Page 45 of On His Team

I walk over to my brother.

Rowan turns slightly when I reach them. “Mom, this is Gianna Reeve.”

The dark-haired woman beside him immediately smiles and pulls me into a hug. “Oh! Hi.”

I freeze for half a second, then hug her back.

She says, “You keeping these boys in line at Camden?”

I nod. “Somebody has to.”

She laughs. Then she looks between me and Stanley.

“You’re Stanley’s sister?”

“No,” about five people say at once.

I laugh.

Rowan says, “This is Benson’s sister.”

There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s how she would know me. Still, after spending the entire afternoon with Donovan and people who only needed me to know what was in the equipment cases, I notice it.

Mrs. Laurens turns to Benson. “The captain.”

Benson grins. “Unfortunately.”

She points at him. “Big guy.”

Then Stanley says something ridiculous about being her favorite, which somehow ends with the two of them doing a terrible little dance in the hotel lobby.

Rowan turns red. Actually red.

I stare at him.

I’ve never seen him embarrassed before.

Annoyed, yes. Tired, constantly. Mostly he looks exactly the same no matter what’s happening around him.

His mother dances with Stanley for four seconds, and Rowan suddenly looks like he wants to crawl into a cave. I like knowing that more than I should.

“Okay,” Rowan says, stepping between them. “We’re done.”

His mom laughs and smacks his arm.

“Can’t you boys leave the hotel for an hour?”

Benson shakes his head. “Staff rules. Game tomorrow.”

“That’s rubbish,” she says, and I like her.

Stanley immediately offers to fly her to Michigan sometime.

She looks at Rowan. “You hear that? I’m invited to the Hawthorne House.” She mocks that, and I smile.

Rowan sighs. “You’re always invited, Mom.”

He wraps an arm around her. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”