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“Thankfully, not during the school year. Her boyfriend’s parents are putting her up during school so she doesn’t have to transfer or make the drive every day. I think it’s because they know what it’s like at our house through their son, Dane.” She tugged on my hand, not giving me time to ask anything else about her sister, Dane, or the divorce. “Tell me about you. They may quiz us, and I would rather be prepared.”
“What’s to tell? You know about Shane, my twin. I’ve got two cousins that go here that are more like brothers to me. Damon is the same age as my brother and me, and Cole is a year older. We were raised in a single-parent household. My mom is a nurse.”
“Okay, and your major? I already know you’re a quarterback because it’s impossible not to know that.”
I snorted. “I’ve seen you with Piper”—one of the girls we went to high school with who had a massive crush on Cole—“and I’m sure she’s told you plenty.” Maybe. Piper seemed to be moving on from her obsession with my cousin. And she hadn’t joined the cheer team, which had surprised us all.
“Not your major.”
That was something Piper wouldn’t know. Neither did I. “Undecided. What’s yours?”
“Art and marketing.” She shrugged. “Probably both.”
“What kind of art?” A breeze stirred her hair, lifting it and the scent of strawberries and vanilla until I was drowning in it, craving to touch her. An image flashed in my mind of my hand fisted in the silky strands. It was going to be a difficult couple of hours.
“Mostly 2D. Sketching. Remember my surfboard?”
“Pink and silver?” The design had caught my eye, silver waves with birds coasting above the curl that looked like they were roaring off the board, almost three-dimensional.
She nodded. “I drew that.”
“That’s cool.” Her surfboard was awesome. I’d thought it was a custom design, not something she did on her own. This chick was just full of surprises. I bet she could get a job designing board art at any of the surfing companies. She didn’t even need the degree.
She shrugged, and I realized I was still holding her hand.What the fuck?I severed the connection instantly. It was dangerous for me to lose my focus. I had plans. If anyone could derail me, she could.
“I want to open my own company. Or maybe work on commission for a while. I haven’t decided.”
We arrived at the diner, and I opened the door for her. The bell jingled as we went through. Aspen grabbed my arm tightly as she led me to a man and woman sitting in a booth by the window. I could see the resemblance right away. I bent down to her ear as the reality of our scenario was about to unfold. “What’s your last name?”
“Reid,” she said from the corner of her mouth just before we were in hearing distance of her parents.
As we reached the table, I shifted Aspen to my left, curling an arm around her waist. The couple stood, and I smiled. “Mr. and Mrs. Reid, it’s great to meet you.”
We shook hands. They were careful as I’d offered my almost-healed-but-still-bandaged right one. It was okay, and I would play again soon. After we sat, the waitress brought menus and took our drink orders. Aspen’s leg bounced under the table, and I rested my hand on her leg, out of sight of her parents.
“Call us Mark and Brittney.” Her mom smiled. “And you’re Phoenix? Aspen told us earlier today that you would be joining us for dinner.”
I grinned to put her at ease, noting her keen observation of how close her daughter and I were sitting. “Phoenix Bennett. Aspen and I met over the summer then again when school started. We’ve been dating for a few weeks.”
A gleam entered Mark’s eyes. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Thane had a few write-ups about their up-and-coming star quarterback. Too bad about the hand. When are you cleared to play?”
The waitress returned with our drinks, and I handed Aspen the first water before accepting one. I waited until the server left and flexed my hand. “I’m already practicing, and I’ll be in the game this weekend. But they have McAffrey in as the starting QB. I might ride the bench for a while. Especially since I’m a freshman.”
“McAffrey doesn’t read the field or have the accuracy you do.”
Aspen and her mom were talking amongst themselves. She seemed okay, so I kept entertaining her dad. “He’s a solid player. I haven’t earned a spot yet. I’m not expecting to jump right in. Don’t get me wrong—I would love to, but it’s up to the coach.”
Mark grunted. “It would be a mistake. I’ve seen your stats.”
I knew he was talking about the article about the team’s expectations and projections in the alumni journal, which had included my senior year stats. Bet they hadn’t expected the injury.
I was impressed. I could get on board with a father-in-law like him.Father-in-law? Damn, what is wrong with me.
“Cole Savage is tearing it up out there. Two touchdowns this weekend, another for his brother, Damon, and the blocks from your brother. He’s a tank, and we needed a player like him on defense. It was an edge-of-your-seat kind of game. I think that crowd spilled more than they drank, with all of the jumping to their feet and cheering.”
“That’s accurate.” Brittney stared daggers at her husband—or ex-husband.
I couldn’t remember if they were in the process of divorcing or if the papers had been finalized. I was pretty sure Aspen hadn’t told me. “Cole and Damon Savage are my cousins.” I steered the conversation away from whatever trainwreck was about to happen between Aspen’s parents. “We grew up playing ball together.”
