Page 14 of Dueling Flames

I hung up the phone and looked for Lissa in the small apartment. My apartment was a studio, so the only place I wouldn’t see anyone was the bathroom. Here, she had several rooms to hide in. Once she was doing pushups behind the couch. I almost tripped over her when I went to the washroom.

“Lissa?” I called.

“Here.” Her voice came from the bedroom.

I was able to walk on the boot without my crutches for short distances. I’d be able to move without them next week. The doctor told me I could ditch the crutches earlier, but I wanted a smooth recovery.

I popped my head into the bedroom where she was folding her laundry. “Hey Lissa,” I smiled at her and widened my eyes.

She looked over, and she frowned. “What do you want?”

“Oh, why would I want anything?”

“You’re giving me a full puppy dog look.”

I grinned. “Can you play basketball?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”

“Will you sub in for me?” I waited for her answer, but she just stared. “It’s at the park two blocks over. I play with some guys in the neighborhood sometimes.”

“And you want me to play for you? Right now?”

“In an hour and yes.” I put on the puppy dog face again. “It’ll be fun. I’ll cheer for you.”

She put down what she was holding and pursed her lips. “I can play, but not well. You still want me to do this?”

I limped over and grabbed her arm, shaking her. “Yes. It’ll be fun.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Got her. “Sure, I’ll play. But you owe me.”

“I owe you everything. I might as well buy you a house so we’re even.”

“I want one with a balcony.” She shooed me away. “Let me get dressed.”

Forty-five minutes later, we walked over to the basketball courts. This neighborhood had a mix of old brick duplexes, townhomes, and industrial buildings turned into condos or apartments. Because of the neighborhood’s age, the trees were all full-grown, providing shade as we walked.

As we approached the park, I heard the sounds of children playing, basketballs bouncing on the court, and the pops of tennis balls hitting rackets. Two basketball courts sat on the corner closest to our apartment. Next to it was the playground, filled with kids playing in the afternoon, probably waiting for dinner. Behind both were two tennis courts with a small garden behind those.

When we arrived several of the guys in the neighborhood came over, and I introduced them to Lissa.

“Thorne, man, I thought you died. Hadn’t seen you in a month,” Evan said. He was an engineer that lived nearby. He was almost as tall as Lissa and rarely missed a three-pointer.

“Awe, you broke your leg. Poor baby,” Mateo said, ruffling my hair. “Where did you find this fine specimen to replace you?”

Mateo scooped up Lissa’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Can you replace him altogether?” he asked. He was tall, dark, and handsome, like he was built to model fine Italian suits.

“Hey.” I slapped his hand away from Lissa’s. “I bet your wife would like that.”

“Jealous of my ability to pull women?” Mateo liked to talk trash. We had to stop all the fights he’d managed to start with his mouth while playing. If it really went too far, we’d call his wife, and she’d pull him away by his ears.

Lissa wiped the back of her hand on my shirt.

“Hey.” I looked at her.

“I don’t want his spit on me.” She grinned at Mateo and then winked at me.

“My heart,” Mateo said with his hands over his heart as he faked a fall.