His mother thematchmaker.
Wanting to help find him a suitable ‘wife’, she had a habit of setting him up with women she believed were appropriate candidates. He didn’t need help in that department. Finding his own women had never been a problem, but if it was, his mother would be the last person he’d ask for help. Their opinion differed on the type of women he should date. A wedding and children was what she hoped for, but quick and easy flings, with no strings attached, was all he wanted. But lately, that didn’t hold the same thrilling appeal it once did.
Usually, his mother enquiring about Lauren as a prospect would have annoyed him. He’d often told his mother to stay out of his love life, but Lauren sparked his interest, so this time he’d let her off.
“Why do you think I’m not Lauren’s type?”
“Jaime told me Lauren doesn’t go for anyone good-looking.” She patted his cheek. “And you, my beautiful boy, are too good-looking.”
He frowned. “Thanks for clearing that up.”
Jack had retired three years ago from professional football, but he still maintained his strong, muscular shape. Running every morning and lifting weights three or four times a week kept him fit. He wasn’t going to get fat like so many players did after they retired. And apart from a broken nose, his face had been spared from the hard knocks footy offered. His teammates joked about how he wasn’t ugly enough for footy, and the media had dubbed him thepretty boyof rugby league. No matter how hard he hit in the game or how rough he played he could never shake the name off.
The broken nose actually hadn’t happened on the footy field. It was the result of a sibling battle. When they were kids, Leah—his sister—in a fit of rage, because he’d chopped off all the hair from her favorite Barbie doll, threw her skateboard at his head. Her aim had been perfect, smacking him right in the nose. But if anyone asked, he claimed he broke it going into a tackle while playing for Brimdale Black.
The dish his mother pulled from the oven and placed on the counter filled the kitchen with the smell of rosemary and garlic. Removing her oven mitts, she said, “Don’t take it personally, darling. Like I said, Lauren never goes out with anyone good-looking. Apparently, she doesn’t even notice them.”
There was no doubt that she’d noticed him. A man knew when a woman was interested. Jack had experienced it many times. But what he’d never experienced before was a woman trying to pretend the air didn’t sizzle between them. Her breath had quickened and her nipples had peaked through the thin fabric of her white top. Yes, he’d helped himself to a good look. The signs of interest had flashed like a neon light from Lauren.
“I saw her out one time with a man who looked rather...” She glanced around the kitchen as if searching for the right word. “Eccentric.” “Eccentric?” Jack repeated.
“Very intelligent-looking, unusually dressed.” She shrugged.
“Sounds like a nerd.”
“Jack!” she scolded like he was ten years old. “That’s not nice, he looked…interesting.”
“Why would she go out with guys who look ‘interesting’ when she’s so hot?”
A frown creased her brow. “Looks aren’t everything. Maybe she can look deeper than what’s on the outside.”
Do people like that really exist?The women he dated either wanted his money or liked
the fame and attention they got while dating a famous football player.
A noise coming from the front of the house stopped all conversation. Leah and her husband James had arrived, and they entered the kitchen, Leah cradling Emma in her arms.
“Hi, Ma. Where’s Dad?” Leah kissed their mother’s cheek. The resemblance between mother and daughter was strong. They shared the same bright green eyes and light brown hair— only Leah wore hers longer and straighter. Their bodies were petite and slender with the top of their heads only reaching Jack’s shoulders.
“At the bottle shop. He’ll be back soon.” Taking Emma from Leah’s arms, she cooed,
“How’s my beautiful baby?”
“Hello, my inconsiderate brother.” Leah punched Jack in the arm.
“I totally planned a snowstorm,” he grumbled. “Your signed Leo Baker sneakers are in the living room,” he added with a soft punch back.
Leah clapped her hands excitedly and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re forgiven.” Jack rolled his eyes. “Thank you,” he said sarcastically.
“How are you, Jack?” James, who was a lot shorter than Jack with thinning salt-andpepper hair, shook his hand. “Everything go all right?”
In addition to being Jack’s brother-in-law, James was the accountant for Henderson’s Sports. The store sold everything from sportswear to the latest workout equipment. After retiring from football, Jack took over the business from his father when he’d fallen ill. When his father had recuperated, he sold the business to Jack so he could spend more time traveling with his wife. With Jack’s big visions for the store, Henderson’s was now opened in five major cities around Australia.
“Yeah, everything went well. The sneakers turned out great. I’m going to wait until after the Christmas sales to put them on the shelves,” Jack said.
“They’ll sell fast,” James predicted.
“I’m expecting them to. The shops are going to be busy with orders. Leah needs to hurry up and finish her holiday and get her ass back to work, maybe the orders won’t fall behind.”
