It wasn’t until they were getting redressed in the locker room and Robbie was counting down the seconds before they parted that it occurred to him what an idiot he was.
“We’re going bowling,” he said out loud, apropos of nothing.
Finn looked up from his gear bag and arched an eyebrow. “Yes.”
“I’m going bowling with two teenagers and no adult backup. I’m clearly an idiot or a real idiot.”
Finn snorted, but a smile was tugging at his lips. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but now that you mention it….”
“Brat,” Robbie lobbed back, then continued making his point. “I’m going withreal idiotconsidering not only did I not ask anyone else to join us, but both of these teens like to hang out with an older brother figure who just happens to be the guyIwant to be spending more time with right now.”
Finn was full on beaming. “Wow. You really are an idiot.”
“So you’ll come, then?”
“Come where? I don’t think I heard an invitation anywhere in there.”
Robbie didn’t throw a dirty sock at Finn in retaliation, mostly because he’d already packed them away. Instead, he slid to his knees, clasped both hands in front of his face, and begged. “Oh please, oh wonderful and gracious Finnegan of the Ice Dance, please rescue me from hours of being the sole target of teen ridicule and sass by accompanying me on this perilous quest to the alley of bowling.”
Flushed with laughter and maybe some embarrassment, Finn waved his hands between them and beat at Robbie’s clutching fists. “Okay, okay! I’ll go with you. Geez. Stand up before you injure your knees.”
“You implying I’m old?” Robbie asked as he bounced up.
“I’m implying that you’re an athlete about to perform on TV and don’t need sore knees.” Finn smacked him with the back of his hand. “Now let’s get out of here. You get Sawyer, I’ll get Imogen? Unless, are they already together?”
“Nah. Sawyer and I were going to pick her up. Something about an epic gaming battle this morning?” Robbie shrugged, opened the door, and bowed low to usher Finn through it.
“I’m leaving now before you get any more embarrassing.”
“Just wait until you see me in a bowling alley!” Robbie called after him. Finn didn’t look back, just flicked his fingersover his shoulder in a toodle-oo gesture, so Robbie enjoyed watching him go.
An hour later, Sawyer looked up from his phone just as Robbie drove through the crucial intersection and said, “Hey noob, you missed your turn.”
“Nope.” Robbie waited a beat to let Sawyer stew in confusion. “Finn’s bringing her.”
“What?YouinvitedFinn?” Was Robbie imagining it, or was Sawyer excited about that?
“What am I, a monster? How could I deprive him of curly fries and bowling-shoe rentals?”
Imogen stood outside the front door, bouncing on her colourful be-Chucked toes as Robbie parked the car. “This is going to be great. I can’t believe Sawyer’s never been bowling before.”
“What?” Finn gasped. “You’re telling me that Sawyer has managed to escape—I mean, has tragically missed out on this iconic American activity? How sad for him.”
Sawyer shrugged. “Robbie said there would be junk food.”
“And so there shall, young squire, for the alley of bowling has many empty calories for sale,” Robbie proclaimed as he slung an arm around Sawyer’s shoulders.
Sawyer leaned back to look up at Robbie and presumably to put some distance between them. “I have no idea what this bit is that you’re doing, but it’s cringe and I want nothing to do with it.” He ducked out of Robbie’s grip, grabbed Imogen’s hand, and hurried into the alley.
“Ouch. Abandoned by your kid.” Finn offered a sympathetic smile.
“For being embarrassing. Which means I win.”
“Only if he doesn’t try to get two lanes to stay away from you and cost you twice as much in lane fees.”
“We should probably get in there before that thought occurs to him and he remembers that he’s got an emergency card linked to my bank accounts.”
Sawyer didn’t try to book two lanes, but he did ask the person behind the counter if they could have the furthest, most out-of-the-way lane. Her heart was clearly moved by Sawyer’s cute looks and fluttering lashes, or by Robbie’s familiar face and hair, because she basically put them in the corner with a smile and conspiratorial wink.
