Page 15 of The Only Goal

“None of these rooms have been used yet, but I’m sure Rachel won’t mind.” I wink at Tammy, and Kai has finally lifted his head to look around. As soon as we make eye contact, he gasps again and buries his face away.

I wince at Tammy, who smiles and shakes her head, then scrapes her bottom lip with her teeth. “So, Rachel, huh?”

Placing the bags down at the foot of the bed, I glance at Tammy and nod. “Yeah, she’s gonna be in charge of looking after guests, as well as the kitchen. We kind of need to find someone else to assist her, but we’re doing a soft opening so we can ease into it, you know? I’ll be around to help when I have to, but she’s way better with people than I am, so I’m really hoping I won’t have to do much. I’d rather be peeling potatoes in the kitchen than greeting a bunch of strangers.” I scratch the back of my neck, trying to figure out that look on Tammy’s face.

“How long have you guys been together?”

The question stumps me, and I frown. “Together?”

“Yeah.” She glances around, walking over to the bed and brushing her hand across the soft duvet. “It must have been a while if you’re running this business. Are you guys married or…?” She turns to face me, and all I can do is gape at her and then blink like an idiot.

“Married? I…” A laugh punches out of me before I can stop it. Tammy’s perfectly shaped eyebrows pucker, and I rub my forehead. “We’re not…” I shake my head. “Rachel’s not my girlfriend, or wife. I don’t…” I’m still shaking my head. “I’m not…”

Tammy’s eyebrows rise, her big brown gaze so expectant.

Blowing out a short breath, I manage, “Rachel’s with Liam. He lives here too. A bunch of us do. We used to live closer to campus. We all roomed together, but then that house fell through, and we got this place. I decided to stick around after graduation and help get it off the ground. Since Rachel and I are the only two not in college, we’re kind of running it.”

“Oh.” Tammy’s head bobs. “Okay. So, how many of you?—”

“Baxter?” Rachel’s voice shoots up the stairwell. “There’s a car I don’t recognize in the driveway.”

Fezzik’s ears perk up, and he lets out a little bark before racing out the door to say hi to her.

“Yeah, uh… coming!” I call down.

Tammy looks nervous all of a sudden.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I give her a reassuring smile. “Let me go down and explain the situation.”

She winces, and I feel my heart breaking for her. “I don’t have to say anything about… Hudson. I’ll just… mention that you’re visiting.”

“Thanks,” she whispers, her lips trembling into a smile.

“She won’t mind at all.” I grin. If anything, Rachel will be stoked. She can test out her hostess skills on Tammy and Kai. She’ll love it.

Brushing my hand down Tammy’s arm, I slip out of the room and am just closing the door when I hear Kai’s voice.

“Mommy?”

“Yeah, baby.”

“Are we staying here for long?”

“Not sure yet. But… is that okay?”

“Yeah, I guess.” His voice is soft and sweet.

“You know the puppy’s not gonna eat you, right? He just wants to sniff your butt, probably.”

The boy snorts and starts to giggle. “Mommy!”

“What? That’s what dogs do, right?” He laughs some more, and Tammy giggles too. Then her voice gets warm and motherly. “It’s gonna be okay. Baxter was my best friend growing up, and he’s really nice. He’ll take care of us while we’re here.”

“He looks scary.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

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