Page 35 of Rowdy Hearts

He shrugged like it was nothing. “Nah. They’re family.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. My family was nothing like his. And I was almost ashamed to say anything else. It felt disloyal. And pathetic. For so long, I’d lived like my family was a necessary evil. Maybe it would be good for Krista to see how a real family functioned.

“I would love to go for a drink.”

His smile warmed every part of my body from head to toe.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Rowdy

“Hey, son. Got a minute?”

“Yeah, Pop. What’s up?”

“Everything go okay this morning?”

The Colonel sounded distracted, which wasn’t unusual. The opening game of the season was always hectic. All the opening-night festivities plus a meeting with the visiting team’s owner, in addition to the team dinner and the after-party. It was a lot, but my dad thrived on being over-worked.

“Of course. The rookies got into it after a while. Nessy and Reb helped me keep them in line.”

“And Tressy and her little girl? How are they settling in?”

My brows rose as I slid into the chair on the other side of my dad’s desk. Pop wasn’t oblivious, but my mom’s strays didn’t normally warrant notice until they’d been around for a few weeks.

“I think they might be staying a little longer.”

Pop nodded, as if he’d expected that. “Your mom’ll be happy to hear that. She’s taken a real liking to those girls.”

“Something bothering you, Pop?”

His brow drew down. “No, no. Nothing’s bothering me. It’s just…”

I waited a second for my dad to continue. But he just kept staring out the window of his office on the second floor of the arena, like he saw something I didn’t.

“Just what?”

My dad shook his head, mouth pursed. He looked like he had something weighing on his mind, but I couldn’t believe it was connected to Tressy and Krista. It had to be something else. Something he didn’t want to discuss. Which was strange because my dad always talked to me.

When he finally turned to me, his pursed lips turned into a half grin, but it still didn’t look completely genuine. “She just reminds me of someone, I guess. I just can’t figure out who.”

“Tressy? You think you know her?”

Pop shook his head “No. That’s the weird thing. I know we’ve never met. Just a weird case of déjà vu, I guess. So, you ready for tonight?”

I shrugged. “Of course.”

My dad leaned back in his chair. “You don’t sound all that excited.”

Now I had his full attention, like a ray gun of intense heat focused directly at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

My dad’s focus intensified. “You haven’t seemed yourself lately. Something you want to talk about?”

“Nothing’s going on, Pop. Why do you ask?”

“You just don’t seem…here all the time.”

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