Page 17 of Love on the Waiver Wire

The Baltimore Cobras have been on first for the last couple of years, but they’ve been missing a few key pieces to their offensive line to make a real Superbowl run. This year, they finally got those pieces, and their new right tackle allows Leo the time to throw to, well…

To Owen Crosby.

Running up the side of the field, Owen catches the ball easily and has a clear shot to the end zone as the Cheetahs’ defense gets tied up.

He drops the ball, jumping in the air and pointing to the crowd. The cameras zoom in on him, and his dumb, handsome face smiles into them, winking as he dances away with his teammates.

The guy did it.

He really freaking did it.

* * *

Mission: Possible

That catch was for you, new guy. Pay up.

I’ve been dreading the message all night.

My parents and I left the stadium after the big win and went right to dinner, where they had their fill on crab cakes before they have to go back to the land of haggis. While they talked about the game and the small farm my mom apparently wants to buy, all I could think about was how pissed Leo is going to be at me for ruining the secret the very first week.

Because Owen would tell him, right? They’re best friends. He has to. There’s no reason he wouldn’t.

“Hey, your little sister screwed up again,” he’d tell him.

But I try to keep myself calm. We’ve barely spoken over the years other than in passing. Owen is a reasonably quiet man compared to my brother. Maybe he’s cool.

And here I am, in my pajamas, curled up on my couch, stressing about what I’m going to paint next when I hear my phone go off.

I don’t know; I don’t think the touchdown was fast enough.I type out, but stop. That sounds an awful lot like flirting.

I hit send anyway.

Mission: Possible

I took the opportunity, that’s for sure.

I put my phone down, thinking about it all once again. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to tell him who I am because that invites Leo to criticize. Not that he does it often, but my brother can be weird about me talking to men.

Especially his teammates.

On one hand I get it. On the other, I’m a 24 year old woman who can make her own decisions.

Mission: Possible

You there Ian?

Fine.

Cover 1, 2, 3, Let’s Go B?—

I think you know Leo better than every single one of those guys on that team. I feel like you clearly know who I am, Owen.

I expect teasing. I expect maybe a threat to tell my brother I came clean. I expect, well, I’m not sure, actually.

But what I absolutely didn’t expect was a knock on my door.

For a split second, a shot of fear runs down my spine. Was he with my brother? Was it a setup? Some kind of sick and twisted sibling loyalty test?

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