Page 45 of Sporty Girls Don't Fall For Loners

I remain sprawled on the floor for a bit before deciding I’d better take a shower and get ready for dinner.

After climbing the stairs, I head for the bathroom. But it’s locked and I can hear the shower running. Hmm. Zoey must be in there.

Dropping to the floor, I sit here and wait. I should probably go to my room, but I’m too tired to move. I really overdid it today.

A short while later, the bathroom door opens and Zoey walks out, her hair wet and sticking to her face.

She looks surprised when she sees me sitting there. Her mouth opens like she wants to say something, but I get to my feet, push past her, and shut the bathroom door.

Chapter Sixteen

Zoey

When I go down for breakfast on Wednesday morning, I find Aunt Ally and Uncle Zack seated at the table with pancakes and waffles laid out. They’re not eating, though. Their heads are bent together and they’re whispering what sound like romantic words to one another. Uncle Zack leans forward and presses a sweet kiss on her forehead.

It feels like I’m barging in on an intimate moment, so I just stand here not knowing what to do. When I turn to leave, the floor creaks beneath my feet, which causes my aunt and uncle to snap their heads in my direction.

“Sorry,” I say. “I was, um…”

“Come in and have breakfast, Zoey.” Aunt Ally motions for me to enter. “Sorry if we were making you uncomfortable. Sometimes we forget we have kids in the house.”

“You weren’t making me uncomfortable,” I say as I sit down. “I just didn’t want to interrupt anything.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Uncle Zack says. “You and Kade come first now. I think Ally and I need to learn how to keep our distance while you guys live here.”

“You’ll understand when you fall in love,” Aunt Ally tells me with a laugh.

I reach for a pancake and shrug. “I don’t think I’ll fall in love.”

“What? Of course you will.”

I shrug again. “Nah. I don’t really care. It’s not something I dream about.”

“That’s because you haven’t met the right guy yet,” she says. “But you’ll meet him at the right time. Maybe it’ll be in a year, maybe in two years, maybe in five. But when you do? It’ll be beautiful and amazing.”

“You’re a Hastings,” Uncle Zack says. “And we Hastings have epic romances. Don’t we, Ponytail?” He’s using the nickname he gave her when they were in high school.

She smiles. “You bet, Motorcycle Hottie.”

He chuckles. “That name never gets old. Even though we are.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Sometimes Kara and I moan and groan that Evie and Noah will one day soon surprise us that we’ll be grandparents and then we wonder…where the heck have the years flown? Remember when we had three kids under the age of three, Zack? We thought we wouldn’t survive. And now look at them. Lily and Liam will be graduating college soon…”

Uncle Zack sandwiches her hand between his. “We raised good kids, sweetheart.”

It looks like Aunt Ally has tears in her eyes. “We did. And your brother and Bailey have raised amazing kids, too.” She winks at me.

I’m about to thank her, but Kade marches into the kitchen, his shoulders tense and his hands fisted at his sides. He doesn’t say anything, just heads over to the counter and grabs a banana.

“Good morning, Kade,” Aunt Ally says. “I hope you slept well.”

It sounds like he grunts, but his back faces me, so I can’t really hear that well. He doesn’t turn around, just rips off the banana peel and takes a huge bite.

“Would you like pancakes or waffles?” Uncle Zack offers. “Fresh from the stove.”

“No.” His back is still facing us.

Aunt Ally looks at her husband with a worried expression.

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