Page 75 of Lavender and Linebackers

I grab his arm, and he corrects himself. I look to see what happened, but there’s nothing on the ground for him to trip over. We’re walking in the shade, and that’s when I see what’s caught his eye. Danica and Ross are standing there with the “You’ve been caught” board. Like a tennis ball, my gaze bounces back and forth between him and them.

“Chase.” She smiles real big at him, and he sucks in air like he’s forgotten to breathe. “Come on over. You’re up next.”

No. Way.

Did we all miss that he has a crush on Danica?

He would deny it until the day he dies, but it seems Mr. Rule Follower has found himself in an inconvenient situation. I’ll never say anything to him. It’s not my place, but I can say, given the troubles in my own life, I feel bad for him.

Unrequited sucks.

Instead, I ignore his reaction and read the board.

“What’s one thing in your hurricane emergency kit?”

Given the activity in the tropics, I can see how this question is relevant.

“Chase?” Danica presses, and Ross twists the camera to focus directly on him.

He uses his shoulder to try to wipe the sweat off his face. “Um, I guess cash.”

“Cash. That’s not been said yet,” she tells him.

He moves closer to them. “Think about it. I have a generator that will last for a long time. Power and water aren’t really an issue. But if I need to go to a store and there are problems with credit card payments, I have cash.”

Power. Would Alice’s apartment lose power? It probably would. She’s not in zone A, but zone B doesn’t feel much better. Besides, a tree from anywhere can blow down and land on a power line.

Also, would she have cash? I know she’s no stranger to hurricanes, but cash usually isn’t a top-of-the-list item.

“Ryder.” Danica gets my attention. “You’re from here and our hometown hero. You know the ropes when it comes to hurricane prepping. What’s one thing in your kit?”

I learned this from my mother. When I was younger, and we lived on the lake, the wind could push the water any way it wanted.

“I have sandbags that I keep in my garage. We place them at the base of every door to create a physical barrier against wind-driven rain or shallow flooding.”

“Sandbags are great to have. Especially for our flood zone families. Those can be found at any local hardware store, or keep watch because the city of Tampa activates sandbag distribution at city parks or complexes for severe storms.”

“I fill all my bathtubs with water,” Camden walks up and tells her.

“That’s because you live in a condo in zone A,” Rico says as he joins us.

“So? I happen to really like that condo,” he says with more emotion than he usually gives. Tie this in to his mood last weekend, and something is definitely up.

“I’ve been to his place. It is really nice,” I tell them.

“Wait, Superman let you into his lair?” Rico’s brows are raised, and his hand falls to my shoulder like he’s in shock.

“You’re confusing lair with the Batcave and Batman. I do not have a lair,” he tells him.

He lets out a long, low whistle. “You should feel privileged, Rookie. No one gets to see the inside of his palace in the sky.”

“How about you, Rico?” Danica asks, moving the conversation along.

“Candles. I have candles. Lots of them. When the power goes out, they really know how to set the mood, if you know what I mean.” He grins.

Sully looks over at him. “I don’t know why, but I’m still surprised by how much of an idiot you are.”

He claps his hands and then holds them out. A wave of body odor drifts my way, and for the first time, it occurs to me that we’re all gross. Danica and Ross always meet us after practice, and it can’t be pleasant.