“This is fun!” Gina hops onto the couch on her kneesfacing us. “I’ve never seen Maverick so jumpy. He’s not going to have to work out this weekend with you here.”
I bounce the dog, doing my best to follow along. It’s like they’re all talking in code, and I don’t know the code.
“Back to dinner,” Mav says, glaring at Gina. “I probably have enough mashed potatoes, but I need to run to the butcher and pick up more steaks. Gina, are you and Owen still doing your thing?”
“Yeah, it’s too late to uncook all our stuff.” She hugs Mav’s waist. “We’ll come after dinner and hang out. You’re going to have to buy a month’s worth of groceries to feed all these guys.”
“I can help!” My weariness from the week and the travel has vanished, and I’m adrenalized seeing so many good old friends.
Mav blinks over at me, and his tone is warm. “If you’ll just keep an eye on Kelani, that’ll be enough.”
A long pause stretches between the group, then all of a sudden Knox busts out laughing. “Oh, brother,” he groans.
Mav punches him in the shoulder, and Austin grabs Knox’s arm.
“How ‘bout we run grab some beer,” Austin says, dragging his brother to the door. “You good, Eddie?”
Edward looks around the room. “Where do I put my suitcase?”
“Here, you and Austin can crash in my room.” Maverick steps forward, taking the hard case. “I’ve got a California King, so you should have plenty of space. I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”
“You don’t have to do that…” Austin begins.
They break into a debate over who’s going to sleep where, and Gina waves me over as she heads for the door. “IfAustin and Edward are in Mav’s room, you might want to put Kelani’s crate in your room again.”
“Good idea.” I nod.
“And if it gets to be too much testosterone in this house, you can always stay with Owen and me til they leave.”
“But you have Maddie and Heather,” I counter. “It’ll be fine. You forget I grew up in a house with two former Marines and Leon.”
“We’ll be back after dinner.” She steps forward and hugs me. “Don’t let them give Mav a stroke.”
Shaking my head, I look back at them all arguing and horsing around. “I have no idea what they’re even talking about!”
“Yeah.” Gina smiles at me in a sweet way. “I know you don’t. See you in a few hours.”
She slips out the door before I have a chance to make her explain.
14
MAVERICK
Knox Bradford will be lucky if he survives this weekend.
It’s bad enough he keeps making comments like he’s going to tell Dove how I feel about her. But on top of that, he doesn’t miss an opportunity to flatter or flirt with her, and if he puts his hand on her waist one more time, I’m going to break it.
“Little Knoxey,” Dove smiles up at him in a way I don’t like. “You’re all grown up and as handsome as your daddy.”
She changed out of her professional, grad student attire and into a thin cotton sundress with little purple flowers all over it. Her pale blonde hair hangs around her shoulders in soft waves, and she smells like peaches and the ocean and home.
“I heard you’re a regular Wallace Stevens now, too,” she teases him—like he needs any more encouragement.
“I play around with words.” He has the nerve to act humble.Faker. “Lately I’ve been experimenting with a shortpoem, a limerick, about two people… sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S?—”
Austin sits forward quickly with a cough. “Speaking of dogs,” he says. “I didn’t know a dog saved Dove’s life. What’s that about?”
“Oh…” She shifts in her chair, seemingly oblivious to my cousin, who I’m going to kill if his older brother doesn’t block me. “When I was around seven, I was determined to ice skate like Angelina Ballerina.”
