Page 23 of Slew Foot
Evie sighed but stopped in her tracks to look at Tanner. “Would youpleasecome play ponies with Maura and me?”
“I’d love to,” Tanner said.
Mickey smiled. This team really was quite close.
Several of the veterans had looked surprised when Mickey had commented on it a few months ago, agreeing it was getting that way. Apparently, it hadn’t been after Patrick O’Shea had stepped down as captain and Connor had taken over.
Mickey had only been here since the beginning of the season though and, honestly, he hadn’t been quite sure what to make of the team when he’d arrived. But he’d come to enjoy these brunches and parties. The food and the camaraderie.
He glanced down at his plate, belatedly realizing he still held Tanner’s as well. There was quite a bit of food on it, and he glanced around for a place to set it down. He spotted a relatively empty end table beside the end of the sectional and made a beeline for it, only noticing halfway there that Rafe was sprawled out on it.
He glanced up, looking almost relieved when he spotted Mickey.
“Hi,” Rafe said. “Come to join me?”
“I … can,” Mickey said, hesitantly perching on the arm of the sectional next to him. “If you want company.”
Rafe’s skin had a warm, brown glow and he looked like he might have Italian or Greek heritage, but a bit of dull red still appeared on his cheeks.
“I’m feeling a little out of place,” he said, his voice soft. “Overwhelmed, you know?”
Mickey felt a tug at his heart because this big man with his soft dark eyes and earnest voice did something to him.
“Sure,” he said. “I get it.”
Because he did. Because he’d been in Rafe’s shoes not so long ago. He’d felt overwhelmed by the noise and the laughter and the guys who knew one another so well. He’d felt small and insignificant.
It was why they’d called him Mouse.
Well, his name too, but mostly because he hadn’t spoken much, just taken everything in and he tried to figure out who everyone was and how they all fit together before he was ready to contribute.
Now that Tanner had helped him get settled in, he felt more confident.
Hopefully he could do the same for Rafe.
Mickey shifted, intending to set Tanner’s plate on the end table, when Rafe reached for it. “Thanks. It was nice of you to bring me food.”
“Uhh,” Mickey said as Rafe lifted an egg cup to his mouth.
Mickey couldn’t remember the name of them, but they were like little omelets tucked into muffin-sized circles of tortilla and baked.
“That was actually Tanner’s plate,” he said hastily.
Rafe frowned, glanced at the bite of food, then shrugged and lifted it to his mouth. “Mine now,” he mumbled around it.
Mickey hid a smile and, with his free hand, tucked into his own food.
CHAPTER SIX
“’lo?” Rafe said, voice rough as he lifted the phone to his ear the following morning.
“I’m at the hotel,” Mickey said, sounding amused. “But I guess I’m too early again?”
“Uhh.” Rafe squinted at the clock. Okay, so it wasn’t after noon this time, but it was still a lot later than he’d planned to get up. “Shit. Sorry. I swear was gonna be up and ready today. I must’ve hit snooze or something.”
“It’s fine. Meet you in the lobby café again.”
He was gone so fast Rafe blinked. “Okay, I can do this,” he said to the empty room.
