“Part of getting better is knowing when to take a break,” I tell her gently. “You can’t improve on exhausted legs. You need to rest and fuel up so that your body can recover. Volleyball’s important but so is taking care of yourself. And I hate to be the buzzkill, but I’m pretty sure we still have some math homework to check.”
She groans. “Ugh, you sound like my mom.” Then she grins. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
There’s a shyness on her face now like she’s not sure if she should have said that part out loud. My stomach flips, partly out of nerves and partly because that means the world to me.
“I don’t remember my mom, and Elena didn’t count. She was... well, she ignored me and mostly just focused on my dad.”
“I’m sorry, Sawyer.” I bite down on my lip. I know there’s still some unknowns with Seth and his position on the Mayhem, but I don’t want Sawyer to worry about me leaving. “
She smiles. “It’s okay. Sorry if I made things weird. I know you’re my dad’s girlfriend now.” She wrinkles her nose playfully. “But you also feel like my friend.”
I throw an arm around her shoulders and steer us toward the house and the air conditioning. “That means a lot to me because you feel like my friend too.”
She smiles up at me, and I feel it deep in my chest because I understand this feeling intimately. This is something that she’s yearned for. I feel that same way every time me and my dad connect over a lunch at the facility, or a quick text messagewhere he asks how I’m doing just to check in. It’s the feeling of finding something you didn’t realize you were missing.
After dinner, where she shares about the book we’re reading for our tiny six-person book club, we clean the dishes together. Then she heads upstairs for her shower and to finish her homework in her room.
“See you in the morning!” I call out to her.
I spend the next hour tidying the house so it’s nice for when Seth gets home. I wipe down counters, fold the blanket tossed on the couch, fluff the pillows like a lunatic who’s pretending this doesn’t matter when it really, really does. I want him to come home to something steady. I want him to want that with me.The mundane and usual but make it romantic.
It’s almost eight o’clock when I finish and hear a knock on the front door. I frown checking the time. Couldn’t be Seth yet. I head for the front, peeking through the window before answering and see his brother instead.
“Levi?”
I pull the door open and instantly throw my arms around him. He doesn’t look surprised to see me.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask with a laugh, stepping back.
His shoulders are tense. “I got suspended again.” He steps inside the home. “What’s that smell? It’s amazing.”
“Chicken and roasted vegetables. I made it for Sawyer and Seth to eat when he gets home.” I close the door behind him and head for the fridge. “You want some? Sawyer already ate.”
“Would I ever,” he says, wide-eyed. “Why would Seth ever leave town when you’re cooking like that? Away games are always shitty eating.”
I laugh. “It’s not like he has a choice. Thankfully, he isn’t getting suspended every other game like you.”
I start reheating the plate I packed for leftovers. He slides onto a stool at the island and digs in the second it’s warm, devouring the food like it’s the first full meal he’s had in days.
“Do you eat in Boston?”
He shakes his head and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “No.”
“No girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
I lean against the counter. “But you’re such a catch.”
He gives me a cheeky grin. “Tell that to the women.”
I laugh easily. “Does Seth know you’re here?”
“No. I was planning on telling him once you let me in.”
I raise a brow. “So, you knew I’d be here.”
He smiles. “Of course. My brother’s obsessed with you.”
