AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He pulls me toward the group of uncles gathered around a small barbeque. He doesn’t bother saying hello to anyone. He pushes his way through them to grab a burger off the grill and shoves it into a bun before slathering it with ketchup.
“Eat.” He pushes the burger into my hand.
I’d argue with him I don’t take orders from men anymore. But my stomach growls again reminding me I’m starving since I haven’t eaten yet today. I take a bite and groan. Why I resisted eating this kind of food is beyond me. Burgers, nachos, all bar food is flat out delicious. Not to mention way cheaper than fresh vegetables in the winter.
My mother’s voice tries to remind me junk food is for the common people and not a lady, but I shove the voice out of my head. I’m tired of giving my mother real estate in my head. It’s about time I evicted her royal bitchiness.
Hailey and Suzie join me. “Here,” Suzie says and shoves a beer into my hand.
I take a sip. “This is yummy. A new flavor?”
Suzie is a brewer. She owns the microbrewery Shorty’s Brewing Sensation. For some reason, the loudmouth doesn’t like to talk about her beer. She nearly lost it when Hailey told Aiden she made the Short but Stout beer he likes.
“It’s my Shorty’s Holiday Brew. It’s spiced and sweet like a traditional holiday beer.”
I take another sip. “I taste ginger and cinnamon.”
She beams. “Exactly.”
“You and Ryker seem awfully close.” Hailey winks.
I have no idea how to respond. I want to be close to him. But I’m not sure how he feels. Whoa. Phoebe, you don’t want a man, remember?
“Imagine the babies you’d make. You’re beautiful, he’s hot. You’re a PI, he’s a bounty hunter. Your kids would be the best looking mini-badasses at the daycare center.”
And now I’m imagining a little baby boy with Ryker’s stunning green eyes and curly brown hair. He’d be a total hellion and I wouldn’t care one bit. I’d shower him with affection, unlike my own parents who never hugged me. A kiss on the cheek was the most affection I received from them and when I reached thirteen, the kisses became air kisses. In case there’s any confusion, let me state this loud and clear – air kisses are not real kisses.
Ryker walks over to our group. “Princess, we need to go find our seats.”
“He calls her princess.” Suzie sighs and throws a hand over her forehead and pretends to swoon. Hailey may be the one who studied drama, but Suzie’s the drama queen.
I ignore Suzie and grab the hand Ryker’s holding out. I wave good-bye to everyone before we start walking to the stadium. I notice most of the crowd is packing up now, and lines are starting to form in front of the gates.
Everyone is laughing and joking. I can feel the excitement in the air. I’m getting excited myself. I’ve never watched a football game before. I tried to read up about it in the library yesterday, but how can an online article convey the excitement brewing in the crowd now? Easy answer. It can’t.
The line moves at a steady pace and before I know it, we’re walking through the inside of the stadium. Judging by how my eyes are bulging out, they’re likely the size of flying saucers. There are stands everywhere. It’s like a shopping mall. I try to take it all in, but Ryker is moving fast, pulling me along with him.
“I’ll get you settled and then come back out to get us some beer.”
I tug on his hand. “Why? I can stand in line with you and help you carry the beer.”
He snorts. “You think I need help carrying beer?”
Um, no. But I don’t want him to have to run around taking me to our seats and then back out here. The lines are super long as it is.
My eyes widen when I realize I’m being an ungrateful cow. “I’ll buy the beer.” Should I offer to pay for my ticket as well? He asked me to come, does that mean he pays for the ticket? This is all very confusing.
“You’re not buying the beer. And you’re not paying for your ticket.”
Can he read my mind? “I didn’t say a word about paying for the ticket.”
“No, but you were thinking it.”
“How much does a ticket cost?” I probably can’t afford to pay anyway.
“Come on. Let’s get some beer. Game should be starting soon.”
Notice he didn’t answer my question. I open my mouth to ask again, but he cuts me off.
