Page 21 of Just Say When

“No way I’m wearing suits and chasing potential customers around on a car lot,” Jeremy replied with utter disdain.

Abe must’ve sensed trouble because he again shifted the subject while I finished my kitchen duties. Once I’d tossed away the trash and cleaned the counters, I asked if anyone was ready for another beer.

“Me,” Allen and Jeremy said.

I grabbed four bottles from the fridge, twisted off the tops, and thought about Abe’s NyQuil suggestion.

The living room setup was standard. There was a rustic fireplace on one wall that acted as a focal point in the space. A camel-brown sofa faced the fireplace, and two matching chairs were spaced between the accent wall and the couch and were typically angled toward the fireplace. Allen and Jeremy had turned them around to face the sofa instead. I handed a bottle to each of the men and kept one for myself when I dropped onto the couch beside Abe, who placed his arm on the back of the sofa and rested his hand behind my head.

Allen asked about Alex, and Abe stroked the back of my neck with his thumb while I told them about his recent tournament win. The soft caress rekindled the fire in my belly Abe had caused when he arrived. His touch made it hard for me to focus and threatened my control. My instinct urged me to pull away, so I leaned into him instead.

“I’m proud of that kid,” I managed to say.

Allen leaned forward. “Wait a minute. I’m pretty sure I saw a clip of the incident on ESPN. Does Alex play ball for Steve Parker?”

“Yeah, but no one told me ESPN picked up the story. A local reporter wrote up a piece about it.” I didn’t expand on the content because we’d never shared our history with Jeremy and Allen. They knew we were from neighboring areas of Georgia, but that was it. Abe rested his hand on the base of my neck, and I loved the warm weight of his touch.

My phone rang, and I leaned toward Abe so I could pull it free from my pocket. By doing so, I revealed where his hand had been. Allen quirked a brow as he raised his beer to his mouth. I looked down at my phone and saw it was Alyssa calling.

“I better take this.” I set my beer on the table and stood up. “I’ll just step outside.”

“I’m going to see what snacks Lio brought us,” Abe said as I opened the front door. “Maybe we should make the cornbread since Lio doesn’t get along with ovens.” I wanted to protest, but it was true. My mother never set a timer and her stuff always turned out perfect. I set a timer, then got busy doing something else and didn’t hear it go off until smoke filled the kitchen. My baking was the butt of everyone’s jokes.

“Wait for me,” Allen chimed in. “I’m starved.”

I jogged down the steps, rounded the side of the house, and accepted the call. “Alyssa, is everything okay?”

“Yes, shit,” she said breathlessly. “I got so excited that I forgot where you were and what you were doing. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

I chuckled. “Don’t apologize. You know I wake up looking for something to fret about.”

She sighed. “I know it all too well. Did you remember to pass my condolences to Abe?”

“Of course. That’s not why you called, though.”

“You’re not going to believe what happened,” Alyssa said. “SportsCenterran a story about Alex and Clint last night, creating quite the buzz.”

“That’s so cool. I haven’t seen it yet, but Allen just told me about it.”

“It gets even better,” Alyssa exclaimed. “The baseball coach from the University of Georgia invited Alex, Clint, the coaches, and their families to a game next season. We’ll get a special tour of the stadium and locker rooms.”

“That’s wonderful news. Does Alex know yet?”

“Not yet,” Alyssa said. “Coach Steve will announce it at the year-end banquet tomorrow night.”

“Damn. I wish I could see the look on Alex’s face. I’m sorry I won’t be there.”

“I’ll record it and send the clip to you.”

“I appreciate it. This is great news, especially after our rough week.” I hadn’t pressed her about the Eads investigation, but not knowing what was going on had only added to my stress. “I hate to ask, but do you have any updates about Eads?”

“Nothing I can share. I know the media scrutiny has been awful, but you’re going to come out of this okay.”

“I hope you’re right, Lyss. I know the guy didn’t physically threaten me, but I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. I can feel it in the air, you know? I keep waiting for him to take a shot.”

“Do you want my honest opinion?” she asked.

“Always.”

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