Page 15 of Hometown Touchdown
He shakes his head. “Just picking up food. We’re watching film at my place.”
The cashier calls out an order, placing a bag on the counter. Knox steps forward, pays in cash, then turns toward us.
“Kate,” he says with a nod. “Good to see you. Cam, you ready?”
Cam gives me a tight smile. “Catch you later, Brynn. Kate. Evie.”
Evie looks up smiling. “Bye, Cam.” He gives her a wink.
Then they’re gone.
I exhale slowly, realizing I’d been holding my breath.
Kate watches me. “You okay?”
I fold the napkin in my lap. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
She doesn’t answer. Just waits.
I cave. “I didn’t expect him to come in, that’s all.”
“Mmm.” Her tone is pointed. “I heard about Friday night. Sort of wild how you two keep crossing paths.”
“This is the best place in town for brunch,” I say with a shrug. “It’s not that strange.”
Kate gives me a look. “He looks good.”
“He looks...like Knox,” I reply, waving it off. “Same hat. Same arms. Same stubborn face.”
She laughs. “You used to like that face.”
“I’ve evolved,” I say.
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m serious. I don’t see anything in him anymore.”
Kate arches a brow. “Really? Because you looked like you short-circuited when he walked in.”
I try to smile. “It’s not him. It’s just the history. Like muscle memory.”
But I know that’s not true.
He walked in, and some part of me I thought I’d buried came roaring back to life. I hate that I noticed how his shirt clung to his back. The way his stubble caught the light. The look in his eyes when he saw me.
I hate that I still want to know what he’s thinking.
Evie holds up my drawing with a frown. “This cat looks like it’s crying.”
I manage a weak smile. “Maybe it’s just having a rough Sunday.”
Chapter seven
Knox
“WhothehellblastsWhitney Houston at full volume at nine-thirty on a Saturday morning?”
I fling my phone onto the bed and throw an arm over my eyes, hoping darkness will drown out the chaos outside. Saturdays are sacred. My one day of peace. No football practice, no high school drama, no parents emailing me about forgotten cleats or why their kid isn’t getting more playing time.
