NOW: October 7, 2023
The stench of burningmeat hit his nostrils a moment before smoke enveloped his head.
Whirling toward the grill and finding it unattended, he turned again and surveyed the patio in search of Aiden.
Unfortunately, his friend was nowhere to be found.
Which meant whoever Aiden had tapped to take over for him was shirking their duties.
“Who the fuck is supposed to be watching the food?” Jack shouted over the crowd as he stepped to the grill and removed the ruined food from its surface, tipping it directly into a nearby trash can.
Several heads turned in his direction, the bulk of his teammates murmuring that it wasn’t them, the friends and family gathered watching him curiously.
“I think Pascoe was supposed to,” one of the freshmen said.
“Pascoe?” Jack yelled. “Where are you?”
From the back corner of the patio, Pascoe’s dark head appeared over the shoulder of the tiny blonde girl perched on his lap.
“Get your ass over here,” Jack said through gritted teeth, and with a few whispered words and sheepish grin to the girl, Pascoe stood and dragged his feet all the way over to Jack.
“What’s up, DeLuca?” Pascoe asked, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets.
Jack crossed his arms over his chest, widening his stance and giving the kid a stare down.
“What do you see when you look at the grill, Pascoe?”
“Nothing.”
“And you know why?”
“No.”
“That’s because you burnt the burgers and dogs, dipshit, and I had to toss everything,” Jack said, reaching out to smack his teammate upside the head. “Didn’t Fuller ask you to man the grill while he went to get his girl?”
“Yes.”
“Then how did this happen?” Jack waved at the mess.
“I got distracted.”
“You got distracted,” Jack said, incredulous.
Pascoe stepped closer and whispered, “Yeah,distracted. Did youseeher?”
Jack craned his neck and studied the blonde over Pascoe’s shoulders.
And, okay, he could see the kid’s point. Jack was incredulous, but also amused. He had also been led astray by a pretty face before; he was, after all, a red-blooded male.
With a sigh, Jack said, “Clean this up and get a new batch going.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” Pascoe said with a mock salute.
“Did someone say captain?” Luke Hayes, the Spartans’ actual captain, asked as he strode up to Jack’s side.
“Pascoe was just being a smartass.”
“I thought Fuller was grilling?”
