Page 49 of Third and Ten

“Really?” he asks, his hand immediately flying up to his chin in mock thought. “You’re giving me a friend-zone perk?”

“Boob jokes are the least I can do, I suppose.”

“Well, in that case, I have a very important question for you.”

“I was afraid you would,” I reply dryly, trying not to sound even remotely flirty.

“I just need to know, Tenley…are all of your bras that sexy?”

That is decidedly not what I expect him to ask, especially not in that deep, gravelly voice.

Can you wear that bra as a hat? How do you even run without giving yourself black eyes?

Those are par for the course.

But I can’t self-deprecate myself out of this one. His eyes darken while he awaits my response, and I just know he’s picturing me in that bra he found earlier.

I clear my throat, willing away the heat pooling inside. “You’re not very good at boundaries, are you?”

He lets out a low whistle. “I’ll take that as a yes, then. Which, for the record, should be enough to hold me over…for now.” He bends slightly, addressing my chest. “Ladies, enjoy the rest of your night.” He straightens back up, winking and aiming a cocky smirk directly at my face. “Good night, friend. Thanks again for dinner.”

Then he turns and jogs down the steps with entirely too much optimism for a guy who has just been friend-zoned, and I watch him walk away entirely too closely for someone who isn’t totally into him.

CHAPTER 16

TENLEY

Homecoming week is not for the faint of heart.

The decorating, themed dress-up days, pep rallies, parades, senior court presentations, toilet papering, high-school reunions, bonfires…

And then there’s the football game and a semiformal dance. There are so many activities and responsibilities as the parent of a football player that my head is spinning. I can’t imagine how I’ll survive Ethan’s senior year and homecoming court.

He was so nervous that he barely managed to ask Caidence to be his date to the dance, even after recruiting my help to put together a grand proposal and surprise her at cheerleading practice. He’s been driving me nuts all week, while I’ve been busy tending to everything from getting his dress clothes ready to picking out Caidence’s corsage at the florist.

I haven’t really had time to feel sentimental or reflect, though my homecoming memories don’t exactly include any wild and crazy moments since I was more reserved than the average teenager. Having an older sister who was known as that former Homecoming Queen—the one who later hid her unplanned pregnancy until she couldn’t anymore—sort of left a bad taste in my mouth.

And now, as a parent, I just hope Ethan falls somewhere in between. I want him to enjoy high school more than I did, but I need to protect him from his mom’s fate at the same time.

“I’m not letting him take the truck,” I repeat to my mom. We’re sitting on the couch, watching my dad rest. “I’d rather just taxi them around myself.”

“Ethan’s a good boy. He’ll be responsible,” she argues. “I’m sure he’d like to drive his date now that he can.”

“I bet he would. But I’m also sure there will be some alcohol going around, and I’d rather not risk him getting on the road if there’s a chance that he or anyone else in town might drink and drive.”

She shrugs. “I guess you’re right. Either way, it’s your decision to make now.”

I roll my eyes but know she means well. “I thought this would be a little easier since he sleeps through the night and is already potty-trained, but parenting teenagers might be harder than tending to newborns.”

“You and I both can agree on that one, my girl,” she mutters, and I feel a pang of guilt for triggering thoughts of my sister. Not that we never talked about Tessa after her death, but I know that my parents felt some culpability for allowing her to make the choices she had as a teenager. The thing is, Tessa had been so good at hiding her promiscuity and partying from them, disguising herself as the perfect, bubbly, popular class favorite. Ultimately, they came to terms with their loss by not putting too much of the blame on themselves and turning to each other and their faith. Having Ethan to raise probably helped, as well.

“Look, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it my way, and I really need you to respect my decisions,” I begin. My mom’s expression changes. “But I still need your help and value your advice, so thank you.”

She leans over to kiss my cheek. “Well, I think you’re doing an amazing job, so far.”

“Thanks,” I murmur, trying not to get choked up before heading out to the football field. “I learned from the best.”

“Since you think so, mind if I offer one more bit of unsolicited advice?”

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