Page 60 of Lowering His Guard

“Are you going to warm up with us?” Corbin asks. “You can borrow some of my gear.”

Jace chuckles. “Dude, you’re as tall as Dad. Your shoes would look like clown shoes on me.”

Corbin shrugs. “Your choice.”

“Hey!” Lamar, the center, shouts from across the room. “I’ve got some gear from my kids if you want to borrow it.” He lifts a pair of pink, sparkly cleats in the air.

Jace’s nose wrinkles. “I’m not a seven-year-old girl.”

“Who’s not a seven-year-old girl?” Tanner asks as he rushes into the locker room.

Nolan frowns at him. “You’re late.”

Tanner rolls his eyes. “Not being fifteen minutes early doesn’t make me late.” He notices Jace and his eyes light up. He skips toward us.

“Jace, my man. How’s it hanging?” They bump fists in greeting.

“No hanging today. Surfing class was cancelled.”

“Damn. No chance for Brock to drool over May.”

“That’s what I said.”

They bump fists again.

“Knock it off,” I order but there’s no bite to my voice. I can’t be mad when my son is happy and having a good time. It’s all I want for him.

“Do you know how to tell if a girl likes you?” Tanner asks Jace.

“How?”

“She laughs at your jokes.”

“Not true,” I grumble.

Tanner sighs. “You’re right. Sometimes she just has poor taste.”

He returns his attention to Jace. “How is dating like football?”

“How?” asks Jace.

Tanner winks. “If you celebrate too early, you’ll look like an idiot.”

Nolan glares at him. “Get ready or you seriously will be late.”

Tanner plops down in front of his locker. He kicks off his shoes. “Do you want to know the secret to women?”

I growl. The last person I want explaining the ‘secret’ to women is Tanner. He’s one of the biggest players in the NFL. He’s pretending to be good now by dating a local journalist. But he’s going to mess that up soon enough. He always does.

“Don’t,” I grumble.

Tanner ignores me. “Women are mysterious.”

Jace nods. “How mysterious?”

“Nobody knows. Scientists have been trying to figure it out for years.”

Jace laughs and I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Please stop educating my son.”