Continuing as if Simon hadn’t spoken, Becca said, “The other team’s coach was horrible. If you or Deacon ever acted like that, I wouldn’t let Simon play for the Cougars.”
“I wouldn’t want him to. I’ve run into Rothman’s type before. He’s a bully and a jerk. Unfortunately, he controls the futures of a lot of those kids. We were lucky his assistant coaches seemed decent enough. Sadly, the other team was just better than us. But hey, we did pretty damn good up until the third quarter. Then they clearly outgunned us.”
“I’m sorry we lost, but I’m kind of glad.” Becca sighed. “Another year before I have to do football again.”
“Now that’s no way to talk about the greatest sport known to man.”
“Really? I kind of thought you were partial to swimming.”
He paused before answering, remembering how they’d christened his hot tub last Sunday.
She must have realized it too, because he saw her smirk at him before looking at the road again.
Damn, but the woman aroused him with little effort. Not cool with Simon in the back seat.
Mitch subtly shifted, trying to ease the pressure between his legs, then talked to her about her teahouse. To his bemusement, he didn’t have to pretend interest. He genuinely wanted to hear what she had to say. Becca Bragg did something to him. He could honestly admit he’d never been as intrigued with a woman before, fascinated by every detail about her.
No doubt, Becca had beauty and a kickin’ body. But seeing her smile, watching the pride and joy in her eyes when she looked at Simon, made Mitch feel so much more than a surface attraction. She was kind, funny, and sarcastic. He never would have guessed the woman could be so snarky. She certainly didn’t come across that way to others, but with her cousin and son—and him, he was pleased to note—she didn’t hold back.
The drive home flew by. He bought them all ice cream at a drive thru Dairy Queen, and they enjoyed frozen treats while listening to loud classic rock, mostly to annoy Simon.
“This music is soold.” The teen had nearly devoured his banana split in the time it took Mitch to hand Becca her cup of strawberry ice cream.
Simon leaned forward and glanced from Becca to Mitch, lingering on their desserts.
“Seriously?” Mitch gaped. “You’re almost done?”
“You gonna eat that?” Simon asked, licking his spoon as he stared at Mitch’s brownie sundae.
“Hell, yeah.”
Becca cleared her throat.
“Heck, yeah,” he said without missing a beat.
She started the car and took them back on the road. They had another half hour before they reached town. Mitch dug into his ice cream, suddenly hungry.
Sometime later, Simon leaned closer to him and confided, “Mom isn’t a fan of cuss words. But let me tell you, she sure uses them a lot in the shop.”
“All lies,” Becca said, her lips curled in a smile.
Sitting with the pair, included in the conversation and teasing, feltright.All the stress about the future faded as Mitch basked in their shared amusement.
“The cursing?” Mitch put his sundae down, finished and full. “It’s a mom thing. My mother was constantly on my ass—” at Becca’s glare, he amended “—er, butt, not to swear when I was growing up. But I was just repeating half the things my brother said. And he only said what my dad used to say.”
“What does your dad do?” Simon asked. “He didn’t play for the NFL, did he?”
“No. Dad was a mechanic. A good one, too. Never had a car that didn’t run like a dream. My mom taught fourth grade. Between them, Deacon and I had a pretty stable home life. Of course, Mom still treats me like I’m two, bossing me around when she can.”
“See?” Becca said to Simon. “No matter how big you are, you’ll always be my little boy.”
“Mom.”
Mitch laughed. “Hey, that’s better than having no mom, or one who doesn’t care. Had a few friends that had missing parents they lived with, if you get my meaning.”
“Is that why you moved here? To be closer to your parents?” Simon asked.
Becca watched him, waiting for his answer as well.
