Page 13 of Dancing in the Rain

“She still seeing Cos?” Sam asked quietly.

“Far as I know.”

“Fuck that.”

Drew shrugged. “At least he’s not my teammate anymore.” The one good thing about his forced retirement.

“So whowasthat then?” Johnny prompted, signaling the waitress. She rushed right over, no doubt aware she was waiting on a table of pro athletes. All except one.

“Well, guys, this is a funny story.”

—

He arrived at Sara’s home Tuesday afternoon, his stomach cramped with nerves and his jaw aching from clenching his teeth. He walked up to the house, a two-story Victorian-style on a nice tree-lined street not unlike his own, set close to its neighbors. He climbed the steps and crossed a small veranda to ring the doorbell.

It was a great house, neatly painted and well maintained, although the veranda could have used sweeping, and the windows needed washing.

The door opened and a woman stood there regarding him with a bitchy expression. “Drew?”

“Yes.”

She held out a hand in a forthright manner. “I’m Peyton Watt. Sara’s sister.”

He shook her hand; her grip was firm. “Nice to meet you, Peyton.”

“Come in.”

He followed her in. She didn’t look like her sister other than the blond hair and blue eyes. Her hair was longer than Sara’s, just touching her shoulders in messy waves, and it wasn’t one shade of blond, it was about a hundred, from buttery pale to honey to butterscotch. She’d be pretty if she wasn’t wearing such a constipated expression.

His gaze tracked down her body as she led the way into the living room, taking in slender curves, a fantastic ass, and long legs in skinny jeans. Fuck. He shouldnotbe checking out her ass. He gave himself a mental smack on the back of the head.

Sara was in a reclining chair near the bay window and she used the lever to bring the back of the chair upright. “Hi, Drew.”

He blinked at her as he walked across a patterned carpet toward her. The blond hair was gone; she wore a scarf wrapped around her head. Dammit, she’d been wearing a wig that day she’d approached him. His heart bumped in his chest.

The scarf on her head emphasized the thinness of her face, and the soft blanket tucked around her didn’t hide her slight frame. She lifted her hand free of it to gesture at the couch. “Have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure. That would be great.”

“What do you take in your coffee?” Peyton asked.

“Just black.”

“Sara, you want anything?” Peyton looked at her sister and her expression softened. Drew watched, struck by the caring he saw on her face. The clear sapphire-blue of her eyes, the high cheekbones, and the sweet curve of her lips made it hard to look away from her.

Sara pursed her lips. “Could you make me one of those caramel lattes?”

“You bet. Be right back.” And Peyton hurried through the adjacent dining room and around the corner, presumably into the kitchen.

Drew smiled at Sara as he sat on the couch.

She gave him a crooked smile back. “This is really weird, isn’t it?”

Chapter 4

Peyton made two beverages in the Keurig, focusing on the task to distract herself. She was still freaked out about the news Sara had laid on her the other day after Drew had called. After all these years, it was insane that she’d happened to find out who the father of her child was.

Peyton’s stomach had been churning with worry ever since. They knew nothing about this guy. Okay, Sara wasn’t stupid and had done some investigation before she’d even contacted him, but still…they were bringing him into their lives, into Chloe’s life, and the enormity of that scared the hell out of her.

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