I curse and drop my head back. Almost two weeks. That’s not really a terrible length of time. Then again, it might have just been a Vegas thing. Maybe we’re the type of people who only hook up in hotels when real life can’t pose a problem.
“Tria, I’m really trying to follow you, but I’m struggling. Who are you talking about?”
My knee bounces harder, and I mentally slap myself for the two—no, three—tall coffees and the one expresso I had. My heart is punishing me by beating painfully in my chest.
“Kode.”
“I thought he was dating Raya. And I thought he was your cousin,” she says with her nose turning up.
Laughing, I shake my head. “No. That’s Kade. Kade Colton. This is Kode Sterling.”
“That’s not confusing at all,” she says sardonically, but I’m too on edge to laugh again.
I should have stopped after one large coffee.
“Okay, so Kode Sterling… Wait, is he the one with blonde hair that hangs out with Dane at Silk?”
I nod, swallowing hard.
“Yes. That’s Dane’s brother.”
She lets an appreciative whistle out. “No wonder you’re all bent out of shape. He’s definitely worth looking at.”
“He’s… I honestly think he must have done something to me, because I can’t seem to get him out of my head.”
“So he hasn’t called, but nothing bad went down between you two.”
It’s not a question, so I don’t respond. I just wait patiently for her to do the part where she starts giving advice. Soon, hopefully. That’s what girlfriends do, right?
“Okay. So where did you hook up? I need some backstory.”
Quickly, I run through the sordid details, giving her everything from the first account to the last.
“So he got jealous over the guy at the pool and… Rye? Who the hell is Rye?”
“Rye is not the part for you to focus on here,” I remind her, sounding as desperate as I feel.
There’s no reason for me to see him for a while, so I’m really hoping she gives me something to work with.
“Sounds like he has it bad, but if he disappeared right after someone in your family died, he might be staying away to show respect.”
I snort, and then I think about it, and I snort again. “You obviously haven’t heard very much about Kode. So tell me what to do. We agreed to casual, so I know I sound crazy right now. But—”
“But you want him. Got it. How long have you liked this guy?”
I look at her with narrowed eyes, and she points her small finger at me. “Don’t give me that look. If you want advice, I need to know details. That’s how this works. The more details I have, the better I can advise you.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Fine. I’ve liked him for… a while. Then I hated him. Then I liked him again. But even when I hated him, I sort of liked him.”
She groans while gripping her head. I’m stressing her out? Does she realize the caffeine overdose I’ve had? It does not make me a patient person, and my mind is running a thousand miles a minute.
“Timeframe, Tria. How long ago was it when you developed this crush?”
Admitting this will just make me look all the more pathetic. But I cave and acquiesce, “Thirteen years ago.” I was just a kid with a crush for two years, but he never noticed me. Then Rain came along, and Kode hated me.
Her eyes swell up to be softballs. Then she coughs and takes a sip of her drink.
“And you’re just now doing something about it?”
Here’s where it all starts getting complicated. “He sort of, well, he was too busy being in love with Rain.”
“Oh,” she mouths. “So it’s definitely important to you that this thing works out. Then you’ve got to pull out all the stops.”
“And those stops would be?” I ask her, wringing my hands in my lap as the caffeine buzz maddens me with jitters.
“It’s apparent that he wants you, but since he’s not making any moves, that means it’s up to you. So, send him a picture.”
As much as I adore her, right now I’d like to strangle her for not making any sense.
“I don’t think sending him a picture is going to do anything but make me look like an idiot.”
“Naked,” she adds, winking at me.
My mouth forms an “O” while I sit back and think that over. I guess it can’t hurt to try. It’s not like he hasn’t seen my body before. Might as well remind him what made him want me to begin with.
***
KODE
“The back nine and you are not getting along today,” Dale says as we drive along the cart-path of the eleventh hole.