Page 67 of A Whole New Trick

Eli clears his throat. “How are you feeling, Mom?”

“I’m fine.” She waves a bony hand in the air. “The doctors are fussing about nothing. You two really shouldn’t have traveled all this way.”

“We wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Eli squeezes her hand. “I’ve missed you.”

“Oh, honey. I’ve missed you, too.” Moisture shines in her eyes. “How’s Dallas? Is your big brother treating you right?”

I scoff. “If you mean, am I feeding him? Yes. Don’t you see the extra pounds on his stomach?”

“You fed me junk,” Eli jokes. “Morgan is responsible for helping me gain these bad boys.” He flexes his bicep, much to Mom’s amusement.

“Who’s Morgan?” she asks between chuckles.

“My nutritionist?—”

“Dane’s girlfriend.”

I glare at Eli. The punk grins back at me.

“Oh, that’s right.” Mom straightens. The dark shadows under her eyes fade as her features light up. “I read something about you dating someone new, but I had no idea she was your nutritionist.”

“You’d think a son would bother to tell his mother about his relationship,” Dad remarks, dampening the room’s mood.

My nostrils flare, but I keep my voice even when I reply, “Morgan and I wanted to keep things casual.”

“And now?” Eli prompts with a knowing grin.

I resist the urge to punch his arm. “Now, things are getting more serious.”

So serious that I’m pretty sure Morgan will be the last girlfriend I ever have. Not that I’d say that to her.

“That’s lovely, Dane.” Mom holds out her free hand. I move to her bedside, facing Eli and Dad, and take her hand. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“You’d like Morgan, Mom,” Eli says. “She pushes Dane to his limits. Because of her, he finally gave up that sugary cereal you hate so much.”

Mom gasps. “Really?”

“I did it for my health, not Morgan.”

“Psh. Whatever. You did it to get in Morgan’s pants.”

“Eli!” Mom admonishes with a laugh. “That is not appropriate!”

“Sorry, Mom,” Eli says with a smirk that says he’s not sorry at all.

Mom continues to laugh, but it devolves into a coughing fit. Both Eli and I frown with concern.

Dad nudges Eli aside and hands Mom a cup of water. She takes small sips. A couple of minutes later, she’s able to speak, “Sorry about that. These meds dry out my throat.”

Eli and I share a look.

“I heard you are looking to be traded,” Dad states without preamble.

My eyes meet ones that are a near-perfect match for mine. My lips press into a hard line when I see his disapproving frown. “How did you know about that?”

Dad snorts. “Do you think Henry doesn’t keep me apprised about your career just because you fired me as your manager?”

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