Fin looked down at his sneakers.Stay calm.He knew how they worked if they sensed weakness, because he was the same. Until now, he’d not been the recipient.
“Nothing. Just drop it.”
“So it doesn’t bother you that he asked her out to dinner?” Jack bounced the ball.
“No.”
“Really? Because your face has gone red.” Luke looked at him.
“Is there a point to this?” Fin snapped.
“You and Maggs is the point,” Joe said. “Do something about it, you dickhead.”
“That’s been brewing for years,” Luke said. “What’s he done to piss you off, big brother?”
“That, I don’t know yet. But I do know neither of them are happy and something went down,” Joe said. “In fact, if I had to put a word to what they were when I saw her leaving Fin’s house, it would be devastated.”
Fin’s chest burned at the thought of Maggie devastated.
Jack stepped closer to Fin and drilled a finger into his chest. “Fix whatever happened, Fin, because Maggs is special.”
“What about me? Maybe she hurt me.” Fin wished those words hadn’t left his mouth.
“Well now I’m sorry if that happened but knowing both of you, I can’t imagine it was intentional.” Jack leaned in and kissed Fin’s cheek. “But we love you as much as her, so you play nice now, Fin, and sort out whatever the hell is going on.”
“You kiss me like that again, and I’m decking you!”
The others laughed, and the tension eased a little—but only a little.
“She’s your girl, Fin. You know it just as we do,” Luke said.
After those words, the Trainers all started doing layups, leaving Fin standing raw and exposed with his emotions lying in a bloody pool at his feet.
They were right, of course; she was his girl. He’d known it even as he’d tried to deny it. It was and always had been different with her. He needed to see her after the game.
They were up against another Ryker Falls team today; younger, they were college boys who had approached Luke at the fire station and asked if they could join the competition as they needed the practice.
“You got any more dirt on this musical chairs for adults, Dylan?” Luke asked. “Sounds kinky.”
“I talked to Mom yesterday about it,” Dylan said. “Reading between the BS, it’s just a huge game of musical chairs for adults. Somehow you partner up, but I’m not sure of all the details as the plans haven’t been finalized. Knowing this town, or even just the people in this room, it will sink into carnage in a matter of minutes.”
“They didn’t think they should have a solid plan in place before they strung a banner across the main street announcing the date?” Jack asked.
“Mom’s not big on facts. She goes for the grand gestures, then lets her minions sort out the rest,” Dylan said.
“What if we don’t get our woman?” Joe asked. “I’m not having Bailey sit on another man’s lap.”
“I asked her that. She waved it away and said if it’s love, you’ll find each other. I said she was cracked. She sniffed.”
“I know that sniff,” Joe said, lobbing the ball into the hoop.
“Everyone pretty much knows now that the real reason for this entire event is my sisters. They will be paired with two of the single guys of her choosing,” Dylan added. “Not sure how she’ll manage it, but my mom’s resourceful.”
“That’s a lot of work to go to just to get your sisters paired up with men,” Luke added.
“It is, but Mom never does anything a simple way if there is a complicated route to navigate first.”
“We could just not enter,” Luke said.
