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“Settle down, Tigger,” Ford said, making his sister’s lips form a tight line. “I found Autumn one night outside my hotel room. She thought my room was hers.”
Maggie opened her mouth again.
“Will you shut up for two seconds?” Nash snapped. “Let the man tell the story.”
Maggie folded her arms. Beside her, Fin was laughing.
The brothers were big and dark, although Nash had more size than Ford. Maggie was nothing like them except for her smile. A short, red-haired dynamo with serious attitude.
“Autumn had a migraine. I helped her find her room.” Ford shrugged. “Not much else to the story.”
“He got my medication for me and stayed with me until I slept,” Autumn added, feeling like she needed to say something. “He was very kind.”
“Our mom gets migraines,” Nash said.
“Nice work, big brother,” Maggie said, getting out of her chair and leaning across the table. She waved him closer. With a sigh, he did as she asked and she hugged him hard before placing a loud kiss on his cheek. “Love you.”
“You too,” he muttered, sinking back into his seat.
Autumn swallowed her smile. The man was clearly uncomfortable but still allowed his little sister to kiss him and told her she was loved. She’d always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. Someone to share the good and bad stuff with.
“I won’t kiss you, bro, but I’m proud of you,” Nash said.
“Cut it out.”
“What’s the problem here, Ford?” That came from Luke Trainer, who had his arm around a pretty blond woman she’d not met before. Quinn Harper, the fighter pilot. Miss Marla had told her that. “You can’t accept a compliment?”
“Don’t you start in on me, Trainer.”
“It’s just a Ford thing,” Maggie said.
“Which means what?” Quinn asked.
“It means Ford does shit like that,” Nash said. “He rescues people and steps in when he’s needed.”
“You about done?” Ford Winter looked like a man who would rather be anywhere but here.
“If I can have your attention please…,” a voice called out across the bar.
“Saved by the man in the snappy outfit,” Luke said.
All eyes went to the man standing with a microphone. Everyone winced as he tapped it.
“He always does that,” Maggie muttered. “It’s tradition and a painful one at that.”
Mayor Gripper, who had come to her classroom on the first day and introduced himself, wore a suit in salmon pink with a black tie and shirt.
“He looks like a hip gangster,” Nash added.
“Teams, please add your names to the paper, and each round your answers will be collected. No cheating, looking at phones, or listening to other teams’ answers.”
“As if we’d cheat,” Jack Trainer said. He was the middle brother and seated at the table behind them.
“Why is he over there?” Fin asked. “That guy retains knowledge like a sponge. We need him.”
“We have two schoolteachers. We don’t need that loser.” Luke smirked.
A beer coaster flew across the table and hit Luke in the chest.
