Read Online Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories (The Flirts! Collection) by Lisa Scott - Free Book Online Page A

date.” I grinned. It really was good news.
    He shook his head and opened another iced tea. “Sounds like you missed out on a winner. Let me guess, is he a lawyer?”
    “How did you know? Thing is, I really did want to see Aerosmith.”
    “Probably saved you from a boring night with him, though.”
    By this time, I was dying to know what Tony had done to end up in jail. He seemed so nice and polite, so down to earth. But I didn’t want to seem like I was judging him by asking, like his answer would determine how I’d treat him.
    He propped up one leg and rested his arm on it. “It was drugs.”
    “What?”
    “I wanted to tell you why I went to jail.”
    Again with the mind reading! “What happened?”
    He let out a long breath and looked up at the cloudless sky. “I was in college. Cornell, pre-law. I was headed in the same direction of your date last night, I’m sure.”
    “Did you fall in with the wrong crowd?”
    He laughed and shook his head. “No, I just fell. During a lacrosse game and broke my thigh when another guy landed on top of me. That’s one of the most painful bones you can break. Got hooked on the Oxycodone they gave me for pain. My family doctor is my dad’s friend, so he didn’t have any problem writing me new prescriptions when I lost my bottle of pills, or accidentally knocked them down the sink, or when they were stolen. I had a thousand excuses for new prescriptions. My friends wanted them, too. So, I started selling them.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I was so stupid.”
    I reached over and rubbed his arm. “You were young. Stupidity is a side effect.”
    He looked at my hand and I pulled it away. “How did you get caught?”
    “Sold to an undercover officer at school. It was in the newspaper. My parents were humiliated. My father’s a lawyer here in town and was disgraced. They wouldn’t even bail me out before the trial. Haven’t talked to me since.” He closed his eyes.
    “I’m sorry.”
    He sighed. “Don’t be. It was my own damn fault. But I’m trying to get my shit together now.”
    “Have you thought about going back to college?”
    “With what money?” He shook his head. “No, I’m too old and roofing suits me fine. I don’t mind being out in the fresh air on top of a roof after spending a few years under one. My life’s on a different path now.”
    I reached for a drink from the cooler and sat closer to him. “You’re not the only person to ever disappoint their parents. Mine have pretty much given up on marrying me off. I’ve broken off three engagements, all very close to the wedding. Cost my father thousands. He says if I ever do get married, I’m paying for it myself.” I shrugged.
    “Do you think you ever will?”
    I looked down, embarrassed by my admission. “Not for a long time.”
    He propped his hands on his knees and swung the empty bottle between his legs. “So, what’s the deal with that?”
    Our conversation was becoming much more personal than I had imagined. More like a fourth date than a first. This isn’t a date . I plucked a tiny daisy from the grass and twirled it in my fingers. “I guess I’m afraid of making a mistake.” I looked up at him. “What if I pick the wrong guy?”
    “Then you start over again. Sometimes you have no choice.”
    We were quiet for a while, watching kids zoom down the slide at the other end of the park. With a tentative finger, I traced the tattoo of a chain on his shoulder. “Did you get this in prison?”
    He looked over at it. “No, when I got out. As a reminder not to screw up again.”
    “Are you staying out of trouble? The cop said you’ve been in fights.”
    He nodded. “I’ve got some stupid friends who get themselves in bad situations.”
    “Maybe you need to find new friends.”
    “Not everyone can overlook a person’s past. You probably think differently of me now that you know. And forget trying to get a decent date. Once a woman finds out, she’s not