By the end of dinner, my one friend turned into a group. Social circles formed fast in college.

  As we strolled back to the dorm, I looked around at my new friends and smiled at the realization that college agreed with me. I knew it had only been a few days. I was freaking out on the inside, but not bad. All those little annoying things about people that used to bother me didn’t bother me as much anymore. The people I had met so far seemed excited to be here, ready for a new adventure, like me.

  Maybe I belonged here. I haven’t belonged anywhere in a long time.

  We arrived back at San Jac, the freshman dorm, and sat in the quad. The discussion turned to boys.

  “Okay, my goal is to find a boy before the end of the month,” Darcy said.

  “A boy or a boyfriend?” Becca asked.

  “A boy at first, then I’ll turn him into a boyfriend.”

  “You need an upperclassman for that,” Brooke said. “UT freshman boys don’t have girlfriends. I think they warn them against it in their acceptance letter.”

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” Darcy asked Becca and Brooke.

  Brooke took out her phone and flipped through the photo app. The photo showed Brooke with a brown-haired guy at least a foot taller than her. His ocean blue eyes sparkled in the photo. Brooke looked younger sitting in front of us then she did in the photo. Her boyfriend stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. When we sat down, I noticed Brooke’s beautiful smile, but it wasn’t the same smile in the photo. I wondered which one was real.

  “Oh, he’s cute,” Darcy said.

  “That’s my sweetie. That’s AJ.”

  “He is cute,” I whispered.

  Becca took out her phone and showed us a dozen photos of her and her boyfriend, Mike.

  “He’s back in Dallas. He’ll be down most weekends.” She stared at the photo and wiped her eyes. “I love him so much.”

  She kissed the photo before putting it away.

  I looked off in the distance to control my gag reflex. I was trying to make a good impression on my new friends.

  “So, Miranda, do you have a boyfriend?” Becca asked.

  “Uh, no, I don’t.”

  “Miranda and I are going to find Mr. Right by Homecoming,” Darcy said.

  “Well, what kind of boys do you like?” Becca asked.

  I hesitated. Well, of course I knew what type of guy I liked. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of one distinguishing character trait I liked at the moment. Articulating the kind of guy I liked to strangers seemed… strange. I mean, I was eighteen years old, of course I knew my type. I wasn’t weird or anything. I’d been with so many different guys; maybe I didn’t have a type. I pictured my perfect guy. He had shaggy blond hair, green eyes, and was tall, strong, and muscular. He would be sweet and sharp and funny, but not silly. Yeah, that was my perfect man.

  Darcy interrupted my fantasy and spoke up, pulling her long blond hair off her neck.

  “I love tall guys, at least six-foot-four.”

  “Darcy, you’re what, five-two?” Brooke asked.

  “Five-foot-three, thank you very much.” Darcy stood on the seat of the picnic table. “I want to have to stand on this bench to kiss him.”

  “What else?” Becca asked.

  “Dark hair, dark eyes, big hands.” A grin crossed Darcy’s face. “Huge other things.”

  She cracked up and blushed, jumped off the bench, hugged me, and sat back down all prim and proper like.

  “Tall, dark, and big. Got it,” Brooke said. “We’ll keep a look out.”

  After we dissected Darcy’s wish list, Brooke received a call from her boyfriend and headed up to her room. Becca called her boyfriend and spent two minutes whining at him for not calling her. Darcy and I headed upstairs.

  I grabbed my clothes and headed to the shower when I felt Darcy’s eyes on me.

  “What?”

  “I wanted to ask you a personal question, but I’m not sure if it’s. . . appropriate,” Darcy said.

  I waited for her to continue.

  “My brother said there were a lot of lesbians in Seattle, and I know he was joking, but it got me wondering. Are you a lesbian?”

  “Oh wow, uhm, yes, I am.” I sat down on my bed and faced her. “And I’m in love with you, Darcy.”

  I held on for two seconds before bursting into hysterics.

  “Shut up,” Darcy said. “I didn’t know, and my daddy told me if I don’t know something, I should ask.”

  “I don’t think you should go around asking people those questions unless you know them first.”

  “I know, but you seemed uncomfortable talking about guys.”

  I stopped laughing.

  “It’s cool. Oh, this will be fun.” Darcy started hopping up and down on her bed. “I can be your guy coach.”

  “My what?”

  “Guy coach. Yeah, I can teach you how to talk to guys and pick up guys.” She bounced off the bed and into the bathroom, grinning all the way.

  I stayed seated. She seemed so excited. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I knew more about men than any eighteen-year-old girl should ever know.

  Freshman orientation continued, and Darcy swore hell and damnation on me if I didn’t take part in everything. In her heavy southern accent, she scared the shit out of me when she talked like that.

  The goal of freshman orientation was to acclimate students to the rigors of college life. I think they needed to reevaluate the activities. Every day the school sponsored a different activity, but every night, it ended the same. Students stumbling back to the dorms after drinking or smoking too much.

  It all seemed rather silly. I watched these kids, first time away from home, trying every vice possible all in their first week of school. The school needed to have a seminar about pacing ourselves. I couldn’t imagine keeping this up for four more years.

