Page 11 of The One for Me
I laugh and shove him back. “I didn’t say I’d run your business.”
“Really? I swear I heard that.”
“You need your hearing checked.”
“And you need a life outside of this family.”
This is a conversation I am not ready to have. I look toward the house, knowing there’s only one thing that will get him off this topic. “Are Hazel and Austin home?”
Jasper nods. “They are. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you. Hand me that wrench, will you?”
There are six wrenches on the table, so I just pick one. I crouch down, kiss my brother on the cheek, and head off in search of my sister-in-law and my nephew.
Before I can reach the back door, the nine-year-old bundle of energy comes flying out the door. “Aunt Devney!” he yells and launches himself at me.
I catch him—barely—and laugh as he wraps his arms around my middle.
I love this boy.
I love him more than anything in the world, and I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with him.
“Look at you, you’ve grown in the last few days.” I squeeze him a bit tighter.
“It’s because Mom is feeding me gross vegetables. She says they will help me play baseball better.”
And Austin will do anything that might make that a reality. “At least it’s working.”
He releases me and smiles when he spots something behind me. “You brought Simba?”
“I did.”
“Can we ride back and get my horse from Grandma and Papa?”
I’d rather eat nails than go back home, but for Austin, I just might do it. “Maybe. Do you have practice today?”
He groans. “Yes. I can skip it, though!”
There’s not a chance in hell that’s happening. Hazel and Jasper indulge him in a lot, but the amount of money they spend on his private lessons, special teams, and gear means that he is absolutely not allowed to skip.
“I doubt you really mean that. Would you want to explain to your coach or Sean when he gets here that you skipped out?”
Austin kicks a rock. “I guess not, but can we ride soon?”
“Of course, we’ll ask your parents and find a day.”
“Is Sean coming to Sugarloaf soon? Hadley was tellingeveryoneat school how her famous uncle was coming to town and how cool he is. And then she was going on and on about her stupid tree house and how her uncle is buying her a horse. I have a horse! I don’t know why she thinks we care. She’s just a girl.”
I bite my tongue and try to keep from smiling. He’s such a typical boy in the girls-are-dumb phase. “She is a girl, but so is your mom and so am I.”
“Yeah, but you’re notHadley.” He sneers her name.
I crouch, taking his hands in mine. “Austin, you liked Hadley last week.”
“Yeah, but now I’m going to have to listen to her talk all the time.”
This time, the smile will not stay hidden. “She’s your friend, isn’t she?”
“Sometimes.”
