Page 122 of The Way We Win

“No.” He hits the word hard.

I shake my head. “You might be surprised.” I reach out to give him a nudge. “Try me.”

Hazel eyes meet mine, and I do my best to appear reassuring. Finally, he exhales roughly, looking down at the ground.

“I have no game.”

“What? You’re a great player?—”

“Off the field. I have no game.” His voice rises, and he starts talking faster. “Levi talks to girls. He’s really good at getting them to talk back to him, go out with him, do stuff…”

He trails off, and I don’t have to ask what he means bystuff. “Okay?”

“I don’t know how. I never know what to say. I stand around laughing like an idiot, watching him collect them like they’re freakin flowers. Like it’s the easiest thing in the world to pick them up.”

I put my hands in my back pockets again, turning to look out at the scrub pines surrounding my house.

I was prepared for the dad talk, even the bad dad talk. I had no idea he was going to hit me with this.

“That’s what I thought,” he grumbles, waving me away. “You’ve never had this problem. You always know how to talk to girls, orwomen. They swarm around you like flies to… candy.”

“Thanks.” I lift my chin, glad he didn’t sayshit. “But it’s not true, actually. I had an awkward stage.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Everybody does. It’s not the end of the world.” Walking over to the bench, I take a seat. “Come sit and talk to me.”

He hesitates a little longer at the door before relenting and walking over to join me.

“You were holding hands with Sadie Duck at the Halloween maze. What about that?”

“She doesn’t like me.” He looks at his tennis shoes. “She just wants to be with a star player. She talks to me a little while, then she talks to Levi. I might be doing better than him on the field, but off the field, he’s got me beat.”

“Now, hang on.” I put a hand on his arm. “She was holdingyourhand, not Levi’s.”

“Yeah, but Levi knows what to do.” He cuts his eyes up at me, then he looks at his shoes again. “Levi knows how to get from talking to kissing to…”

Leaning back, I try to remember if I ever had this conversation with my brothers.

Zane didn’t need it. He read all the time, and hell, he probably knew before I did. Garrett seemed to be born knowing how to charm the pants off anyone and everyone. I was gone when Hendrix was this age, so I assume one of them talked to him.

“If you’re talking about sex, I think you need to wait until you’re older.”

“You sound like Mom,” he grumbles. “She’s always telling me to wait, and then she’s always making sure I know how to use a condom.”

My lips tighten, and I swallow a laugh. It sounds just like my passionate girl, and I wonder what Allie’s doing right now. I’d like to do somestuffwith her…

Clearing my throat, I refocus. “If you want to have a girlfriend, it’s the same as making friends with anyone else.” He squints up at me, and I continue. “When you meet a girl you like, ask her questions. Then listen to what she says. Really listen. Pay attention to what she likes and see if you can do it for her. Some girls like flowers, others like to go to movies. Maybe Sadie likes music. Ask her favorite song. Make her a playlist around it.”

He goes from frowning to relieved, and when he looks up at me again, his face is actually brighter. “Those are really good ideas.”

“Yeah.” I feel pretty proud of myself. “Start with flowers, and maybe you’ll get a kiss. But don’t maul her… And don’t have sex.”

I figure Allie would appreciate the backup.

He snorts through his nose, leaning back on the bench. “Right.”

“Aus-tin! Aus-tin! Aus-tin!” Kimmie marches into the room pumping her fist over her head. “I’m a cheerleader.”

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