Page 132 of Tangled with the Tight End

“Stalker,” I tease. But her words seep past my defenses.

“I stalk because I care,” she says with a maniacal laugh.

My laughter mingles with hers.

The sound of an engine cutting off drags my attention to the front of our house.

I practically rub my eyes when I see Declan exiting a midsize sedan. Darlene exits the driver’s side and comes around to hand him his crutches.

“Uh. Cass?”

“Yeah?”

“Declan’s here.”

“Here?” her voice squeaks. “At our house?”

“That’s generally what is meant by the word here.”

“Oh my gosh. Declan O’Connell is here. At our house.” She starts flicking her hands in the air and looking around frantically. She sets her burrito down and then looks at it and shakes her head. “Give me that.”

“What?”

“Your burrito!” she shouts.

“Why?”

“Because … I don’t know. It just feels messy. We don’t even have plates out. Declan O’Connell is at our home.”

I start laughing. I did not see this fangirl reaction coming. Maybe I should have.

“He’s just Declan,” I remind Cass.

His firm knock lands on the door and I stand.

“Maybe you should breathe?” I whisper.

“Winona?” Declan’s deep voice comes through the door.

“Coming!” I say.

I open the door and he’s standing there, leaning on his crutches, his eyes searching my face.

“Do you want to come in?” I ask.

He nods.

“Does Darlene want to come in?”

“She’s waiting in the car.”

His voice is deep and serious, his eyes fixed on me as he propels himself into the living room. He glances at Cass.

“Hi, Declan,” she says, raising her hand and waving it back and forth rapidly like a dashboard bobblehead.

He smiles, obviously amused at my sister’s ridiculous loss of composure. “Hey, Cass.”

“I’ll just …” Cass waves around at our two burritos. “... skedaddle to the kitchen and make myself scarce … like a rabbit into her hole … or something.”