"The fucking fire alarm went offin the firehouse." Wilder's half laughing along with the table, and Tate is draped in his seat like he doesn't give a damn.
"Whatever, man. Tasted fine," he says with a shrug. "That's the last time I offer to cook, that's for damn sure. Ingrates."
Remy jerks his chin at his cousin, Cass. "Hey, how's your teacher league going?"
"So far, so good. We've only had one practice. Well, tryouts, I guess? We kick it off for real next week. Mostly I think everyone's glad to have a team. Molly's playing! She did great, got out there and really gave it her all."
Everyone's attention turns to me, and heat washes across my skin, warming my cheeks. I push my glasses up my nose and laugh. "I don't know aboutgreat--I couldn't catch or throw. Or hit the ball. And I fell twice. But it was the best time I've had in forever." It's genuine, the warmth of it replacing my uncertainty at all the attention.
Shelby wears a sly smile. "She fell twice--right into Coach's arms."
Surprise hits the guys at the table.
At the mention of Wolf Daddy, the heat on my cheeks goes nuclear. "The first time, I landed on Cass. So really, he only caught me once, and I nearly fellonhim. He either had to catch me or get hit."
"I have never seen his face so red," Shelby notes, smiling huge. "God, I love when he's embarrassed. It's so rare. Aren't y'all doing a little one-on-one training tomorrow?"
This time, the guys all woo and ooh-la-la.
Tate waggles his brows. "Coach is gonna show you his moves."
Remy shorts a laugh. "Coach? Coach has all the moves of a bear woken up early from hibernation. I swear he yells at kids to get off his lawn in his sleep."
I shrug, laughing. "To be fair, I need to learn all the moves he's got to teach. I literally threw the ballbackwardssomehow.My terribleness defies the laws of physics. I'd have been mad if it wasn't so funny."
"Well, Greyson is the best coach in the tri-state," Shelby assures me. "He turned these assholes around, so as far as I'm concerned, he can defy physics too."
Wilder throws a fry at her from across the table, but she bats it with her palm just in time to send it straight back to him. It hits his broad chest and falls into his lap. His face flattens. Hers is smug again.
"Where is that old bastard anyway," Remy asks, shifting to retrieve his phone.
"Yeah, let's see if we can get him out of his cave," Tate says, reaching for his too. "Bombardment! Even Grey isn't immune to peer pressure."
Their attention turns to their group chat, including Shelby, and Cass leans to talk to Jessa for a minute. With no one to talk to, I take a sip of my drink, wondering if I should get my phone out too. But then Carlin moves to the empty seat between me and Remy.
He smiles, ducking a little beneath the brim of his Ramblers baseball cap. His brown, shaggy hair flips out from the bottom of it in charming, boyish chaos. He's cute, though not in the same way the other beefcakes at the table. No, Carlin is smaller, with finer bones, leaner muscles, the same they've said he's built since joining the team. The shape of his face is softer, without the brutal sharpness the others bear. It's endearing, I think. Makes him so much easier to talk to.
I like him. I just wish I liked him as much as he likes me.
"Hey," I say with a smile.
"Hey," he answers, and for a second, we just smile at each other. "Brought you something." He half turns to reach into his messenger bag. In one hand is a bag of Nerds Clusters and in theother he holds the next compendium ofFables, a graphic novel he got me on.
I light up, taking it with both hands and opening it. "Oh my gosh! You brought it.And snacks!Thank you! Dang, I wish you’d texted me—I would have brought the first compendium for you."
Carlin shrugs. "That's okay. Not like I won't see you again. We’re still on to watchPride and Prejudicethis weekend? Again?"
“Oh, don’t say it like that. You like it.”
A chuckle as he leans in. “Don’t tell them but I kinda do.”
“Knew it,” I say, smiling, busy thumbing through the book. "I am so excited to find out what happens next."
"I knew you'd love it. When you're finished with these, I'm gonna get you hooked onOnce & Future."
My attention is recaptured. "King Arthur?"
His smile is almost wicked. "Yup. With a twist. Don't look it up, okay? I want it to be a surprise."
