Page 34 of The Overtime Persuasive

A tall man in jeans and a Dominion hoodie looks over from the takeout counter. A wide smile spreads across his face when he sees Lucy, and he lifts one finger toward the employee ringing him up.

He says something to her, accepts a paper bag large enough to hold half the restaurant, and makes his way through the tables. He reaches us and sets the bag on the empty corner of the table so he can open his arms wide. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite Snyder.”

Laughing, Lucy hops up and bounces into his arms. “You tell Liam that too, don’t you?”

“I most certainly do not,” he laughs infectiously, automatically making all of us grin too. His voice carries the smooth cadence of someone who could make a grocery list sound charming. Dark hair curls wistfully at his temples, and there’s a relaxed ease about him that pulls you into his orbit immediately. That, my friends, is true confidence.

“Tripp,” Lucy says as she peels away from her friend, “do you know Vivian?”

“We met the other night, after practice.” He gives her a nod. “Ty’s better half, yes?”

“You’re my favorite new guy,” she teases, her smile growing fond.

“And, this is another good friend of mine.” Lucy gestures toward me. “This is Eva Barlow.”

Tripp’s attention shifts to me and he offers his hand. “Jonathan Mercer. Everybody calls me Tripp.”

“Nice to meet you.” I shake it. “Eva.”

Tripp glances at the spread beginning to fill our table. “Y’all ordered well.”

“Lucy’s done the ordering so far. Our actual food hasn’t arrived yet,” I tell him.

He looks at the basket, then at Lucy. “Hush puppies are actual food.”

Lucy points at him, but looks right at me. “See?”

I smack her arm playfully. “I never said they weren’t.”

“Tripp is the person who taught me that these,” she says as she holds one in the air, “should be considered their own food group.”

Tripp nods. “I will die on that hill.”

“So did you finally find a place to live?” Lucy asks Tripp.

“Not yet. I’m still at the furnished place the team put me in.” He glances toward the windows. “I’ve looked at some places, but nothing’s felt right.”

“What about Liam’s house?” Lucy suggests.

Tripp’s expression becomes solemn. “Your brother and I under the same roof?”

“Why not? He has plenty of room.”

“He does. He was showing some pics of it to the guys at practice the other day. It’s a beautiful house. Nice yard. It just comes with a very irritating roommate.”

Lucy cracks up. “You’d barely see him during the season.”

“That isn’t the problem. Liam and I already spend practices, games, flights, team meetings, and road trips together. If I move into his house, sooner or later one of us is going to learn something we can’t unlearn. Not that he would even want me there.”

“What’s the deal with you two?” Vivian asks. “It sounds like there’s some backstory here.”

“We just…” Tripp grins, exchanging a look with Lucy. “I guess Liam and I are both very competitive, and the one person we like to compete with, besides ourselves, seems to be each other.”

“Until you ended up on the same team.” Lucy chuckles.

“I’ve also lived on my own long enough now that I don’t want to go back to having a roommate,” Tripp says. “I like my own space.”

“That part I understand,” I say.