Fine. Eat your samples. But I retain the right to keep your mall mug shot. I'm sure your future husband will get a big kick out of it. –Keeley

They just brought out the cinnamon rolls...gotta go before the old geezers start whacking their canes around. Meet you later! –Nicky

She laughed as she pocketed her phone. It was a good thing she just put a stack of two-for-one coupons in her wallet. She had a feeling she would need them. She picked up another pile of invoices and headed to the back of the store.

"—could have at least answered your phone," Shawn said, his voice drifting from the back room. "I had no idea if you were even alive."

Curious, Keeley edged closer. The door was slightly cracked open, giving her a front row seat to the scene folding before her.

"Here I am," Van threw his hands out, "alive. Besides, why do you care?"

Shawn threw him a frustrated look. "Don't be an idiot. We're friends."

"Friends?" Van's attractive face twisted till it was marred by bitterness. "Friends have each others back. You knew what was happening and you didn't tell me."

"Why the hell do you think I kept riding your ass you to get back in the water? It certainly wasn't because I was eager to act like a nagging girlfriend."

Shawn's flippant remark seemed to snap Van's self control.  "It might have held more weight if you had said they were going to kick me off the fricking surf team! You didn't say one word to me Shawn. Not one word!"

"I'm sorry, man. I—"

"Sorry doesn't mean crap to me! I went into that office thinking I was getting another a sponsorship and instead I got handed my walking papers. I looked like a complete idiot and if that wasn't bad enough, I had to learn that my supposedly best friend knew the whole damn time!"

"I wanted to tell you. Trust me, I did, but Reggie wouldn't let me."

"Bullcrap! Those are excuses and you know it."

Shawn's face reddened. "Don't blame me for someone else's decisions. I'm not the bad guy here, Van. "

"No," Van threw him a look of contempt, "you're just a coward."

"Look, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of teams that would love to have you."

"I can't believe you would even suggest that. Screw you." Van burst out of the backroom, making Keeley jump back in surprise. He paid her no heed as he brushed past and stormed out of the store.

For several moments, there was complete silence. Then Shawn's voice rang across room.

"Do you think he's right?"

Keeley flinched at the question, embarrassed that he was aware of her snooping. Knowing she couldn't escape, she walked into the room and stopped short. Hunched over in his chair sat Shawn. Gone was the easygoing surfer Keeley was accustomed to. In his place sat a man weighed down by troubles.

His eyes lifted to hers and he asked, "Do you think I should have told him?"

"Maybe," she answered truthfully. "Why didn't you?"

He let out a weary sigh. "Frankly, I didn't think it would come to this. A few months ago the agency warned me they were going to let him go if he didn't get his act together. I thought I could get him back on his board before then."

"But that didn't happen."

He shook his head. "I never guessed they would actually go through with it. Maybe I should have told him the truth, but I thought it would stress him out and mess with his surfing."

"So he's not surfing well?" she asked, trying to piece together the situation.  

"Surfing?" He laughed ruefully. "He won't even touch his board. For weeks I've been showing up at his place trying to get him back in the water."

He looked past her as his eyes became distant and unfocused. "I've bribed. I've coerced. Hell, I've even dragged his ass to the beach and thrown him in the ocean but he refuses." Shawn's mouth screwed up in disgust. "He has so much talent but he's determined to throw it all away. Do you know how many people would kill to have his skills?"

She was taken back by the sharp, biting tone in his voice. Was Shawn jealous of Van?

"And that bastard couldn't care less," he continued, seeming to have forgotten about Keeley all together. "He'd rather drown himself in alcohol and self-pity than ride again. Maybe I am a coward but he's just as guilty, if not more."

The room fell silent after that. Unsure what to do or how to respond, she inched toward the door.

"You can take off early. I'll close up the store," he said.

"You sure?" she questioned. He wasn't exactly in the right mind frame to offer great customer service. "I don't mind staying."

"Go."

Well, who was she to argue with the boss? Quickly, she gathered her belongings. Needing to say one last thing, she stopped at the door. "At least you had good intentions."

A humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "Yeah, the road to hell is paved with them."

