Page 20 of Dear Rosie

“Thanks…” Her eyes narrow, then widen. “Holy fucking shit. You’re Nate Waller.”

Twofans in a row.

I smile. “Last I checked.”

She slaps her hand down on the counter.

We both look down at the wet slapping sound, and she lifts her hand, revealing a squashed meatball.

She shakes her head—at me or the meatball, I’m not sure. “Craziest day ever.”

“And the party hasn’t even started.”

The girl wiggles her brows. “Are there more of you coming?”

I spread my arms out. “I’m a one and only.”

She snorts. “Football players, I mean.”

I give her a slow nod. “A handful.”

She bounces on her toes. “Like who?”

I tilt my head. “I feel like it’ll be more fun if you just wait and see.”

She purses her lips, then nods once. “That’s fair. But blink once if Max Lovelace will be here.”

I hold my eyes open for a long moment, then blink.

The girl fist pumps the air, but my eyes are locked on the light blue ones of the woman who just stepped up beside her.

The redhead still looks leery, so I try to break the tension. “Would you ladies like a signature?”

The chatty girl nods so fast her braids bounce around her shoulders. But the other woman just stares at me.

Close enough to a yes.

Knowing my way around Maddox’s house, I stride across the kitchen to the cupboard in the far corner and pull out a notepad.

Snagging a pen too, I turn around and lean against the counter, now on the same side of the island as the ladies.

“Can you make it out to Presley?” The girl is drying her hands on a towel, having washed off the meatball remains.

“Sure thing.” I write my usualthanks for the support,then tear off the page and hand it to her.

“Best day ever,” she says as she takes it.

I move my attention back to the redhead. “And your name?”

THREE

ROSALYN

And your name?

A slender dagger slips between my ribs.

There’s something so poetic about this moment.

---