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Josh laughed. “Hunter, this is Chloe. Chloe—Hunter.”
    We mirrored each other’s reactions. Frozen. Silent. Finally, he looked away. But where he looked didn’t make me feel any better. His eyes zoned in on my breasts. I crossed my arms and tried to cover them. A slow smile began to spread across his face. “You work here?” he asked.
    Josh answered for me. “As of today, from three ’til nine, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, it’ll be us three.”
    “Us three ?” I choked out.
    Blake/Hunter chuckled. He chewed his lip, shaking his head slowly from side to side. Then he took a big gulp of the soda he held in his hand. I pried my eyes away from his lips. I knew what those lips tasted like. And I knew that I shouldn’t have kissed him, but I thought I’d never have to deal with him again. “I quit,” I announced.
    Blake/Hunter choked on his drink. Tugging my shirt lower, I moved to the counter and began to lift the door. A pair of heavy forearms thumped down on it. “You’re not quitting,” he said. He was smiling again, a smile so wide it made him look smug.
    My eyes narrowed.
    Josh turned to me. “Okay. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but if you want to quit because of Hunter, there’s no need. He works desk and shoes. You won’t even see each other. And I need you here with me. I’ll even go out back and check for a larger shirt.”
    “But you said this was the only size you ha—”
    Blake/Hunter’s laugh cut me off. He reached over with his hand up and high-fived Josh just as Josh was turning to walk into the storeroom, I assumed to get my new shirt.
    “You guys are assholes,” I yelled at Josh, but I kept my eyes on Blake/Hunter.
    “My first name’s Blake. My last name’s Hunter,” he said, leaning against the counter. His biceps flexed against his sleeves. Only then, did I realize we were wearing the same uniform. “Just so you’re not confused, I didn’t lie to you. Everyone calls me Hunter. I’m a jock”—he shrugged—“and my dad’s ex-army, so it kind of just happened.”
    “Oh.”
    He nodded. “And your name’s Chloe?”
    It was my turn to nod.
    “And you go to my school.”
    I nodded again. “But contrary to popular belief, I don’t think it’s actually your school.”
    He laughed then, a genuine laugh that reached his eyes, his light blue eyes. I had never known the strength of them until Saturday night. Not until he’d held my gaze and managed to tell me in a few sentences what I’d wanted to hear my entire life. It hadn’t mattered that he was a stranger. Or that he had had no idea what kind of impact his words would have. He had given me more than I’d come to expect from anyone.
    “You got customers, asshole,” Josh said from behind me.
    Blake’s eyes moved slowly from me to the front desk, where a family was waiting for service. When his gaze returned to me, he winked. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you around, Chloe. ”

    Josh was right. During the six-hour shift, I barely saw Blake. Not until the lanes closed and we shut the doors to prepare for cleanup. As soon as the front entrance was locked, music filled my ears. Then I felt the heat of a body behind me. “This is when the fun begins.” Blake.
    I turned to him to ask what he meant, but he just smirked. He reached for a broom and handed it to me. “Cleanup time,” he said.
    I was two swipes of the broom in when the electricity cut out and the bowling alley fell into pitch-black darkness. The music was still playing, though. Blake’s laugh from behind me caught me off guard. Then Josh’s howl echoed through the building.
    “What the hell?” I whispered.
    I felt Blake’s hand on the small of my back, and then his fingers skimmed my waist. “Come on,” he said quietly into my ear. His lips brushed against my cheek, then he pulled away and found my hand holding the broom. “Drop it.” The huskiness in his voice made me quiver.
    I did as he asked. As it fell to the