I rub my eyes in frustration. “We need to rethink our entire strategy for this.”
Nodding, Coach agrees. “Let’s call it a night and meet before practice in the morning to flesh out a plan. It’s already getting too late to deal with this crap anymore tonight.”
At that, I look over at the clock on my desk. “Shit! Has it really been two hours?” I jump out of my seat.
Both Luke and Coach look at me in sympathy.
“Sorry, brother,” Luke apologizes, cringing a little.
Standing, Coach pats me on the back. “If it’s any consolation, they must be having a good time. Not a single one of them has come back here to check on us.”
“Or they all left,” Luke helpfully states.
Glaring at Luke, I pull open the office door.
Walking down the hall, I expect to hear them. But it’s oddly quiet. Glancing around the main room, I see that the dinner leftovers have been put away, but the makings of… margaritas?… are on the counter. Steph. I knew she had a hidden stash here. I can’t help but smile to myself as I walk toward the stairs leading to the theater. Now that I’m closer, I can hear voices. Whatever’s happening down there, they sound like they’re having fun.
Knowing that Luke and Coach are following, I make my way down the stairs and through the open door of the theater. I pause to take it in, and the guys come to stand beside me.
In the corner of the couch, where we shared our first evening together, is Kitten. She’s curled up with that same soft blanket and has her head thrown back in a laugh. The laugh causes her hair to trail down the back of the couch, exposing the soft skin of her neck. My eyes linger on her pulse point for several heartbeats before I take in the rest of the room.
Crammed up right next to Kitten is Isabelle. Steph is crammed right up next to her, and Mama is crammed right up next to her. It’s like they forgot this is the largest piece of furniture in the house and had to sit as close together as possible. Then I see that Isabelle and Steph are both hunched over what I’m guessing is a phone, as Steph reads off of it.
“ ‘Looking for a woman who can enjoy an evening in, as much as an evening out. And who loves to cuddle.’ ” Whatever it is, she read it in her male-impersonation voice before making a gagging sound. “Ugh, yeah, pass. This just means the guy is broke, won’t take you out, and has probably never gone down on a girl.”
Uh, wow. What the Hell did we just walk in on? Looking over at Coach, I see his eyes are wide in either shock or embarrassment, and beside him Luke is holding back a laugh. Before I’m forced to hear anything else out of my sister’s mouth, I clear my throat and enter the room.
Kitten, apparently the most sober, hears me right away. She quickly turns her head in my direction, and some of that shiny hair falls over her face. Her welcoming smile causes my heart to beat a little faster. I silently mouth, “Hi, Kitten.” To which she bites her lower lip. Oh, how I wish I were that lip right now.
Coach has circled around the other side of the couch to stand in front of the women. He has a look akin to pride on his face as he takes in Isabelle squished in between Kitten and Steph.
“Hey Peanut, we’re all wrapped up for the evening. Did you ladies have a fun night?”
I can hear the smile in her voice. “Hi, Daddy! We had such a great time! Oh, and before I forget, can I please have four tickets to the next home game? Katelyn has a friend who’s hopefully going to help me with a little project. I’d like to bring her to the game with us.”
Coach looks at the four of them together on the couch. “Won’t you need five tickets?” he asks.
“Oh, no need, Don. I plan to sit in my usual spot,” Mama says. “It’s my lucky seat and I already have a friend planning to join me. It’ll just be these three troublemakers and a girl named Meghan.”
Coach nods. “Your wish is my command. Remind me tomorrow and I’ll square those away for you. Now – if you don’t mind – I’m starving. We’ll have to switch our dinner to something quick. We have an early morning tomorrow, since we have more strategy work to do.”
As Isabelle stands, Steph and my mama get up too. Kitten follows and gives them all hugs goodbye. Apparently, everyone has shared phone numbers as there are a lot of “text me later” and “talk to you soon.” I even hear Kitten call Isabelle “Izzy.” Strange. As I go to hug my mama goodbye, she stops me, telling me to walk her out.
Turning to Kitten I say, “You stay right here.” I point to where she had been sitting, in the corner of the U-shaped couch. “You sit in our spot, and I’ll be right back.”
She doesn’t say anything, but she plops back down and shimmies up into the corner. With the intention of getting back to her as quickly as possible, I herd the rest of the group up to the front door.
Once everyone has made their way to the elevator bank, Mama grabs me by both hands and forces me to look her in the eye.
“Jacky boy, that girl down there is special. I think she already means a great deal to you, and I can tell you that you mean a great deal to her. But you, you need to make your intentions clear.” She gives me her pointed Mama glare as she says this. “When Isabelle asked her if you two were dating, she didn’t know what to say. If you want her, you need to make sure she knows that.” Pulling me down further, she kisses my cheek. Then she cuffs me upside the head. “Goodnight, Jacky. I love you.”