  Darcy and I survived, and I was so ready for classes to start. It only took until my first class to discover another seminar they failed to include. The one on how to deal with the unexpected.

  That lesson I had to learn on my own.

  Another New Life is available on Amazon and Free on Kindle Unlimited.

  A New Season

  Chapter One

  My impression of first class—it’s so much safer than coach. Why?

  Maybe it was because the ticket cost a fortune. It wasn’t my fortune, thankfully. It was part of my ex-boss’s creative severance package. Maybe it was the sweet bubbly champagne served by the perky flight attendant. I forgave her for her strained million-watt smile. Her tight, polyester uniform didn’t allow much blood to reach her head.

  Perhaps, it felt safe because anything could happen in first class. In first class, you could settle in your seat, lean over, and watch the airport workers scurry across the tarmac. As they prepare your plane for departure, a slight breeze of wood and spice cologne fills your nose. You turn and the world moves in slow motion as you seek out the origin of the scent. In first class, you knew it belonged to something or someone good. Only in first class could you find yourself staring into the eyes of the man of your dreams.

  Literally.

  “I know you from somewhere,” he said. His baritone voice vibrated through my chest. It wasn’t a line, either. We did know each other.

  “You’re Jaken Tanner.” I left off the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

  “Yeah, I know who I am. Who are you?”

  The cute way his nose crinkled made me forget my name for a second.

  “Dennis,” I said. “Emma Dennis.” I didn’t mean to sound like James Bond.

  “Wait…” He tilted his head and his eyes brightened. “You’re Vince Dickerson’s sister, right?”

  “Mr. Tanner, can I get you anything,” Ms. Polyester interrupted.

  His gazed locked on mine while he answered her. “I’m good.”

  “You sure? A cognac, champagne?”

  I panicked for a minute. If he turned, her million-watt cleavage would be in his face. I could not let that happen.

  “He’s fine. We’ll call you if we need anything.” My voice projected louder than I had intended, but it had the desired effect.

  The flight attended released a frustrated sigh and walked away. I turned back and found Jaken licking his lips and smiling.

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from freaking out.

  “How is your brother?”

  “Oh, you know Vin. He’s always good.”

  “Where are you coming from?” he asked, and I forgot. I had spent the last three years of my life traveling around Asia, and it completely slipped from my brain. I was too busy staring at the shape of his perfect, full lips. They were hot. “Hello. Emma. You with me?”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry.” Pay attention, Emma. “I’m coming from Shanghai.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Shanghai.” But he shook his head and asked, “What were you doing there?”

  “One of my professors got a fellowship to study and teach in the university system in China. She asked me to come with her.”

  “That’s why I haven’t seen you around town in a while.”

  “Well, I left after I graduated.”

  “You went to UT, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Well, I won’t hold that against you.” The University of Texas and Texas A&M were two of the oldest rivals in college history.

  A dozen college teams had recruited Jaken. In the end, he’d decided to follow his high school coach to Texas A&M. Everyone thought he had a problem with adjusting to change. Although, after he had won the Heisman as a sophomore, no one else had a thing to say about Jaken Tanner, his choices, or his ability.

  “You’re heading to New York?” I asked. Of course he was, considering we were on a plane to New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

  “Yep. I had a commercial shoot in LA, and now I’m heading to New York for an appearance. Then it’s back home.”

  “Commercial shoot, huh?”

  “Yep, for Reebok.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “So, what were you doing in Shanghai, exactly?”

  “Research mostly.” I shrugged my shoulders.

  “On what?”

  “America.”

  “You moved to China to research America.” He chuckled. “What do Asians know about America?”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  I leaned into him and his laugh stopped as he placed his elbow on the armrest. I looked down and mentally measured the centimeters between his elbow and my forearm. I slid it a little closer, trying to seem inconspicuous.

  The plane engines roared and I lost all inconspicuous points as I grasped his forearm in a death grip.

  “Whoa, you okay?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m kind of a nervous flyer. I’m okay.” Yet, my hand remained wrapped around his arm. I tried to let go, but I just couldn’t. His muscles flexed and I looked up and found him watching me, not with confusion, but with strange amusement. I removed my hand and turned to face forward.

  “Welcome to American Flight 545, non-stop to New York’s LaGuardia Airport . . .”

  The flight attendant continued her speech. I must have looked like whatever she was saying was the most interesting information I had ever heard. My eyes remained glued to her and her huge shaking chest as the plane taxied down the runway.

  How am I going to sit next to this gorgeous man for the next five hours?

  I’d had a crush on Jaken Tanner since I was twelve years old. He didn’t have a crush on me; I didn’t think he even knew I existed. Not to mention his interest would have classified him as a criminal because he was seventeen at the time.

  As the plane continued toward the runway, the passengers grew quiet and the engines grew louder. My eyes grew wide and sirens went off in my head.

  “You can hold my hand if you want to.”

  His tone was playful, but the plane jolted and I didn’t care. I needed to hold on to something, and he offered. I grabbed for his hand. He laced his fingers between mine and laid our hands down on the armrest. We sat that way as the plane gathered speed, took off, and ascended to the sky.