****

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon as Keeley exited the store. She sent a brief text to Nicky letting her know what happened as she headed to the bus stop. Distracted, she collided head first into a hard chest. Warm hands wrapped around her rib cage, steadying her as she teetered. "I'm so sorry," she muttered and moved to step back, but the stranger didn't let go.

"You can run into me anytime."

A jolt of recognition shot through her. Her eyes lifted to Talon who was staring down at her with an amused expression. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at dinner with your family?"

"Came to say hello to my favorite girl." Her pulse picked up as he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. Glancing at the shop, he asked, "Playing hooky?"

"I got off early."

An impish look gleamed in his aqua eyes. "Perfect. Let's go for a drive."

Inwardly, she winced. "Actually I have plans with Nicky."

The muscles under his shirt flexed as he tightened his hold on her. "Cancel them."

"I can't do that." She refused to be the girl who dropped everything just because of a boy. Besides, Nicky would kill her if she found out the truth.

"You see her all the time. It's my turn." His hands slid down to the curve of her waist. Drawing her closer, he murmured in her ear, "I know a secret spot that looks out at the entire ocean. We can drive up there and stay for a while..."

His words sent a thrill through her. She was tempted to say yes...so very tempted. She'd been dreaming of his kisses for the past week. Each morning she would wake up with her face mashed into a pillow. Thank God no one was around to see. If she went, they could have a couple hours to themselves. However, she promised Nicky and they hadn't seen each other outside of school lunches.

"I really can't," she said after careful deliberation. Impulsively she added, "But you can come with."

The pout on his lips turned into a hard line. "I want to spend time with you, baby doll, not your friend."

Her arms wound around his neck. He pulled her closer till their bodies were pressed against each other. "And you will be," she said, burrowing into the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath, letting his scent wash over her.

"Alone," he added meaningfully.

She leaned back, her fingers threading together to cup the back of his neck. "I don't have to be home till eleven. We can meet up with Nicky and then spend some alone time after. How about that?"

He made a few disgruntled sounds before agreeing. "But I want a full make-out session. No skimping."

The ends of her lips tilted upward. "And if I don't agree?"

"I'll send you back and demand a full refund."

Her shoulders shook with mirth. "That will be a lovely conversation you'll have with my father. I'll be sure to collect your ashes and give them back to your parents."

He let out a long-suffering sigh. "It's the price I pay for good kissing." His arms released her and he took her hand in his. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we meet with your friend, the sooner I get you alone."

They walked over to his truck and she hopped in. She could barely fit due to the amount of stuff littering the front seat. Books and football equipment crammed under the seat, pens strewn everywhere, piles of paper sitting on top of the dashboard, but what concerned her the most, was the mountain of blue and yellow packages heaped onto the seat cushion. Piles and piles of peeps. It looked like the factory exploded in his truck.

Shaking her head, she dumped the packages in the back seat. "I'm pretty sure you were secretly the Easter Bunny in another life." She picked up an empty box and sighed. "Either that or a very mean dentist whose hatred for sugar has come back to haunt him."

"No smack talk about my peeps," he teased as he turned on the engine and drove. They were halfway to The Factory when he started to fidget. His thumbs tapped against the steering wheel as his gaze darted to her and then back to the road. 

"You need a peep, don't you? I recognize the signs." She motioned to him. "Nervous demeanor. Twitchy hands." He didn't even crack a smile. Worried, she shifted in her seat to get a better look at him. His spine and shoulders were so stiff it looked like he might snap in two. Why was he so serious? It was out of character for him.

He sent her another quick glance before asking, "What are you planning on doing about next Friday, baby doll?" 

The lines on her forehead creased as she gave him a quizzical look.

He exhaled deeply, laughing a little. "The big Crosswell/Edgewood game is next Friday. You're going right?"

Her happy mood vanished as dread took hold. It sunk straight to the pit of her stomach like a lump of coal. "Crap," she whispered.

"I want you to sit on my side. Wear my jersey," he stated. Determination was written in the harsh angles of his face.

"Talon..." she trailed off, feeling uneasy. "I can't choose between you and Zach. Please don't ask me to do that."

"Baby doll, he's not even talking to you right now." His tone was gentle, but the cruel truth made her body rear back. His face softened and he reached over, squeezing her hand. "Just think about it, okay?"

