Page 105 of Easy Out

“He is really special. You did a good job raising him.” Sylvie sets down the knife in her hand and walks around the island until she is in front of me.

“Thank you, mija. That means a lot coming from you," she says wrapping her arms around me. I want to ask why. She must see the confusion on my face because Sylvie answers my silent question. “Because you also had an incredible mother who did an amazing job raising you.”

“She was amazing,” I whisper.

“Everything okay in here? Cariño? Mamá?” I swallow back my emotions clogging my throat.

“Yeah, we’re good. Too much sangria. You could have warned me that your mom was heavy handed with the booze. I’m about to spill all our secrets.”

Hart crowds behind me and speaks directly into my ear. “You didn’t tell them how much you like it when my co-.” A throat clears cutting him off. Professor Morelli is standing by his wife with his eyes narrowed on Hart. Stephen walks behind them with a smirk on his face.

“Refills anyone?” I ask before slamming back the rest of my drink and shaking my empty glass. Praying to God no one heard a word Hart just said or was about to say. I would be mortified.

“The boys asked me to see if you two wanted to watch the game. I can take over in here.”

“Here take this with you.” Victoria hands me the appetizer plate she put together. Alright, I guess we’re watching football.

Hart grabs a few beers, my refill and follows me into the living room.

“Oooh, food,” Marco says as soon as he sees the tray of crackers and cheese. I set the snacks on the table and Hart passes the drinks out to Enzo and Marco.

“Thanks, bro.” Whatever happened between Hart and Enzo Halloween weekend seems to be squashed. Enzo snags a few crackers and slices of meat and cheese then takes it back to where he is sitting in the recliner.

I find an empty spot on the sofa in between Hart and Marco. Hart snakes an arm around me and eliminates any space between us. Laying the back of my head on the side of his chest, I relax, feeling a little lightheaded from the alcohol. My fingers lazily draw figure eights on Hart’s thigh.

“Do you like football?” Marco asks, taking my attention away from the television. Dallas is playing the Blazers, who are winning for once. Not that I keep track. I just know the little bit I’ve picked up here and there when I’ve been at Hart’s place and heard the guys talking.

“Not really.”

“What about baseball? Did Hart make you a fan yet?” Hart’s fingers drift over the back of my neck, making me shiver.

“I’m a fan of Hart.” I answer honestly. “I like going to his games and practices. It’s exciting. I like cheering for him.”

“Lauren loves screaming my name. Don’t you brujita?” Hart runs his nose up the side of my flushed cheeks. “Tan bonita. Tan rosita como tu panochita.”

“I know Spanish asshole. Deja de hablar así de mi hermana. No tengo ningún problema en golpearle la cara a mi mejor amigo.” Hart huffs a laugh.

“What did he say?”

“Nothing important.”

“Is everything okay between you two?”

“They’re fine Lauren. Nothing to worry about,” Marco informs me. I’m not convinced. Something is going on.

I haven’t seen Hart this tense since the night at The Warehouse when Enzo was asking me all those questions about my past. He didn’t even know I would be bothered by Enzo’s questions, yet he still felt this need to protect me.

Marco and Enzo exchange glances then focus back on the television. I do my best to ignore the uneasiness swishing around in my stomach.

“Relájate, cariño. Esta bien." Hart runs his hand over my shoulder and down my arm.

“When is my next dance lesson?” Marco asks relieving some of the tension in the room.

“Did you impress your girlfriend? You need to show her something new now?” I joke with him.

“Marco doesn’t do girlfriends. At least not for extended periods of time. I think I’ve seen him with at least three different girls around campus in the past two weeks.”

“Jealous, Enzo? Need me to show you how it’s done?”

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