“That’s you,” Micah added. “Fresh blood.”
Their collective snicker dropped them out of the sinister realm.
“Hey, did I miss a memo for a meeting?” Cooper sauntered outside, the thumb of one hand riding his belt loop, a sheaf of building plans tucked under his other arm.
“Nothing like that.” Lyle explained the situation while I returned to the giant log I’d been splitting into narrow planks. “We need help, and Thor is a beast. Talk some sense into him, Boss.”
Cooper hummed thoughtfully. “How dire is this situation?”
“We’ve lost our last three games and two scrimmages. This is our third time playing Elmwood this summer, and they’ve got all those hockey players. They’ll murder us. Maybe you could put in a good word with Silas and see if we could borrow one those NFL boys.”
The seven-way hopeful stare was a bit much.
I snorted as I adjusted my safety glasses. “You’re begging.”
“Not too proud to beg, Big V,” Tony groused. “We need you.”
“What about him?” I asked, hooking my thumb at Cooper.
Cooper chuckled. “They’ve already groveled. Chase has a hockey game. He’s doing the Elmwood Junior’s summer camp. Sorry about that. But maybe you wouldn’t mind steppin’ in, Big V?”
I pulled the glasses off and glowered. “I get it. This is a setup.”
“Yep,” Lyle confirmed, rocking on his heels. “I told you we were desperate.”
I grumbled in Swedish and threw my hands in the air. “Fine. I’ll do it. I’m not happy, but I’ll do it.”
They whooped, high-fived, and backslapped each other until I shooed them all away. “Okay, good-bye now. See you later.”
Lyle grinned. “Yup! Practice tomorrow after work. Thanks, Thor.”
Practice? Fuck.
“You’re playing this weekend?” Dexter’s smile was the first he’d given since he’d come by to help with the crib.
Not that he was gloomy. More like…pensive.
“Allegedly. They ganged up on me and begged me. Even the boss.”
“They must really want you.” Dex nudged my elbow playfully.
“But why? What’s the big deal with the Elmwood game and why take a chance on someone who hasn’t played football competitively in years? And it’s not like I’m a barrel of laughs,” I added, hoping to score one from the handsome man hovering over my shoulder.
And there it was. I had to turn my face to hide my grin as Dexter hooted merrily.
“You’re funnier than you think. And it’s not a bad thing that your friends want your charming company.”
“They’re my coworkers, not my friends.”
“They can be both,” he argued, ever the optimist. “Janey’s my friend. She works for me, so I suppose I pay her for the honor, but we like and care about each other, too. Maybe the guys at the mill feel that way about you.”
I scoffed. “I don’t see why they would. I work to pay bills, and while I’m there, I try to avoid humans, not make friends with them.”
“What—are you an alien?”
“Ha. Ha. I’m a sensible person who knows you can’t trust everyone you meet.” I waggled a finger at him. “And the only reason they started poking at me is because of you.”
“Me? What did I do?”