She nodded, giving him a half-hearted smile. Inside, her stomach was churning. Either way she played it, someone would get snubbed. Oh sure, they would pretend it didn't hurt their feelings, but she knew the truth—male egos were fragile. Her best bet was to avoid the game all together.

She was contemplating how to contract mononucleosis when they arrived at the restaurant. After getting a table, they sat down and ordered. She wanted to get what Nicky and her usually ordered, but Talon insisted on trying something different.

"Live a little," he teased after the waitress left. Sitting perpendicular to the chair, he pulled her closer so she was between his legs. With one arm resting on the table, the other drew her head closer till he was within kissing distance. "We can still cancel that order and leave," he said when her breathing turned heavy.

"Behave," she admonished, shoving his shoulder. She forced him to sit properly, not use to overt displays of public affection.

By the time the waitress set their order on the table, Nicky still hadn't arrived. She checked her phone, but there were no messages. After ten minutes, they dug in, not wanting the cookie to get cold. Keeley was laughing at another one of his mom's disastrous cooking stories when Nicky finally walked in.

"Uh-oh," she whispered. Nicky's face was set in stone as she marched over, brown eyes narrowed in on Talon. Maybe she should have asked before inviting him. This place was sacred to them.

"It's not what it looks like," Keeley said as soon as Nicky was within hearing distance.

"It's exactly what it looks like." Nicky pointed an accusing finger at her. "Don't try to deny it. I caught you red-handed. You are two-timing me with this...this...no good, cheating, cookie eater!"

Keeley held her hands up in surrender. "It's not my fault, I swear. He just showed up and started eating."

Nicky planted her hands on her hips and gave a derisive snort. "You want me to believe his spoon just happened to fall in our cookie?"

"Is this some kind of weird metaphor?" Talon interjected, looking adorably baffled.

Both girls ignored him. Finally, Keeley relented. "Okay, maybe I did invite him—"

"Ah-ha!"

"—but it was only because I was jealous of the pretzel girl!"

"Hell," Talon muttered and threw up his hands. "Now, I'm really confused."

"So your solution was to go off and sit with the first cookie eater you could find?"

"You're right. I'm sorry," she said, schooling her features to look contrite. "I should have discussed it with you first."

"Thank you," Nicky sniffed, slightly mollified by the apology. She took off her jacket and slid into the chair across from Keeley. "And just so you know, I broke it off with Tara. It wasn't working out."

"You were on first name basis with this girl?" Keeley's eyes turned into small slits. Talon reached over to grab her hand, but she quickly slipped it under the table, not wanting Nicky to feel like the third wheel. "Exactly how many samples did she give you?"

"Does the number really matter? You are the one I chose in the end." Nicky smiled sweetly and patted her other hand, which caused Talon to scowl.

That's when she heard Nicky's stomach growl and knew it was all a lie. "The mall cops kicked you out, didn't they?"

Nicky dropped all pretenses. "It wasn't fair. The Old Patrol planned a sneak attack on me. Someone must have tipped them off that I was going to be there tonight. We must retaliate."

"Old Patrol?" Talon asked, drawing Keeley's attention.

"Gang of senior citizens who hang out at the mall," she explained.

"And I thought my friends were weird," he uttered under his breath as he stretched out in his seat.

A spark of annoyance flickered in Nicky's eyes. "I can hear you, you know."

"Good to know your fight with the senior citizens didn't affect you hearing," he said as he casually draped his arm on the back of Keeley's chair.

The possessive gesture didn't go unnoticed by Nicky or herself. She could feel the air crackle with tension. She had a feeling this would happen. Both were only children who didn't share well with others. To alleviate some of the hostility she pushed the huge pan of cookie toward Nicky.

"Have some," she insisted.

Nicky took her first spoonful of the cookie and frowned. Her eyebrows drew up together in confusion. "This isn't peanut butter."

"I'm not a fan peanut butter so we decided to try something new," Talon said before Keeley could explain.

"But we always get peanut butter. It's tradition," Nicky insisted, looking a little hurt.

"Keeley doesn't seem to mind," Talon pointed out with one of those smug grins that he did so well. "In fact, she told me she likes it better without."

A muscle in Nicky's cheek twitched. "So not only are you a no good, cheating, cookie eater but you are a peanut hater as well." 

