Page 111 of The Way We Score

I care about different things now.

Hendrix

Like I said, I don’t want what y’all have.

The chat falls silent, and a weight is in my stomach. I don’t want to tell my little brother he might feel differently one day. He won’t believe me until it happens—I don’t think I would’ve believed me until it happened.

At the same time, I love his protectiveness. I love his family loyalty. He’s looking out for all of us, even if we’re not so worried about it anymore. Hendrix can be a little shit, but he’s my brother. His heart’s in the right place, and one day Cupid’s going to kick his ass.

Scrubbing my hand over the back of my neck, I don’t know what to do. Liv would probably have some good advice, but for now, I have to trust Jack to take care of him like he does all of us. I can’t stand in the parking lot any longer or Aubrey will think something’s wrong.

“Hey, girl.” I pull the glass door open. “Sorry about that. Brother stuff.”

Her lips press into a smile and she walks over to stand behind the counter. “I can only imagine, with all the star power in that bunch.”

“Yeah, it’s a laugh a minute.” My tone is flat, and I go to the desk. “Anything interesting today?”

“Not much. An out-of-towner just called the 800 line. She’s staying down near the pier, and apparently there’s a cat in a tree.”

“Isn’t that what the fire department’s for?” I’m teasing, and she laughs.

“We trade off based on who’s busier. Feel like taking a drive?”

Shrugging, I pluck the Post-it with the address off her finger. “Might as well. It’s not sixteen snakes, but…”

Shaking her head, she waves me away. “Sixteen baby snakes is nothing. Go be a hero for some little girl.”

Little girl.I think about our baby and how one day, she might have a cat who gets stuck in a tree. I’ll be her hero. Not going to lie, that makes me feel all sappy. “See you in a little while.”

“I’ll call you if we have any gator encounters.”

“Thanks.” I laugh, heading out to my truck.

It’s a short drive to the big hotel south of town. I pass the large city pier and the marina, out to where the vacation cottages line the road with their bike and walking paths. Specialty shops and small restaurants are sprinkled among them, and it’s a popular vacation spot.

The address leads me to a small cottage with white wooden siding, window boxes full of flowers, and a screened-in side porch. An ancient, enormous live oak tree is out front with thick, black limbs reaching down almost to the ground.

I can’t help thinking if a cat is in this tree, it will have no trouble climbing right back out again.

Pulling onto the shoulder of the road in front of the house, I put my truck in park and step out, slowly walking to the door. I’m wearing myAnimal Control Agentvest, so there’s no mistaking why I’m here.

When I get closer, a woman with shoulder-length silver hair steps out to meet me. She looks about five to ten years older than me, and she’s well-dressed. Pretty fashionable for the beach. It kind of reminds me of how women dress in the city.

“Thank goodness!” She calls, jogging to meet me at the road. “Are you here about the cat?”

“We got the call, but I have to say…” Scratching my thumb over my chin, I look up at the tree. “I think a cat can get out of this tree on its own.”

“It’s been a while since I saw it, but it was crying and crying.” She chews her finger, staring up into the branches. “Perhaps I overreacted. It seemed so pitiful.”

“No worries.” I reach out to pat her shoulder. “It probably hoped you’d feed it. You know how cats are.”

Her brow crinkles, then all of a sudden she jerks, her eyes widening. “Wait a minute… Are you?” Her mouth opens, and she covers it with her hand. “Are you Garrett Bradford? Number 50, starting offensive lineman for the New Jersey Pirates?”

I clear my throat, a mixture of pride and embarrassment in my chest. “That’s me.”

“What the heck are you doing down here? I heard you’d been injured or something…” Squeezing her eyes, she scrubs her fingers over her forehead like she’s trying to remember. “I read you were on the disabled list. Were you hurt?”

“Ahh, well, you see…” Fuck, this hasn’t happened before, and I didn’t think about what to say if it did. “I had some family issues I had to take care of, and I couldn’t really be in the city full time.”

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