Page 54 of Courtside

David chuckled. “Can’t say I’m a big fan of kale.”

Sage suddenly became aware of a sharp, acrid smell that accompanied a haze of smoke that hovered in the air around them. “Fuck!”

She ran to the stove, turning off the burner and grabbing the skillet. She tossed the pan into the sink, turning the water on to wash away the charred remains of what was supposed to be their dinner.

“Fuck,” she repeated, slumping back against the counter.

“So, pizza?” she heard David ask from behind her.

Sage shook her head. “After that, I need tots.”

* * *

“Why are these so fucking good?” She moaned around a hot tater tot that was crisped to perfection and topped with melted cheese, green onions, and bits of bacon.

Across the table, David chewed with a wide grin on his face.

The Grove was crowded, but their timing had been perfect, arriving right when a group was vacating one of the picnic tables close to the stage. A band was setting up, unloading a variety of guitars, a drum set, and banjo.

“So you read novels about hot cowboys?”

Her cheeks heated almost instantly.Guess they weren’t going to pretend she hadn’t word-vomited all over her kitchen floor.

She nodded. “Western, small-town romances.”

David stabbed another tot from the heaping platter between them. “What do you like about them?” He sounded genuinely curious.

“In so many stories, it seems like characters just hop on the plot train and get carried along for the ride. Nothing against that, but as someone who’s had a pretty unremarkable life, I don’t find them relatable. But romance novels? The characters almost always have some sort of personal struggle they are working through that drives the book forward. Sometimes it’s confronting their past.” She paused to swallow against an unwanted lump in her throat. “Sometimes it’s gaining the confidence to chase after what they want. Whatever it is, the characters in romance novels feel just a little bit closer to living life like the rest of us.” A smirk curved on her lips. “As for the cowboys? I don’t know, really. There’s something beautiful about men who act all stoic and unaffected, but at the end of the day are brought to their knees by a woman.”

David took a long pull from the Corona he’d ordered. Sage had felt a wave of deja vu as she watched one of his thick fingers push the lime down into the bottle. He set down the beer and locked eyes with her, his thick lashes somehow picking up the golden lights from the strings that hung above them. “That’s a pretty damn convincing argument,” he said, leaning forward to brace his forearms on the table. “Might have to pick up one of those.”

Sage snorted into her jalapeño margarita. “Do you read many books with graphic sex scenes?”

“Uh,” David coughed through a mouthful of food. The ambient hum of conversation that surrounded them seemed to grow louder for a few seconds as he chewed and swallowed. “Can’t say that I do,” he finally replied, scratching his beard.

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

What. Sage immediately wished she could take the words back.

David’s thick brows shot up his forehead. He reached a hand up to cover his mouth, but not before Sage saw his amused grin. Dropping his hand, he leaned out across the table. “Graphic sex?” His voice had somehow gotten lower, even more rough than she was used to. “I’ve tried it a few times.”

“Oh my god.” Sage covered her face with her hands, willing her flaming face to cool down.

“If it ain’t the beautiful man and my best friend!”

Sage opened a gap between her fingers, looking right up into Maggie’s grinning face. The woman planted her hands on the edge of the table, glancing between the two of them. “Did he do somethin’ to you, blondie? Do I need to hurt him?”

Sage shook her head, snorting a laugh. “You really are a balls to the wall kind of person, aren’t you?”

“Sure am.” Maggie looked over at David. “So you finally got over your ‘oh no it’s too complicated we work together’ bullshit and asked her out? Nice.” She held her hand up for a high five.

David ignored the offered hand, instead glaring at her, his expression incredulous. “Well, since you asked, Sage and I arefriends, eating a meal together asfriends,hanging out asfriends.”

Wincing, Maggie lowered her hand. “My bad.” She glanced back over her shoulder at Sage. “For the record, I think it’s stupid.”

Sage had no idea what was happening. “What’s stupid?”

“You two not bein’ together out of some misguided sense of morality,” Maggie said, waving her hand between them. “If there was someone who looked at me the way that you guys look at each other, you bet my momma’s gravy I wouldn’t waste a day without them.” Without pausing, she reached into her back pocket, drawing out her phone. Her thumbs tapped for a moment, and then she tossed it down on the table in front of Sage. “Put your number in there and I’ll text you.”

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