With a salute, I stepped out into the foyer and slid my feet into my tennis shoes. Then remembering my manners, I stepped back into the living room and extended my hand. “Thanks again for inviting me to stay here. And for lunch. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
Spending time in the service had given me a chance to figure myself out. Since everyone in my unit had been in the same place as me, I didn’t have to try to discover the dynamics of the crowd and how I fit in. I didn’t have to be “on” all the time.
Over those four years, Taryn and I had emailed regularly. Something about putting my dreams and plans in writing in those emails had helped me articulate exactly where I wanted to go. Of course, not wanting to scare her off, I’d steered clear of one major component of my future plans—ending up with her.
When we were in high school, I gave Taryn zero reason to believe in me as a partner, but growing up over the past few years, I’d become the man she deserved. Though judging by the way she’d reacted to me after I returned home, I had my work cut out convincing her of that.
For half a second, I entertained the idea of asking her to come bed shopping with me, but I caught myself. Instead, I spent a few minutes in my car in the driveway of the Victorian doing some quick research on my phone for mattress stores before heading downtown to lighten my wallet in aid of rescuing my back.
By thirty minutes to spare before afternoon practice, I had a king-size bed awaiting delivery to the house the next afternoon. On the same street as the mattress store, I’d discovered a used furniture place where I bought a desk and a chest of drawers in decent enough shape that I could move into my room today. Taking Finn up on his offer to load these pieces into his truck, I scrolled through social media as I awaited his arrival.
Derek Watson had posted a pic of his new wheels—a brand-new cherry-red crew-cab pickup. He’d captioned it, “A new ride for a new chapter. BSU, get ready for greatness!” Jesus. The guy had zero self-awareness. He was moving down from D-I to play ball at a D-II school that wasn’t much bigger than the high school we graduated from. He had two years of eligibility left—not much time to make his mark even on a much smaller playing field from the one he’d been asked to leave. Daddy’s money could buy him new toys, but it couldn’t buy him common sense, natural drive, or the brains not to squander his God-given physical talent.
When Finn pulled into the parking lot in his beat-up twenty-year-old pickup, I was shaking my head at Derek’s post. I couldn’t believe I’d let that asshole bully me into not pursuing the most awesome girl on the planet.
Mistaking my reaction as about him, Finn said, “Sorry, dude. I got here as quick as I could,” as he swung out of his old ride.
Stuffing my phone into my pocket, I grinned. “Hey, you’re good.” I pushed away from my car to grab the desk sitting on the sidewalk beside it. “Right on time. Thanks for helping me out, man.”
Squatting beside the four-drawer oak chest, he tipped it back enough to find a grip along the fancy carved front that served as a skirt for the piece’s short legs. He picked it up as he stood. I’d built up a sweat when horsing that thing out the door of the store, but my new roommate handled it as if it weighed next to nothing. I’d have to jack up my game in the weight room exponentially if I didn’t want him to flatten me on the regular when the defense played the scout team once we started practicing in pads.
We dropped the furniture off at the house on our way to the stadium and had barely made it onto the field by the time the coaches were calling us to line up for warmups.
I grinned my way through the over-the-top number of up-downs the coaches insisted on, thinking about the unanticipated good fortune of finding great roommates. I was still grinning when Coach Ellis asked me to stay after practice.
?Chapter Eleven
?Taryn
“Do you everget a day off?” Danny’s tone didn’t hide his exasperation where he stood on the opposite side of the counter from me.
I finished making his drink—a grasshopper latte rather than a steamer since it was Saturday morning—and handed it to him. “I remember when you were a great listener.” I stuck my hand on my hip. “For the bazillionth time, I’m working all the hours I can this summer to take the strain off when my classes go nuts this fall.” Taking the cup from Dash, my coworker manning the cash register, I went to work on the next customer’s drinks. “Haven’t you made some friends on the team you can hang out with?”
“As a matter of fact, today I’m moving into a house with a bunch of teammates who are a ton of fun. All of them redshirted their freshman year, so they’re juniors on the team, but closer to my age.” He sipped his drink and licked his lips.
Of course that was the precise second I glanced up at him. Like a laser my eyes tracked his tongue sliding over his full lower lip. Ruthlessly wrenching my gaze back to my task, I said, “Sounds perfect for you. Now you’re not stuck in the dorms. And you have more friends.” I lifted my brow.
He ignored the second thing. “You have no idea how excited I am to sleep in a real bed tonight.”
I slid the drinks I’d been making to the end of the counter and went to work on the next order. During the fall and spring semesters, Saturdays at the Coffee Kiosk were always busy. Summer semester usually ran at a slower pace—except for this morning for some weird reason. For a steady hour we’d had a line nearly to the door. Every table was occupied, both inside the store and out on the patio, as well as the benches beside the front door where Danny and I had sat and talked the other night.
The way I kept my concentration on my job while multiple women ogled my friend as they stepped around him to grab their drinks should have earned me a medal. Not that I could blame them. Danny looked effortlessly hot in a Wildcats T-shirt his shoulders stretched to the breaking point and a pair of running shorts that showed off his nice ass. With his bare feet shoved into a pair of Heydudes, his ensemble proclaimed he was up for a casual good time. In the few weeks since he’d discharged, his hair had grown out into a shaggy mop that gave his handsome features a rakish boyishness no woman could ignore.
Even as I made drinks practically by rote, I caught on that his attention was locked on me. Not once did he make eye contact with the other women who didn’t disguise their interest. The Danny from my past never missed an opportunity to flirt with the ladies. This guy talking to me was someone new—someone I couldn’t quite figure out.
As he watched me make drinks like a pro, he scowled. “Do you get a break at least?”
On my way to the sink to rinse out a pitcher to make another smoothie, I glanced at the clock that read 10 a.m. “Probably not for another hour.” I flicked my eyes in the direction of the never-ending line at the register and added, “Maybe not then if this doesn’t slow down.”
I had to hide a giggle at the way he huffed out an impatient sigh. It made me think of a toddler stomping his foot. “What time do you get off?”
“I’m done at two unless this rush decides to be endless.”
He rolled his eyes.
“What is your deal? My having a job is not news to you. Stop acting like it’s a personal affront.” I slid two berry smoothies and a caramel latte to the end of the counter and called out a name.
