She straightens, holding two dishes, and I move in, taking them from her hands. Her eyes narrow, but I don’t miss the smile she’s attempting to bite back, but failing.
“Abby, Jay…this is Tyler.” She slams the trunk closed and turns toward her kids. “He’s Austin’s manager and cousin.”
Both kids give me an awkward wave and I wave back with my free hand, every bit as awkwardly. Great. This is going great.
“Um”—I stop and clear my throat—“nice to meet you two.”
Abby and Jay shuffle past me, and head inside, but Jo hangs back, a smile hovering on the edges of her mouth, looking up at me.
“So, the apartment above the bar, huh?”
I groan and roll my eyes. “It’s exactly as awful as it sounds. Yesterday I drove into town and bought some noise canceling ear plugs.”
Jo laughs quietly and we walk toward the house, but at the door she stops and turns back to me.
“Hey. Thanks for the shutter. I’ve been meaning to get around to that. If you’ll let me know how much you spent on supplies, I’ll pay you back.”
Blinking rapidly, my brows shoot up. “Absolutely not.”
“But you spent money.”
“It was nothing, Jo. A few screws and done.”
Jo shoots me a teasing grin. “You kept my poor little house from looking like someone shaved its eyebrow off. It’s not nothing. Now everything is back where it belongs.”
Our eyes meet and hold.
“I can’t help but agree.”
Jo chews her bottom lip and looks away at my statement.
“Like I said, I’m not ignoring your texts. I’m just…” She clears her throat and our eyes connect again. “I’m working through some things. But thank you for the shutter,” she repeats, her voice going soft.
All I can do is nod, throat tight.
“Josie! You’re here on time!” Penny steps into the kitchen, breaking the moment, and Jo shoots her a mock glare.
“I’m not always late.”
“Eh,” Penny hums, head tilting back and forth.
Jo crosses the kitchen, kneeling to love on Penny’s cat, Honey.
“You are the prettiest kitty ever, even if you do look like a fat loaf of bread,” Jo baby-talks to the cat while Penny gasps at her side.
Snatching the cat into her arms, Penny covers both its ears.
“Honey has feelings, Josie!” Then she whispers, “And she’s on a diet.”
Jo laughs and follows Penny out of the kitchen, while I take the dishes to the counter. Once I’ve put them with the other food, I head to the living room where everyone has gathered. Cassie has already pulled Jo into animated conversation with my mom. My dad talks to Jay, and Abby is full-on batting her long eyelashes at Austin while Penny and Austin’s mom watch with amused smirks.
My dad spots me and waves me over. “Jay here plays basketball.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask, dropping into the chair beside him. “I used to play. What position?”
“Point guard. Wanna see something cool?” He walks over to Jo and taps her on the shoulder. She hands him her phone without even looking up. He scrolls for a second and then plops down next to my dad, handing it over to me. On the screen is a video of him dribbling the ball up the court and damn, if he’s not quick on his feet. He’s a small kid, but he definitely has speed on his side. My eyebrows rise as I watch, and when it’s over he’s looking at me expectantly.
“You’re good, kid. When’s your season start?”
