Page 58 of Spiritwarrior

“Jody and I have never had a problem before.”

“Before? Did something change? Jody said you play video games together.”

He gave her a half-smile. “Neither of us is used to losing.”

Her expression cleared. “I see. Which one of you lost?”

Joel placed the sandwiches in the cooler. “No one yet. The game is ongoing.”

“It must be a heck of a game.” Picking up her purse, she came around the corner.

Joel had changed out of his uniform and was wearing a dark green button-down shirt and black jeans. He looked extremely attractive. The short sleeves of his shirt highlighted his muscles. Typically, she was more attracted to men who looked like Joel. He didn’t have the perfection of Jody’s features, nor was he as big as Jody. Joel would be a quarterback, while Jody would crush anyone in his path.

Both types wouldn’t have given her a second glance. She was flattered that Joel had asked her to go to the music festival, yet she couldn’t help wondering: why?

Deciding to just enjoy the night, she let the thought slip away. Did it really matter why Joel had asked her out? She didn’t want to overthink his intentions. It was just a date.

She locked the restaurant, and Joel escorted her to his car. When he held the door for her, she slid inside. Then Joel placed the cooler in the trunk while she put on her seat belt.

“Is the festival going to be crowded?” she asked once he pulled out onto the road.

“Everyone in Treepoint will be there.”

“You didn’t have to work?”

“No, I worked all the Christmas holidays. Greer is stuck having to work tonight.”

Sophie didn’t miss the satisfaction in his voice.

“Do you and Greer get along?”

“Put it this way—no.”

Sophie laughed. “I have to admit, he takes getting used to.”

Joel made a scoffing sound. “No one gets used to Greer; they just get tired and give in to him. Everyone in town jokes that he’s going to live forever because when Death comes for him, Death will leave him behind because he doesn’t want him in the afterlife.”

She was wiping tears of laughter away when Joel found a parking spot. He hadn’t been joking—the park was filled. The colorful array of blankets on the ground and the different-colored food carts had her itching to get out of the car. When was the last time she had done anything just for fun?

Getting out of the car when Joel opened the door for her, she blushed under Joel’s appreciative gaze. He made her feel va-va, and by the end of the night, she hoped he lowered the voom on her, she inwardly cracked the joke.

If there was one guy in town who could keep her from making a fool out of herself, it was Joel. She wasn’t naïve; she could see he was as much a player as Jody. There was one key detail that had her overlooking his past, though.

She wouldn’t have to enter a rehab center to break her addiction to Joel, whereas she would with Jody. Catnip was addictive.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sophie was on their date for twenty minutes before starting to wish she could go home. Joel talked incessantly about himself, and he didn’t stop. He had talked about his childhood, and now he was on to his military career. She appreciated his service but didn’t want to hear the gory details.

Listening to the music was the best part of being there. As she glanced around the crowd, she saw the Colemans sitting off to the side. They had backed up a truck, and Fynn was sitting on the tailgate with Isaac. The rest of their family were sitting on several blankets. Three coolers had been placed nearby. Not seeing Jody, she scanned the area and spotted him at the same time as Ginny.

She watched when a male singer stepped down from the stage before Ginny and Jody climbed up the steps. Jody held Ginny’s hand protectively to make sure she didn’t fall on the metal steps.

As Ginny walked to the microphone, Jody opened a case on the stage and took out a fiddle. The crowd started cheering before Ginny started singing.

She turned her head toward Joel. “Ginny’s very popular here, isn’t she?”

“She’s popular everywhere,” Joel told her.

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