He shrugged and said, "It's not my fault your taste buds haven't reached my level of superiority."

Oh snap, she thought to herself. She could see steam billowing out of Nicky's ears. Did it make her a bad person to be a little excited about this? No one had ever fought over her before. She took a sip of her water, eagerly anticipating the confrontation that was about to occur.

With slow and deliberate movements, Nicky set down her spoon and placed her forearms on the table. Her face was congenial, but her eyes were burning. "Listen here, you peanut bigot—"

Keeley choked on her water.

"—I have been best friends with Keeley since we were five years old. You have barely known her for a month. How would you know what she likes or doesn't like?"

Talon's lips thinned as he leaned forward and copied Nicky's posture. "I know that her likes can change."

With a challenging look, he picked up his spoon and stabbed the middle of the cookie.

"And I know that her likes can stay the same," Nicky countered, piercing the cookie with her own spoon.

Their eyes and spoons locked in an ultimate staring contest. Neither blinked or turned away. Ten seconds turned to twenty, and twenty turned into thirty.

Watching the two of them was like watching a showdown from an old Wild West film. Keeley could hear the ominous music start as the two gunslingers faced each other in the middle of the dirt road. Both of their hands hovered over their guns, ready to draw over the slightest twitch of their opponents. Kill or be killed was the motto and it seemed the same applied here.

Suddenly, Nicky's nose twitched and Keeley knew she was done for. A couple seconds later, Nicky blinked, losing the battle. Talon threw her a triumphant smirk as he took a big bite. Nicky's eyes darkened as she tossed her spoon on the table and stood up.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she muttered, stalking off.

Keeley elbowed him when Nicky was out of sight. "Be nice."

"I'm always nice," he answered loftily.  

"As my best friend she holds the veto button on all boys. If she doesn't approve, I dump them."

He raised a brow. "And you couldn't have told me this before I met her?"

"Excuse me for thinking you would behave like a gentleman."

"You know me better than that, baby doll."

One side of her mouth titled down as she shook her head in disappointment. "I thought Southern boys were supposed to be charming? What happened to you?"

He flicked the end of her nose at her cheeky question. "West coast girls corrupted me." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Can we go now? We met. We ate. I think we're done."

"No! You have to do something to get back in her good graces."

He shook his head in denial. "You promised me kissing. Lots and lots of kissing."

"Talon!" Frustration nipped at her. It was important they got along. "Let me be clear. Nicky is a permanent fixture in my life. Whereas everyone else...." She gave a hapless shrug and steadily met his gaze, letting him see her sincerity. 

A low growl emerged from the back of his throat as he rubbed his neck. "Fine," he exclaimed, abruptly standing. He grabbed his wallet and headed to the counter.

"I don't like him," Nicky said immediately, returning to the table.

"You just got off on the wrong foot. Look," she gestured over, "he's buying you a peanut butter cookie."

Nicky didn't even glance at him. "He's cocky and rude."

"He's not that bad once you get to know him." Keeley's mouth dropped as a thought occurred to her. She used to say those exact same words about him. "My God, hell has frozen over. I'm defending Talon." 

"Well you are dating him," Nicky said rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you'll get lots of practice in the future too. He's not exactly Mr. Congeniality." She shrugged on her jacket and grabbed her purse.

"Where are you going?"

"My mom wants me home. Tell the peanut bigot I've got my eyes on him." She paused, lines creasing her forehead as she leaned in a little. "Be careful with this one, Keels."

Her eyes widened in surprise at the warning. "What do you mean? Do you know something I don't?"

"I just get a strange vibe from him. He's very slick." Nicky sucked in her bottom lip, her face screwed up in concentration. "Of course, it could be my over active imagination."

Keeley looked over her shoulder. Talon was joking with the guy behind the cash register. His face animated as he moved his hands, his body completely at ease. Despite her earlier words, she knew Talon was charming—when he choose to be. He could turn his charisma on and off like a light switch. She could see how Nicky would misconstrue that as untrustworthy.

"He wouldn't hurt me," she said, dismissing her best friend's concern.

"Just be careful."

Talon looked over, a bright smile lighting his face the instant he saw her. His affection poured over her like honey, gently warming her body. She couldn't help, but smile back. She trusted her heart and it told her Talon was a good person.