Page 32 of False Start

Kit cocked her head. “Top player in the NFL? Really? Who told you that?”

“It’s a fact.”

She shook her head with a stifled laugh. “Kit Holden, lab scientist, and I’m from Collins Creek, Virginia.”

“Collins Creek? Where’s that?” I asked, realizing not for the first time that morning that I didn’t know jack shit about the person I’d signed up to spend five days with. Not even her hometown.

“The western part of the state. What do you care?”

I shrugged. “I just sort of thought you were from Norwalk.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Hell if I know,” I shrugged again. “I’ve just never heard of Collins Creek before.”

“Do you want me to get a map?” Kit asked, exasperation piercing her voice.

“How did you all meet?” Ashley broke in, her concentration on the phone fading, causing her camera to dip down. “Oops!”

“Bad luck?” Kit sighed.

“I joined a kickball team, and she was on the team.”

“Team captain,” she corrected. “Or at least, I used to be.”

“Are you going to fight with me over every question?” I turned to Kit, catching the faint hint of a mischievous smile on her lips before it faded away.

“He wanted to be best friends with my best friend,” she continued. “And now we’re sharing a best friend.”

“Do you think Derek is my best friend?” I asked excitedly, amping up my reaction to annoy her.

She tilted her head back with a groan. Got her. “And then he took my best friend, the person who was supposed to be here, to play paintball and pushed him off a fort.”

I laughed. “I was on the other side of the field. You’re just lying now.”

Kit lowered her voice and leaned toward the camera. “Allegedly, Derek was alone in that fort. But who can really say?”

I cracked my knuckles. Two could play that game.

“And his dying wish was for us to do this rally together.”

“Wait!” Ashley dropped her attention from the phone again. “He’s dead?”

Kit shook her head, pushing her shoulder into mine. “He’s not dead. He needs surgery so he couldn’t come on the rally. And since Trent was already at the hospital and has no life, Derek asked if I’d take Trent along as an act of charity. And also self-preservation, so Trent couldn’t hurt him anymore.”

“More like Derek begged me to take you so you’d let loose a little.” I dropped my voice to a mock whisper, leaning toward Ashley. “Kit’s not exactly a party animal.”

“Unlike you?” Kit spluttered.

“You two have great sibling chemistry.” Ashley cut in before I could respond.

“Sibling chemistry?” Kit wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah,” she dropped her camera again. “You know, like not sexual, but sort of like pestering one another. So, you’re more like frenemies.”

“Without the friend part,” Kit said.

“Temporary frenemies,” I said. “But working on a solid friendship.”

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