“The Collins family is a big one, and they’ve lived in Baltimore for all their lives. Padraig joked once that he couldn’t turn around twice without bumping into someone he’s related to.”
“I’m sure Teagan and Hunter have probably had to deal with bad press from time to time. Stuff like that is a curse of being so famous.”
Tank agreed. “It is, but I think the drama Padraig was referring to just now was a viral video involving his cousin Sunnie and her husband. Maybe you’ve heard of Hot Cop Saves Sexy Nurse.”
McKenna must have hit Collins overload, because she leaned back, shaking her head in disbelief. “He’s related to them, too? You know, that video is still one of the most viewed ever, near the top of every viral list out there. I can’t believe all these people are related.”
“I’ve become friends with quite a few of the Collinses. Landon—the hot cop—texted me a few days ago, assuring me the heat from my video would die down eventually.”
“That was nice of him,” McKenna said.
“The entire Collins family is very nice.”
Padraig returned with their drinks but didn’t have time to chat, as a large group arrived, and he walked away to help them pull a couple tables together.
He and McKenna talked about—and analyzed—last night’s game until Padraig returned with their food. McKenna was well-versed when it came to the finer points of the actual game, impressing him with some of her insights.
Tank took a sip of his water before digging in. “So, we are officially finished with the promotional penance part of my punishment, right?”
McKenna nodded. “For the most part. Though I’ve got some interviews scheduled for you over the next month or so. A few sports podcasts and one magazine.”
As they ate their fish and chips—which she agreed were the bomb, as she liberally poured vinegar on her fries—she walked him step-by-step through potential interview questions, assuring him that she’d made certain the interviewers knew the viral video was off the table as a topic. Then she stressed that if they tried to bring it up, he was to stonewall by saying nothing more than the same contrite “poor judgment, won’t happen again” bullshit he’d had to read at that initial press conference.
The conversation flowed easily between them, and they even stuck around a little longer, splitting a piece of Bailey’s cheesecake.
Several people in the pub tried to surreptitiously sneak photos of him, and a couple of the more forward ones had approached him for autographs, which he’d gladly given. Other than that, the two of them had been left alone. Tank had kind of liked having McKenna all to himself during his suspension. It would suck having to share her with the rest of the team from now on.
He paid for dinner, even though McKenna tried to split the check with him. The meal had ended too quickly for Tank, who really wasn’t looking forward to going home.
“What do you say to a walk along the waterfront?” he asked, when they left the pub.
“It’s kind of cold.”
McKenna had unwittingly given him the opening he’d been hoping for. No stranger to working in chilly environments, Tank wrapped his arm around her, once more pulling her against him. “I know how to take care of that.”
She didn’t push away, which he was counting as progress.
“Put your arm around my waist, Mouse. I’ll keep you warm.”
She considered his request long enough that he thought she’d dig her heels in and insist on going home. He was relieved and pleased when she did as he asked, wrapping her arm around him under his jacket, stealing as much warmth as she could.
They headed across the cobblestone street, walking toward the Inner Harbor. The lights along the shore sparkled, the clear sky and bright full moon creating a beautiful, if chilly, evening.
“Do you miss Columbus?” Tank learned early on that McKenna had been born and raised in Ohio, but apart from that fact, he knew very little else.
He could tell from her shrug, she was about to give him yet another unsatisfying answer.
“Sometimes,” she replied. “I mean, apart from college, I lived in Columbus my whole life.”
“Your family is still there?”
She nodded.
“Do you go home very often?”
“A bit. I went home for the holidays, and my mom usually makes her way to Baltimore at least one weekend a month to visit.”
Hot damn. She actually offered up a crumb he didn’t have to beg for.
