Page 14 of Offsides Attraction

“Nope, too busy watching Maggie. If I had, I would have told you, but I wouldn’t have done the mom routine.” Lucas grabbed an onion and the cutting board. “I’ll get this diced. Once it’s ready, you can sauté it. When they’ve softened, add the chorizo.”

Adding chorizo to the tamale filling and serving it with a berry sauce were Bash’s ideas, after extensive research. Cal’s contribution was adding Thistlestone honey to sweeten the sauce and including Nanna’s homemade feta cheese to the tamale filling. Lucas had agreed to all their suggestions, but he’d insisted that the sauce had to have some kick to it, which is why they’d add cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper at the very end.

“What’s the mom routine?” Bash asked, setting the skillet on the burner and adding a knob of butter to the pan.

“You know, when your mom spits on a napkin to clean your face,” Cal said.

“Or maybe your nanny?” Lucas scraped the onions into the pan and increased the heat.

“Inga never did that.” Lucas and Cal stared at him.

“Seriously? You had a hot Swedish woman as your nanny?” Cal asked, sounding jealous.

“No, I had a Venezuelan in her fifties who was a total coconut.” He knew she’d get a kick out of this conversation when he told her about it.

“What’s a total coconut?” Lucas asked, sounding curious.

“She was tough and hard on the outside but sweet and soft in the middle, like a coconut. Cookies were banned in our house, but Inga always had a few for me to eat on our way home from school each day.”

“I’ll take cookies over spit any day,” Cal said, and Bash nodded his head, but he didn’t agree. He wouldn’t diminish the bond he had with Inga, but he could have gotten cookies from anyone. The long blue box in the mini suitcase she called a purse was just for him, but he could have bought one for himself at the corner market. Or the doorman could have kept a box for him in the security office.

If he’d had food on his face, Inga would have sent him to the bathroom to clean it off, or she would have pulled a wet wipe packet from her purse. She always had those in her bag to clean him up when they left the playground. Heaven forbid Sebastian Vander Vetter have dirt on his knees or face. And his mom never needed to clean him up because Inga or an Inga-clone had already taken care of it. Nannies were a necessary evil in his childhood.

“No, I didn’t get the mom routine,” Bash muttered to himself, wondering if he’d be different if he’d had a little maternal spit on his face, as if that would have made him feel more human and connected.

Chapter 7

Bash locked his SUV and walked across the almost-empty parking lot. It was like a ghost town compared to the summer when cars would circle the lot like vultures waiting impatiently for another car to back out. Bash wondered how much tourism impacted the businesses surrounding Tumble Falls. He knew Marketplace Main, the one where Penny and Maggie lived and worked, had three retail stores on the bottom—Get Lost, Brewster’s, and Woodstock Gifts and Papercrafting—professionals had their offices on the second floor, and the third floor was apartments. He assumed the other two buildings surrounding the parking lot mirrored it.

He hoped the mixed-use property was successful because it was the same setup he’d convinced his father to do. VV Pub was in its final stages of relocating to a less-expensive section of Manhattan. They’d bought a building with retail on the bottom—a salon, a deli, a daycare, and a dry cleaner tailor combination—a gym on the second floor, professional offices on the next few, and VV Pub would take the upper five floors. The top floor had Bash’s almost completed penthouse with a rooftop garden, a small suite for visitors if they didn’t want to stay in a hotel, and a large conference room for staff meetings. On paper, the plan looked successful and would save them money in the future, but just like in football, Bash knew business plans were sometimes intercepted. A poor economy, a new competitor, or a disruptive technology could make them fumble the ball. But unlike football, there was no replay option in business.

“Bash, how nice to see you,” Elspeth greeted him as he pulled open the door to Get Lost. Given that she stumbled on the word nice, Bash doubted it. A colorful display featuring fall cookbooks and activities sat at the front of the store. The designer had incorporated colorful cookware and yarn, which made it even more interesting. He wondered if that was Penny’s or Elspeth’s handiwork.

“And you. I’m here for the book club.”

“The nine to twelve-year-olds?” she asked, peering up at him.

“Yes.”

“Is Penny expecting you?”

“No.”

“Well, this should be interesting.” She didn’t hide her amusement. “Follow me.” Bash did as he was told, but it wasn’t a painful task. Elspeth was a beautiful woman. Tall and willowy like Penny, but her hair was a richer, darker red compared to Penny’s strawberry blond. Elspeth moved like a dancer, graceful and controlled. The same way Penny had swayed when she’d walked away from him at the baking competition. If Penny aged as well as her aunt had, some man would be very lucky. The idea unsettled him. He knew better than to objectify someone. He’d battled it for a good portion of his life and he hated it.

After several aisles and turns, Elspeth stepped aside and nudged him forward. “Have fun everyone.” It sounded more like a warning than an entreaty. Penny stood motionless, shooting daggers at Elspeth’s back as she walked away.

There were six kids at the table, four boys and two girls, and five of them elbowed each other and spoke in frantic whispers. He felt a bit like a rare zoo animal on display. The one who wasn’t awe-struck was a teammate’s son who he’d met at Coach Mack’s welcome picnic in July. He stood, and they fist-bumped before breaking into a complicated team handshake. “Hey, Javal good to see you again.”

“You too, Mr. Vetter.”

“It’s Bash when we’re at book club.” He pulled out a chair next to a girl, and she practically wilted in front of him. “I’m sorry I’m late. I got held up at the hospital.” He looked at everyone as he apologized. Penny looked ready to spit nails. He hadn’t warned her. It was a classic case of better to ask forgiveness than permission, but from the look on her face, he’d get neither.

“Brain surgery ran long, eh?” Penny asked, causing a few boys to laugh.

“Something like that.” Their eyes held, but he didn’t budge. He needed to be here first-hand to witness a book club, especially one for youths.

They were future readers in their infancy, and he wanted to know how to hook them for life. Start them young and keep them forever. If he could find that alchemy, VV Pub would sit on a solid foundation for the future. “So, what did you think of the book?” He looked around the table, eager to discuss the climax.

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