Page 53 of Embers of Torment

"Shush." Della nudged my ribs and scanned the people around us. "Nobody else needs to know that. Besides, I don't remember you uttering any complaints then."

"Oh, I'm not complaining." I leaned over and nibbled on Della's ear. "I more than appreciate your tantalizing assets and enthusiasm."

"Mmm, I kind of like yours too."

"Kind of?"

"Yeah, okay. Iloveyour unparalleled equipment and zest. Better?"

"Much. And the wordplay was clever."

"Thanks. It was the best I could do without thinking too hard."

Chuckling, I approached the counter and ordered our food and beers while Della stuffed her pockets with napkins. I was at the condiment station, dousing my hotdog with ketchup, mustard, relish, and a smidgeon of onions, when Della joined me and went to fill a small paper cup with mustard for her pretzel.

"Shit. What a freaking mess," Della grumbled, her voice dripping with frustration.

I peered over my shoulder and spotted her staring at a glob of mustard on the stomach of her red baseball jersey.

"So much for luck." Della shook her head, her mouth curved downward into a huge frown. "I think the nozzle got stuck. I had to push a little hard, and when I did, it spurted. Dang, now everyone is going to think I'm a pig."

"No, they won't." I filled one of the tiny containers with a few squirts of mustard, then emptied it on the front of my shirt. "We'll be a trend-making pair."

"You're crazy!" Della burst out laughing.

"Maybe a tad, but I can't have you going it alone. We better clean off the excess, though." I snatched some napkins and delicately scraped the mustard from our shirts. "See? Not too bad."

"Okay, it's not terrible. At least the material is red. It would have been worse if we had the white jerseys." Shrugging, Della grabbed her beer and food. "Now that we both look ridiculous, we should find our seats."

"Excuse me? We're stunning, remember?"

"Oops, sorry. I forgot." Smiling, Della led us away from the concession stand.

"Which loge box are we in?" I asked as we neared the sections between third base and home plate. "One forty-seven or one forty-eight?"

"We're in one forty-seven, in the front by the railing. Our tickets are for row AA, seats three and four."

When we reached our row, I studied the gentleman in seat one. Based on the photo I'd seen on Della's shelf earlier, that had to be Spencer, Della's brother. I recognized the woman next to him as Kendra, having met her at the café the day I picked up lunch for Ree and me. Catching sight of us, they both stood.

"Hey, you made it," Spencer said, giving me a quick assessment when he hugged Della.

"Yep, we're here. Spencer, this is my boyfriend, Jace Welch." Della stepped back, taking up a position beside me. Smiling, she placed her hand on my arm. "Jace, this is my big brother, Spencer. Don't let him fool you if he tries to act like a toughie. He's a teddy bear, even though he won't admit it."

"I see my sister's starting with her jokes already." Although he sounded miffed, Spencer's eyes lit with amusement, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a partial smile.

"Only because I have to stay one up on my big brother," Della teased.

"You wish." Spencer grinned, clearly enjoying their familial banter. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Jace. I'd shake, except your arms are full. Come on. You two better sit before you drop something."

He and Kendra stepped into the aisle while Della and I shuffled down the row, our hands filled with beer and food containers. We plopped onto our red plastic, molded seats as a woman began to sing the national anthem over the speaker system. Setting our beers in the cup holders, we stood, our hands over our hearts. Finished, I turned to Della and gave her a resounding kiss.

"What was that for?" she giggled.

"Luck. You said you hoped your team won."

Della beamed. "And now we will."

The game started, and we munched on our concession grub. Della was on my right, next to Kendra, the two intermittently chatting. It wasn't long before Della was into the game, chanting with the crowd and screaming at the empires. She even garnered several high-fives from the people around us, who were just as absorbed in it as she was.

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