Page 4 of Exes and Oh Hell No

Dropping my bags, I envelop her in a huge hug.

She laughs as I lift her off her feet. “Don’t give me a heart attack, boy. I’m not getting any younger.”

“Oh, Gram. You look as gorgeous as the last time I saw you.”

She pulls back, squeezing my cheeks. “You sure know how to flatter a lady. How did Carly ever let you go?”

Immediately, my shoulders tense. “Gram?—”

She holds up a hand. “Listen, Ford. I’ll give it to you straight like I always do.”

Oh, shit. Here we go.

“I knew things weren’t gonna work out for you and Carly. Sure, I kept up the pretense when I saw her at your game in Ontario, but deep in my heart, I knew.”

I eye her skeptically, waiting for her to finish.

“The truth is, she didn’t give you that sparkle in your eyes.” She frowns, her brows drawing in. “I haven’t seen that spark in you since Harper?—”

I groan. “No, Gram. We’renotgoing there.” I lower her to her feet.

She tilts her head up, eyeing me in that intimidating way of hers.

She’s over a foot shorter than me, and yet, she intimidates me like no other.

She crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at me. “Ford Brooks. Now you listen to me. You need to?—”

My cell phone rings, cutting her off. I yank it from my pocket, desperate for a reprieve from this conversation.

“It’s Connor. I need to take this. He wanted me to let him know I made it safely.”

“Ohhh, Connor.” Gram does a little shimmy, and I fight the urge to go catatonic. Connor is a notorious flirt, but Gram?

She’s a fucking menace.

“Put him on speaker,” she orders, eyes twinkling.

I groan but obey, already regretting every life choice that led to this moment.

The call barely connects before Gram jumps in. “Hello, boy toy. It’s your favorite mountain lion.”

“Rawr!” He says with a laugh. “How are you, beauty?”

She laughs. “I’m doing well. Be even better if you’d come over and help me with my physical therapy. The doctor says my hips are tight.”

She gives me a lascivious grin, and I know I won’t like what she says next. “That’s not the only thing that’s tight.”

“Jesus Christ, Gram.” I snatch the phone away, taking it off speaker phone and putting it against my ear. “See what you started?”

Connor howls with laughter. “If my little peach needs a workout?—”

“No. Donotfinish that statement, or I’m shoving your fucking hockey stick up your ass.”

“Oh, kinky,” Gram says, her blue eyes twinkling.

“I take it you made it home without incident,” Connor says.

“I don’t know if I’d say without incident.” I scowl as I think about her bringing up Harper and then flirting with my teammate. “You know how Gram is.”

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