“Not me either. The wife loves to watch me play.” The elderly man’s face lit with pride. “I gotta capitalize while the fire’s cookin’, ya know what I mean?”
Ginny snickered with the other girls and Ryan cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. We get it, Emmerson. Enjoy… your, um… night.”
“I have to open the store tomorrow morning, so I can’t be out late tonight,” Chloe pouted, obviously bummed. Her cheeks were tinged with a lovely rose and the braid she’d had her dark hair in was only slightly windswept. “Maybe next time.”
Chloe’s eyes flicked to Ryan with interest, and Ginny looked at the ground to avoid seeing whether he responded in kind.
She’d never been one prone to jealousy or comparison, but there on the field—her Georgia Southern University tee drenched in sweat, neon yellow socks pulled high up her calves and her hair in what could only be called a curly bees’ nest barely hanging in the scrunchie she’d pulled it up in—Ginny felt less than appealing. She probably looked more like her toddler niece after Davey ran through the mud on a rainy day rather than the woman she hoped Ryan would begin to see her as.
“Hands in,” Caroline said sweetly, putting her hand out, manicured fingers wiggling in the empty space. Shooting an inviting wink at her younger sister, Caroline shook Ginny from her momentary self-assessment. “Hey QB, why don’t you lead us out?”
Ginny smacked her hand on top of Caroline’s and the rest of the team followed.
She decided then and there that she wouldn’t compare herself to anyone. Ginny was proud of who she was. The quarterback of this team. A competitive, sweaty Remillard with a bit of extra fire in her spirit. A strong and sassy woman with a big, fat unrequited crush on her sisters’ best friend.
She was a Duck!
“Ducks fly together, on three!” Ginny shouted, earning the cheers of all but Ryan, who groaned at her side. Which, frankly, did nothing to dissipate the near constant appeal of ruffling his feathers.
The team yelled their new fight song,“Ducks fly together!”And then the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only the karaoke group on the field.
“We’re gonna have to meet y’all there,” Caroline said, winking at Ginny again as she spoke.Maybe she had something in her eye.She gestured to Lake and Georgia. “We all rode together.”
“But I rode with you guys, too,” Ginny said, throwing her hands on her hips.
“Sorry, Gin. Car’s full.” Georgia shrugged, but looked far too pleased with the dilemma. She glared at Blaire, sending some sort of telepathic, best friend message with only her eyes.
Blaire pouted out her lip for all of three seconds, but turned her frown upside down into a clown-like, stage smile and announced, “Oh yeah, us too.” She rubbed her hands along her lower belly and raised her eyebrows at Shane and Sloane and her husband, who definitely did not seem as if they’d been aware of their carpooling situation. “Ry, you drove right?”
“Um, yeah.” Ryan adjusted his hat and scratched at the five o’clock shadow along his jaw. “I… I guess I can give you a ride, Gin. If you need one?”
Griffin slapped Ryan hard on the back and left his hand on his upper shoulder. Ginny watched as Griffin’s knuckles changed from red to white in a matter of seconds as he clenched his hand tight to Ryan’s collar. Like a big brother mood ring. It was awesome. “Thanks for stepping up, man. Keep her safe, alright?”
Ryan seethed and nodded his head. “Will do. We’ll meet y’all there. Ginny, you ready?”
“Uh, yeah,” Ginny replied, slightly embarrassed by his obvious displeasure at being her chauffeur. “Thanks.”
Georgia clapped. “Great! We’ll just see y’all in a bit.”
7
GIVE A LITTLE
HANSON
They did not see them in a bit.
In fact, Ginny and Ryan waited at the entrance to their favorite karaoke bar—Tots, Collaborate, & Listen—for a half hour, after a car ride of clipped conversation, then finally gave up and asked for a table when both their phones began to ping with notifications.
Ginny looked at her phone after taking a seat and opened up the sibling group chat.
Georgia Snow: Sorry, sis. I just can’t seem to perk up the energy needed for karaoke tonight. I’ll have to skip out.
Carolina Honey: Us too. Sorry, Gin. I can’t possibly imagine staying out any later tonight. *yawn*
Ginny: I knew you didn’t have anything in your eye.
Carolina Honey: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
