I give a small wave. “Hi, everyone.”
“All right, I’ll go ’round the table and tell you who everyone is,” Laura says to me before she lays her hand on Sean’s shoulder sitting down to her left. “My handsome husband, Sean, who you’ve already met. Heard ya teased him ’bout his running game, which he needed. Man’s gotta learn how to do more than throw.”
“Amen,” a man says from across the table.
“That’s Trevor Morgan, receiver,” Laura fills in. “And his girlfriend, Nina.”
Nina grins at me as she leans into Trevor. “I’m fairly new here, too,” she says.
Laura continues pointing. “That’s Finn Hurts, tight end, and his wife, Reagan, and then Emmitt Marshall, running back, and his wife, Paisley. And that poor guy down there at the end is Desmond Rivers, defensive end, and he doesn’t have a girl yet. I’m workin’ on it, though.”
“Nothing to work on, Laura,” Desmond replies in a low tone.
“Men need their women in this business,” she says. “We keep y’all from being jerks.”
Sean reaches up and carefully grabs Laura’s hand and kisses it. “I’m proof of that,” he says.
“All the proof anyone should need,” she teases as she sits next to her husband. “Anywho, that’s everyone!”
“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’ll remember everyone’s names,” I say as I look around the table. They all smile back at me.
I feel Milo put his hand on the small of my back, the touch warm as he steps up beside me.
“Oh, and here’s Milo!” Laura adds with a mirthful tone.
“Thanks, Laura,” Milo says dryly with a slight smirk as he glances down at her. Then to everyone he says, “Thanks for inviting us, although I’m not sure you guys are going to make the best impression on Sadie.”
Emmitt throws a spoon at Milo from across the table. Milo catches it and grins before he says, “Proving my point, Marshall.”
“It’s good to see you, Carter,” Emmitt replies.
Milo nods before he pulls out a chair next to Laura for me. I sit down, curious about what kind of conversation is about to spill out on the table. Then Milo sits down next to me, his hand heavy on my thigh under the table.
“So, Sadie Summers,” Emmitt says as if my name isn’t new to him. “What do you do?”
“Well, currently I’m an accountant back in Dusty Hollow,” I say, the words dry in my mouth. I grab for the glass of water in front of me. Milo softly squeezes my thigh, his thumb rubbing against my bare skin.
Emmitt nods. “You like numbers?”
I laugh dryly. “Actually, no. I hate them.”
This causes Emmitt’s mouth to tilt up in a half smile. “So, what do you like besides Milo here?”
I glance over at Milo, whose brows are slightly furrowed, as if he’s silently communicating with Emmitt.
“I like books,” I answer with a shrug, and then continue as the words spring up, “I like the stories—where people have been, what they’ve been through. I like feeling what they felt, crying their tears and laughing their joy. I like hoping for their happy ending and wanting more for them when they feel they’re not enough.”
When I feel like I’m not enough,I add in my head.
“Well, that almost makes me want to read a book,” Sean jokes.
I smile. “Might help with your stats if you did.”
Laura giggles as she leans into me. “Oh, I like you.” Then she looks at her husband and says, “I’m gonna find you a book, baby.”
“You do that, but it doesn’t mean I’ll read it,” he replies with a grin.
“Then I’ll read it to ya.” She laughs. “Think you can help me find one?” she asks me.
