I snapped my hand out to intercept them, but he was faster. “Come on. Stop horsing around. I need to study, and you need to rest up or whatever.”
He held my keys above his head out of my reach. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“I have the same schedule tomorrow as today—class followed by a double shift here.” I nodded toward the shop behind me.
“It’s getting pretty dark out. Let me walk you to your car.”
“Danny—” I shot him a look from beneath my brows. “I walk to my car every night.” Holding my hand out again, I said, “Keys, please.”
“I’ll give them to you at your car.”
I may have let out a growl at his pigheadedness, but secretly, I had to admit I liked how he wanted to watch out for me. We’d prolonged “good night” for a good fifteen minutes after I’d said I had to go, so maybe he didn’t want me to leave. Since he didn’t know many people yet and he didn’t have classes to keep him busy after practice, he was probably bored, and I was here.
He fell into step beside me as we walked back around the building to where my car was waiting in the six-car employee lot. When we were standing beside the driver’s door, I extended my hand for my keys again.
“Do you live nearby?” he asked.
“I live on the north end of town.” I stared pointedly at the hand still holding my keys from me. “Which is why I need my keys, please.”
“Address first.”
“Did the military teach you how to be such a big pain?”
A funny expression—something that almost looked like hurt—flashed over his features before he smirked at me. “I see. You don’t want me to drop by and catch you dancing to your collection of boy bands, huh?”
I rolled my eyes hard enough to pull a muscle. “You’re ridiculous.” Holding my hand out, I said, “Give me your phone.”
His brow shot up.
“So I can give you my address.”
He thumbed open his screen and handed me the device. After finding myself in his contacts under “T” I added my address then held back his phone.
“Hey!” he protested.
Slowly turning my head from side to side, I said, “Fair trade. You give me my keys, I give you your phone.”
Grinning at each other, we did a silly crossed-arms handoff—though he tried to cheat by tugging at my keys before relinquishing them to me.
“Have a nice night, Danny.”
“See you tomorrow, T.”
?Chapter Ten
?Danny
As I unlacedmy cleats in front of my locker after practice on Friday morning, Finn McCabe slid onto the bench beside me.
“Heard you’re looking for a place to stay.”
I huffed out a mirthless laugh. “Giving up the Taj Mahal of dorms, especially with the plush beds the college provides, is truly crazy, I know, but what can I say? It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” As if to emphasize my love affair with my terrible bed, the long muscles of my back gave a twinge that demanded my hands on them.
Finn’s expression said he understood my pain. “Yeah? Bax, Callahan, and I are looking for another roommate. You’ll have your own bedroom and share a bathroom with Bax and me. You pick up a quarter of the rent and groceries and provide your own bed.” He cleared his throat. “And you have to be okay with the occasional celebratory party. The team takes turns, but since our place is big and right in the middle of Jock Street, we might host extra.”
“Jock Street?”
Finn laughed. “Peach Street, actually. But all those old Victorians you saw when you came over to playCODthe other day? Those are mostly rented by athletes. A bunch of basketball players live across the street from us. Another couple houses down is where Fitzy, Tarvi, and Patterson live. Beside their place is a house full of track guys.” He shrugged. “It’s a hodgepodge of jocks, so...” He held up his hands in a “you know?” gesture.