  We rode that way for the next few minutes. I enjoyed it and dreaded it. Enjoyed having a good excuse to touch him and dreading the moment when we reached ten thousand feet and …

  Ding.

  Dammit.

  He squeezed my hand, but then released it, which annoyed me, but he continued talking. I smiled like a twelve-year-old on the inside.

  “How did you travel all over Asia when you are afraid to fly?’

  “I’m not afraid to fly; it just makes me nervous. Only the takeoff and landing. Usually I’d have taken a Valium by now, but…”

  “But, what?”

  “You distracted me.”

  “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s every said to me.”

  And there it was…the moment I’d been waiting for since I was twelve years old. Jaken Tanner was flirting with me. I wanted to call all the girls back home who teased me for my obsession with football and say, suck it, girls.

  “So, what are you doing in New York?”

  “I’m meeting my mom there. My birthday is tomorrow.”

  “Oh really, how old will you be?”

  “Twenty-four.”

  “I didn’t realize you were that much younger than me.” I stopped myself from saying, I did.

  “You didn’t notice me at all when we were younger.”

  “That’s not true. You look different, but you have the same smile and those big brown eyes. They are the same.”

  I looked different was his polite way of saying that I was thinner. I was one of those kids who just never lost my baby fat. I would call myself big boned or chunky. My older brother affectionately called me Bear. My brother was an ass.

  I wished Jaken didn’t remember me. I’d much rather he not remembered how awkward, weird, and self-conscious I was as a teenager. I would rather we meet fresh and I could show him all the confidence and swagger I had acquired in the last couple of years. Confidence that I couldn’t seem to conjure at the moment, as I dropped my head.

  He reached out and raised my chin. When I met his eyes, he nodded. “Yeah, those eyes.”

  I flashed him a shy smile and fell into his crisp blue eyes. Now I get what they mean when they describe the color of a person’s eyes like the ocean at sunset. Of course, I would never say that out loud, but that was exactly what his eyes looked like.

  “How are your mom and dad?”

  “They are good. Mom still works for Vin.”

  “Oh, yeah. I haven’t seen him in a while. Only at events around town in the off season. He and his wife, Kaitlyn.”

  “Oh, yeah. That’s probably a good thing.” I hadn’t seen them at all in three years.

  “You don’t like her.”

  “We used to be best friends.”

  “Used to? What happened?”

  “She married Vincent Dickerson.”

  He nodded his head, and I realized he understood.

  I yawned before I could stop myself.

  “You must be tired. You’ve been flying for how long?”

  “Sixteen hours.”

  “Wow. Go ahead and get some sleep.”

  I blinked my eyes in hopes it would keep me awake. I did not want to waste this opportunity. I had wished for a one-on-one, honest-to-goodness, actual conversation with Jaken Tanner all my life; I didn’t want to sleep through it.

  I yawned again.

  “Here.” He offered me his hand. “You can hold my hand again. You know, if it makes you feel better.”

  I smiled and he smiled back. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but returning home was turning out to be a brilliant idea.

  ***

  “Emma.” His deep voice whispered in my ear, and I moaned and turned toward it. His hand let go of mine as it came up and caressed my cheek. His hand curled around my neck and pulled me to him. I felt his breath against my lips and I leaned in. His lips landed on mine and…

  “Emma.” My eyes shot open as the voice came from further away.

  “Hey, we’re about to land.” I looked down and found my hand gripping the armrest. We were no longer holding hands. He followed my eyes. “You dropped my hand, curled up, and leaned against the window mumbling to yourself. I didn’t take it personal.”

  I wiped my lips to make sure I hadn’t drooled and sat up straight. The plane was beginning to descend. My insides flipped and queasiness rumbled in the pit of my stomach.

  “So, what do you have planned for your birthday?”

  “Uhm, dinner. You want to join us?” Did I just ask Jaken Tanner out? No, maybe he’ll think I was being polite.

  “I would, but I have to leave first thing tomorrow morning.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “My event is tonight, but I’ll be done by eleven. Maybe we could meet up after I get back. Where are you staying?”

  “W in Time Square.” First, his scent floored me. Then, his gorgeous blue eyes made me forget my name. Now, his smile would have knocked me on my ass if I hadn’t already been seated.

  “That’s where I’m staying.”

  “No way.”

  “I swear.” He grinned at me as if he knew a secret and wanted to share it with me.

  I took his phone out of his hand and showed him the locked screen.

  “Zero, Eight, Zero, Eight.”

  “That’s original.”

  “I know.” He chuckled. “I needed something I could remember,” he said in a goofy Texas drawl. Even that voice made me hot.

  I grinned and typed the numbers. I opened the contacts and added my info.

  “I won’t have a phone until later, but you can email me.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you have a phone?”

  “I lost it in the separation.” He blinked. “My boss wasn’t exactly thrilled with me leaving.”

  “You didn’t leave on good terms?”

  “I believe she used the words ‘betrayed’ and ‘abandoned.’ She bought me a plane ticket and said bye bye.”

  “Oh.” He nodded, licked his lips, and smiled.

  “What?”

  “I can see how it would be hard to let you go.” Again, I bit my lip and failed to acknowledge his flirty comeback.