Page 10 of Restricted List

“You interested in someone?” Lane eyes me curiously.

“It ain’t you,” I reply, crossing my arms.

“Ooh, but you didn’t deny that you are interested insomeone.”

“Goddamn you, Brooks,” I groan. “Getting me to admit that without thinking.”

He chuckles while grabbing an apple from the counter and taking a bite. “It’s my superpower. How do you think I got Knox to admit he wasn’t dating Harlow at first?”

“Can you just… not press it, please? Things were awkward recently because something almost happened between us, butit’s really not anything I can talk about. We just got back to normal again.”

“Okay… but you can talk to me if you need to. I’m great at keeping secrets. Just consider me one of the girls.”

That pulls a genuine laugh from me. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You say ridiculous,” he replies, setting Sage’s diaper bag on the floor. “But I did make you smile, so you know you love it.”

I roll my eyes as I chuckle. “You know I come around here for Sage, right? You’re actually insufferable, Lane Brooks.”

“Another lie. You’re on a roll today, Rory Fisher.”

“Fuck off.”

“Duck!” Sage shouts from where she stands by my feet. “Duck, duck, duck!”

I groan. “Well, seems like we all need to be a bit more careful around Miss Sage since she’s turning into a parrot.”

“I’m so fucked when she starts preschool in a couple years.”

“Duck!”

I laugh heartily. “Oh, you sure are, Brooks. You sure are.”

“Hey, Dad!” I shout as I slide off my sneakers in my dad’s entryway. “Smells amazing in here.”

I walk out into the open-concept first floor of the brownstone home I grew up in in the heart of Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. My dad bought this place in 1987, right after he signed his rookie contract with the NY Stars and back before housing in New York became practically unaffordable. He’s done a lot of renovating over the years, but the exterior is still the beautiful brownstone row home it’s always been.

“There’s my baby girl,” he says, wiping his hands on his apron and pulling me in for a tight hug. “How have you been?”

“Dad,” I laugh. “You saw me at the parade yesterday.”

He folds his arms in front of him. “Let an old man care about his only daughter’s well-being.”

I laugh as I lean up and place a kiss on his cheek. “Love you, Dad. Whatcha making?”

“Meatballs. Just finished before you walked in.”

“Then I think it’s time we dig in,” I say, heading off toward the kitchen as my dad laughs.

I grab a couple plates from the cabinet and set them on the table while my dad grabs two bottles of water before joining me. Taking seats across from each other, we fill our plates.

I have to keep from moaning in pleasure when I sink my teeth into that first bite. “Damn, Dad. This is your best batch yet.”

“Yeah?” he smiles. “Been tweaking my recipe lately to get it right.”

“Well, it’s perfect. Honestly, I don’t know how you stay in shape at all when you can cook like this.”

He laughs heartily. “I’m with my team in the gym often. Helps me work all this off.”

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