Page 41 of Against The Rules

“That’s so wonderful. Isn’t that wonderful, Jacob?”

“Wonderful,” Jacob agrees. “How is she finding time to do so much?”

“Oh, what else do you do?”

I glare at Jacob, but Savannah picks the conversation back up easily. “I have a degree in public relations, so right now I’m working as a virtual assistant to several different entrepreneurs. I’ve learned a lot about what to do and what not to do from working with them.”

“You are so impressive. Working full time and starting a business? That’s incredible.” My mom seems sincere, and second-hand pride for Savannah blossoms in me.

“She really is,” I say, and I can’t help scooting closer to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

“I don’t know about that,” she says, her nose wrinkling. “It’s just one of those things where if I don’t really try to make a go of my art and do something I love… I don’t want to regret it, you know?” Her shoulders move against my arm as she shrugs.

Her skin is ridiculously soft and I inhale, catching a whiff of her shampoo over the smell of bacon and syrup and coffee.

“I think it’s just great. Jacob, are you seeing anyone?” My mom zones in on my brother, and Savannah relaxes slightly against me, like she knows the worst of the interrogation is over.

“Nope.” He pops the p, staring morosely at his half-eaten piece of bacon.

“You know, when I put the news on this morning, I could have sworn I saw your ex-girlfriend on the TV.”

“That’s because you did,” I say smoothly, only too happy to shift the focus to my older brother’s love life—or lack thereof. “She works for a station in Philly. We don’t watch that channel.”

Jacob glares at me, and Savannah shoots me a quelling look.

It’s my turn to shrug, and Jacob takes an aggressive bite of his bacon, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat.

“Oh, I had no idea Cameron lived nearby.” My mom’s tone is wistful, and my glee at Jacob’s discomfort turns to guilt. “I hated how that turned out between you two.”

“Who’s Cameron?” my dad asks. “Was she the one—”

“You know who she is, Ken,” my mom interrupts.

I try not to laugh, because man, do I know that completely over it tone well.

“What was it like growing up with two football players in the house?” Savannah interrupts loudly, and all our attention swivels to her. She nibbles her bacon, looking mildly interested. If it weren’t for the way her leg’s shaking under the table, I might believe she was cool, calm and collected.

I smooth a hand over her muscled thigh, and her leg momentarily pauses.

“Did they eat you out of house and home?” Savannah continues.

“Oh my goodness,” my mom says, derailed from her annoyance with my dad and his feigned lack of memory for my brother’s ex-girlfriend. “Did they ever. There were nights I’d think there was no way we could eat all the casserole I made before it went bad, and then I’d end up feeding them a second dinner, too.” She shakes her head, smiling at me fondly, and I grin back at her, liking that expression. “We spent a small fortune at the grocery store. It was so worth it, though.”

“Yeah, the money for food never bothered me as much as the money I spent fixing all the problems they created in the house,” my dad grumbles.

“Oh, Ken, drink your coffee and be quiet if you can’t say anything nice,” my mom laughs, and across the table, Jacob sighs and gives Savannah a grateful nod. “We raised two wonderful men who are doing something we both dreamed of.”

“Ty told me he loves barbecue,” Savannah says quickly, clearly trying to fend off any discord. “Did you two cook that a lot for him?”

“Not successfully,” my dad says, his face sour. I laugh, and even Jacob cracks a grin.

“What does that mean?” Savannah’s nose pinches in confusion.

“It means their father nearly burnt the neighborhood down when he tried grilling on an old BBQ pit that desperately needed to be cleaned,” my mom answers cheerfully.

My dad sighs.

“Oh. Oh no,” Savannah says, leaning forward. “You know, I’ve had my fair share of kitchen disasters. The first time I tried to bake a cake on my own, the fire department came after I set off all the smoke alarms in the house.”

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