“I didn’t have a chance to eat.”
Nodding sagely, he said, “It was a madhouse all day, huh, not just this morning?”
“Pretty much.”
“You were here this morning?” Hailey asked him. “Do you come in every Saturday morning?”
She had an aversion to weekend mornings, which was why I’d closed the previous night and woken up at dark-thirty to open and run the morning and early-afternoon shifts—and why I’d be waking up early again tomorrow to do it all over again. The fat wad of tips in my wallet was the only reason I kept my snark to myself. That and Danny’s curious disinterest in her.
“I come in when Taryn’s working.”
Hailey blinked at the finality in his tone. Truth be told, I did too.
“I already ate lunch, but I could do twosies with you,” he said, his eyes dancing.
“Twosies? You’re ridiculous.” Though I tried, I couldn’t hide my grin.
“We’re way past elevensies,” he said as though I should know this. He stuck his elbow out—a silent invitation to escort me from work.
I couldn’t leave him hanging.
Slipping my hand into the crook of his elbow, I pretended not to notice the smooth skin and hard muscle beneath my fingertips. “Fine. Out of self-defense, I’ll show you the best lunch place in town.”
“Took you long enough. I’ve only been begging you for a week to show me around.”
As we headed out of the store, I called over my shoulder, “Have a good shift, Hailey. See you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Bye, Danny. Nice to meet you,” she replied.
“Likewise,” he said without breaking stride or making eye contact.
Guess Hailey Anderson wasn’t his type. Weird. I was of the impression all women except for me were Danny’s type.
“My car is across the street,” he said as we stepped out onto the sidewalk.
“We don’t need it. The best lunch place in town is within walking distance. If you’d stayed in the dorms, you’d probably already know about it.” It felt strange to walk with my hand in the crook of his arm, but when I went to pull it away, he flexed his muscles, tightening my fingers against his skin.
To anyone passing us on the sidewalk, we probably looked like any other couple out for an afternoon walk. But that was a dangerous fantasy—one I resolutely refused to indulge in even as my pulse kicked up at walking so close to him. For a few minutes we walked in silence until I had to get out of my head.
“Did you already move into your new place?”
“The furniture store delivered my bed right after I came by to see you this morning. Finn and I lugged the desk and chest of drawers I bought yesterday up to my room last night after practice. Can’t say I’m going to miss sleeping on basically bare springs in a bed so narrow I could barely roll over in it.”
Before I blurted something stupid, I had to steer the conversation away from beds. Playfully, I bumped his shoulder. “You’re living with other players, huh? Guess that means you made the team?”
He shot me a wounded stare. “You doubted me, T?”
I pretended to think about it for a second before I relented. “Nope. Not even a little bit. When it comes to football, your dedication is impressive. The coaches probably added your name to the roster about halfway through your first workout.”
He puffed up at my praise, his response warming me more than the late July sun. “Damn straight they did. I told you they moved me into the third row in the team room.” His animated grin said I’d successfully navigated the conversation away from beds, and I breathed an internal sigh of relief.
“I have plans, T. By the end of the season I’m going to be starting at receiver. Wait and see.”
Chuckling, I said, “I believe you.”
Our conversation made the short walk to the Pickle Barrel even shorter. When I stopped in my tracks in front of the hole-in-the-wall eatery, Danny shot me a quizzical look. “This is the best lunch place in town?” Leaning in close, he whispered conspiratorially, “Can we go in together, or do we have to go in one at a time?”
“Ha. Ha.” I pulled my hand from the crook of his elbow and stepped toward the door. “It may look like a hole-in-the-wall, but they have tables inside and everything.”
