Trent clutched his head. Nate dropped dramatically onto the couch while Will pointed at the screen like he was making a legal argument.
“Unbelievable,” Charlotte muttered, glancing out past the deck toward the glittering lake, sunlight dancing across the water while the trees swayed in a gentle breeze. “It’s so beautiful out here and they’re holed up in the house. We should cut the power.”
“Do you know that the first time Nate brought me here, he told me I could do whatever I wanted to the rest of the house, but I wasn’t allowed to touch the den? I thought he was kidding, but I’m not so sure anymore.”
Charlotte chuckled. “He’s always been a fanatic when it comes to sports. I think it’s an outlet for him.”
The back door suddenly slid open and the noise spilled out onto the patio. Nate was at the center of it, all bright eyes and smug satisfaction.
“The Cubs won,” he announced, like this was breaking news of national importance. “Again.”
He looked entirely too pleased with himself for someone who hadn’t personally contributed to the victory.
Jane laughed. “Congratulations on your achievement.”
Charlotte pumped her eyebrows at him. “We’re all very proud of you.”
Nate ignored them and came straight toward me, still riding the high of victory. “It’s my year. I’ve been saying it all season.”
“You’ll probably say the same thing every season,” I said.
He shrugged. “I would still be right.”
I smiled up at him. “You know what you should do?”
His eyes narrowed immediately. “That tone suggests I’m not going to like this.”
“You should sponsor the team so we can get better seats.”
Charlotte perked up. “Oh, I like that idea.”
Nate groaned. “Absolutely not. Besides, I have great seats already.”
I frowned. “No, you don’t. Do you?”
“Yes.”
Jane laughed into her glass and Charlotte grinned. “This is getting interesting.”
I turned fully in my chair to face him. “You havegreatseats? Since when?”
He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck as those blue eyes darted to his sister, then the lake, then the woods. “I may have access to a box.”
My jaw dropped. “You havebox seatsand you’ve never taken me?”
He shrugged. “There were circumstances.”
I stood up slowly. “What circumstances could possibly justify this betrayal?”
Charlotte was openly laughing now as Nate winced, finally bringing his gaze back to mine. “You wear that hat.”
I blinked. “What hat?”
He stared at me, then reached up and touched the brim of the Yankees cap sitting snugly on my head. “Thishat. You wear it to every Cubs game.”
“So? I’m from New York.”
“Yeah, but it makes me look like a fool,” he said like it was obvious.
