Now we’re back to the kind of morning I was anticipating. The easy, stress-free rhythm of April eating breakfast and Heather’s gentle reminders about brushing her teeth and finding her backpack.
By the time I’ve finished organizing my weekly meals, it’s time for Heather and April to leave.
“You have your lunch in your backpack, right?” Heather asks.
“Yeah, it’s right here. And I remembered my library book this time too.”
“Good job.” She presses a kiss to the top of April’s head. “Ready to conquer another day at school?”
April grins. “I’m ready to conquer the world!”
I look down to hide my own smile as they grab their things and head for the door, calling out their goodbyes along the way.
Only after they’re gone does Colin come back into the kitchen to fix me with another one of his knowing looks.
“It seems like you’re getting along pretty well with your house guests.”
There’s no mistaking the loaded implications in his tone, but I do my best to play dumb.
“We get along fine.”
“Just fine?”
Nope, still not taking the bait. The only answer I give this time is a grunt as I head for the stairs so I can get dressed for practice.
But now his teasing has me thinking again about my conversation with Heather, which of course circles right back around to what happened between us last night.
I wish I’d kissed her longer. Or that she would’ve invited me into the bathtub with her, even though that would’ve probably taken this morning’s awkwardness to a whole other level.
Still, the thought makes my cock twitch, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it besides mutter under my breath as I stomp up the stairs.
An hour later, I’m walking into the practice facility when my phone buzzes with a text. I check the screen and see Heather’s name, and damn if my heart doesn’t start beating a little faster.
There’s a photo with the message. It’s April’s safari shirt from the zoo, with the small hole I mended barely visible thanks to my admittedly amateur sewing skills.
HEATHER: Thank you again for taking care of this! It looks perfect! April was so excited this morning when she saw it.
I know better than to show even an ounce of emotion out in public, and that goes double while I’m at practice, but here I am smiling at her message before I can think to stop myself.
“Well, look at that.” Reese is a few feet away, but closes the distance to fall into step alongside me. “Someone has Grant Parker grinning from ear to ear. I’d better alert the media.”
I grunt and shove my phone back into my pocket. “You’d better be ready to work your ass off at practice today.”
“Oh come on, man.” He bumps me with his shoulder as I open the locker room door. “You’re not gonna tell me what that was about? Not even a hint?”
“It was nothing. Drop it.” I push past him and make a beeline for my locker.
But as I start changing into my practice gear, I pull my phone out again. Carefully this time, and as nonchalantly as possible.
My thumbs hover over the keyboard for a few seconds as I try to figure out how to reply. I need to acknowledge her thanks without sounding cheesy. I need to keep things friendly, but not too friendly.
ME: I’m glad it worked. Tell April good luck on her quiz today.
No, that’s too much. I delete it and start over.
ME: No problem.
Too brief. I tap the screen to delete that too.
