Cole

''Archers, please take a seat on the couch!'' Jasmine shouted downstairs.

''Which one?'' I replied and placed the weight down.

''It doesn't matter, just make sure you're able to hear me!''

Grabbing a shirt, I left the gym and joined Jasmine and Gracie on the couch. She was wearing gray leggings and a shirt that went past her knees. I could tell she had just gotten out of the shower because her hair was tied up in a ponytail. That was the hairstyle she always did when she got out of the shower, and I loved it. She usually had her hair down and in her face, so it was hard to see, but when she put it up like that, I could see all of her face.

Nothing worked trying to brush this stupid crush away. I tried ignoring her. That didn't work. I tried finding something about her background that would make me less interested. That didn't work. I was doomed.

''Okay, so when it comes to my family, there are some things you should know. Not to burst your bubble, but you guys aren't really suited for my family. The Graysons show tough love, I guess you could say. They will chew you up and spit you out. ''

While she was talking, I got distracted by her legs. They were incredibly long. I was sure she was almost as tall as me. I still had a few inches on her, though. I imagined her long legs wrapping around m-

''Cole, did you hear what I said?'' Jasmine asked, bringing me back.

''No. Daddy isn't listening. He's going to fail the test, but I'm not,'' said a proud Gracie.

''Test? What test?''

''I'll take that as a no. If you were listening, you would know that I will give you guys a small test on my family. Like I said. They show tough love. My brother, Zander, is probably the nicest one. And that's only because he's twelve. Gracie, you probably won't be such an outsider but Cole... I'm worried about you.''

Gracie and Jasmine looked at me from head to toe in sync and gave me a worried look. Now I was getting worried.

''What? What's so wrong with me? How does my kid fit in, but not me?''

''Tell him, Gracie.''

''Daddy, you're too nice.''

Wow.

''Too nice? How the heck am I too nice? Have you seen me at practice? People say I'm too aggressive,'' I protested.

''We'll have to see it to believe it. Anyway, I'm going to tell you guys all the basics about my family, and you're going to take a quiz about it. We have only less than thirty minutes to do this. My family doesn't like late people.

She spent fifteen minutes going over things about her family. I was impressed by how much she remembered from her childhood. From what I heard, it seemed like her family was the exciting but chill type. Nowhere near my parents and me. It was only my parents and I growing up and the only time we had a lot of people in our house was when they threw parties. My mom was always busy with modeling, and my dad was obsessed with football. Before he retired, he was one of the biggest quarterbacks. I became a player in the same team he played for, The Baltimore Ravens; he was the reason why I wanted to become a quarterback. When he retired this year, I got drafted.

Gracie and I were taking the test Jasmine had written while she was getting ready.

''Done!" Gracie yelled. She gave me a death stare, and I returned it. One thing was for sure, I didn't like to lose.

''Gracie, baby, do you want some ice cream?''

''I'm not dumb, daddy. You can't bribe me with ice cream,'' she snapped and rushed upstairs. Before I knew it, she was running right back down with a gold star on her dress and smiling proudly,

''I always win.''

That's my line.

''Sorry, boss, looks like she won that round,'' Jasmine joked as she came downstairs. I was about to respond, but glancing up at Jasmine, my mouth ran dry. She was wearing a blue long sleeve dress and stopped mid thigh, that showed every inch of her curves. She looked over at me and gave a sly smile before turning back to Gracie. I had to close my mouth before I seemed desperate.

''Are you guys ready? You know you can't wear all your rich stuff. Do you remember why?''

''Because your family is reckless.'' I and Gracie grumbled.

''Good Job.''

''We can head out," I said, grabbing my car keys as Jasmine looked at me, confused. When Gracie and I began walking to the door, she was still looking at me,"What?" I asked, adjusting my belt.

''Oh, nothing. Nevermind. Let's go before we're late.''

~~~

The drive there was long. I hadn't realized how far Jasmine's parents lived. The whole drive there, Jasmine and Gracie talked. She had chosen to sit in the back with her, and I couldn't hear a word they said. I had a feeling Jasmine was still mad at me from yesterday and was trying to hide it. I needed to make it up to her somehow, but right now was not the time.

As we arrived, I started to become more and more nervous. I wiped my clammy hands on my jeans, plastering an easy going smile. Jasmine's family members sounded scary, for some odd reason. Jasmine held Gracie's hand as we walked into the house. It was way smaller than mine, but it looked cozy.

They all looked like Jasmine. I could immediately tell who the parents were because they were both staring me down and were the only older people there. Under their intense gaze, I shifted my weight and tried to seem as nonchalant as possible.

''Jazz!!" a smaller boy who looked about eleven or twelve shrieked and came running to Jasmine.

''Hey, buddy! How ya been?'' she asked, picking him up. Gracie was still standing behind her leg.

Not being able to handle her parents' stare, I looked over at Jasmine and thankfully, she caught on.

''Hey, everyone. This is my boss I was telling you about and his daughter, Grace Archer,'' she started, making everyone look at us. I couldn't tell whether half of them wanted to bury us alive or hug us.

''Are you two like dating or something?'' asked a woman who appeared to be the same age as Jasmine.

I choked on my spit. They were bold. The question caught me off guard so much I didn't even know how to respond.

''No. Oh my god, no. Never. That's my boss. He's... no,'' Jasmine explained, making a gagging gesture as everyone stared at us suspiciously.

I think they get it.

When she said this, it was nothing but complete silence. All eyes were on us. Jasmine rolled her eyes and smiled uncomfortably. ''Well, don't just stand there, sit down somewhere.''

Jasmine

''So, tell me about this boss of yours?'' Tatum said as I grabbed a drink and sat next to her on the small sofa, away from the rest of the family but still close by. She had her hair in a low bun and a red dress that went below her knees.

''There's not much to tell. ''

''Come on, girl, what's he like? What does he do? Details woman, details.''

''I don't know. I've only been Gracie's nanny for like a month. I guess you can say he's nice.'' I began searching the room for him, and when I found him, I kept my gaze. ''Funny, he's a little shy, even though he tries to hide it. Oh, and I haven't really seen him play, but he's a quarterback for the Ravens. ''

Tatum didn't respond, so I looked at her just to see she was already staring at me with a creepy smile. ''What?''

''You crushing on him, ain't you?''

''What? No. Hell no. Where would you get that idea? You're crazy.

If I told Tatum about the little crush I had on Cole, a week later, half of the world would know about it. It was bad enough I had a crush on him in the first place.

''Jasmine. Are you really going to deny it? I know you, I know you better than you know yourself.''

''Yes. Now, can we talk about something else? What about you and your boyfriend? While you all up in my business.''

''He isn-''

''Yellow ladies," Ethan greeted and squished in between us. Even though Ethan was also my best friend, I never saw him much. He was either working or at home with his wife and children.

''Hey!'''

''What did I miss?''

''Jasmine is crushing on her boss.''

''Tat. I told you I'm not crushing on him. What are we, fifteen?''

''Oh, she's definitely crushing,'' Ethan agreed.

As I looked up, I nearly fainted. The person who I thought I would never see again was staring right at me.

''He's here.''

''Well, duh, you brought him here, dummy.''

''No, Bernie. He's here.''