Page 21 of The Way We Score

“Six-four, but there are guys bigger than me on the team.”

“I can’t even imagine how much they eat.” Her sparkling brown eyes are laced in gold.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Dylan hugs her waist. “I hope it wasn’t an inconvenience for you to do this.”

“Are you kidding? I am so happy to be here!” Raven cries. “I’ve been wanting to visit ever since you told me about the restaurant and the Dare Nights. I’m so sorry I missed most of it.”

Dylan’s hand slides to Raven’s. “Come meet my brother Hendrix. You’ll be walking down the aisle together. Hendrix, this is Raven.”

Hendrix is talking shit to Zane, and when he turns around, his eyes flash. It takes every bit of strength in my body not to make a wisecrack. That boy is as transparent as a window pane, and I can tell he likes what he sees.

Somebody should warn Raven, because she seems like a nice girl.

“That’s a cool name.” He puts both his hands around hers, giving her that panty-dropping grin. He even adds a wink. “What do you like to do for fun, Raven?”

I really am about to drag him away, but she surprises me.

“Call me Rave.” Her chin lifts, and she shakes her hair back with a touch of defiance. “I’m a meteorologist, so I chase storms.”

“You’re kidding?” His voice rises. “Are you one of those poor reporters struggling to stand up in the hurricane while you tell everybody to evacuate?”

“That’s me!” She nods, laughing and ducking her head. “Ialmost ended up in the ocean one time, but as you can tell, I’m not so easy to knock down.”

She motions to her body, and I guess she’s trying to say because she’s not a stick figure she can stand up to 100-mile-per-hour winds. I think she looks good. I’m about to counter that I’m not sure a guy as big as me could stand up to a hurricane, but Jack walks in with Allie’s son Austin, distracting me.

Allie’s eyes light, and she skips over to meet him. “Here’s my guy! How was school? How did the extra practice go?”

Austin shrugs, making a noise as he glances around the room embarrassed. Total teenage boy.

He’s gotten a lot taller since I saw him last, and he’s filled out. He looks like he’s been pumping iron. Hell, he looks like he’s ready for college ball.

“Don’t be like that.” Jack’s voice is barely audible as he gives the kid a nudge.

I’m surprised it makes me nostalgic. I remember how many times Jack guided us after our parents died. Well, all of us except Zane, I guess. They were too close in age for that kind of stuff.

“Sorry, Mom.” Austin steps forward, leaning down to give his petite mother a hug. “It was good. Coach Jack helped me a lot.”

“Okay!” She blinks up at him like he hung the moon, even though he didn’t give her any additional information. “Are you hungry? Thomas has burgers on the grill, and Dylan made this deliciously spicy blueberry sauce to go over ice cream. Help yourself.”

She tries to reach up and muss his hair, but he turns, headed for the kitchen. I want to say something, but Jack is on it.

“He’s doing really good.” His voice is low, and he gives Allie a tight smile.

“That’s good!” Allie leans her arm on the bar, rising onto her toes in front of my oldest brother.

She hangs on his every word, sliding a lock of hair behind her ear, and lightly biting her bottom lip. The tensionbetween them is palpable from all the way over here, but my oldest brother is all business.

“I think he’s ready to be QB-1.”

“Oh, Jack!” Allie gasps. Her hands clasp, and she raises them to the bridge of her nose. “You’re so good to him.”

I swear, if she cries…

“He’s got a lot of talent.” My brother wipes a hand across his jawline. As a high school football coach, he’s accustomed to dealing with emotional parents, but still. “Austin’s a good kid. He works hard, and he takes instruction well.”

She’s blinking up at him, and I’m about to groan from the pain of wanting to push them together, when I notice Liv slipping away.

Shit. I want to walk her to her car.

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