Catching Summer (Second Chances #6)(8)
“I’m sure you’ll live if I do. You’re a big boy.”
He chuckled. “All right, smart-ass. Let’s see how you react when it’s my turn to practice on you.”
Eyes wide, I tried to comment but only managed to look like a fish while he laughed at me. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
—
Once CPR training was over, Evan and Derek joined the other players on the field and I strolled with Kate to her car. The training had been a little hard with her big belly in the way, but she got through it with grace. “You did good with my brother. It’s nice to see others pick on him like I do.”
Smiling, I opened her car door for her. “Your brother’s a nice guy.”
“Until you piss him off,” she added.
“Well, I’ll make sure I don’t do that. I’ve watched some of the games, so I know how vicious they can be. I’m used to contact sports.”
She got in her car and shifted her attention to the guys on the field. Blowing out a tired breath, she rubbed her belly. “It’s scary sometimes knowing they can get hurt at any moment. I like being able to help them, though. They’re my family.”
The guys dispersed and Cooper started toward us, all sweaty and covered in dirt. The way he looked at Kate reminded me so much of the way Austin would look at me. I missed how that felt, to know that someone could love you so deeply. “So how did it go?” he asked, coming to stand by the car door. “I heard Derek wanted to get his ass beat.”
Kate and I both laughed. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I don’t think he’ll want to practice with me anymore.”
“Why is that?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, she kind of made him sick with blowing her onion breath on him. I thought it was a genius plan.”
Kate shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? The guy deserved it. As soon as we had a break, I ran right out to the snack machine and grabbed a bag of Funyuns. They weren’t the healthiest things to eat, but the look on his face was priceless when he got a good whiff.”
Cooper belted out a laugh. “Holy shit, that’s awesome. I wish I could’ve seen it.”
Evan and I had both sat there and watched it all play out. Kate offered to let me eat some, but I wasn’t about to do that to him. The only thing I practiced on him was my hand placement. We both practiced mainly on the mannequins. “It was hilarious,” I added. Before Evan and the other players could join us in the parking lot, I took a step toward my car. “So, do I meet you here tomorrow, Kate?” I asked hurriedly.
She shook her head. “No, you and Lara are going to come over to my house for breakfast. I can fill you in on everything then. Is that okay? I know you need to get to work.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. We’ll be there.” As quickly as I could, I jumped in my car and pulled out of the parking lot. Evan stopped by Kate and Cooper and waved at me when I drove past; I smiled and waved back. The feelings in my stomach returned and I tried to ignore them, but I couldn’t. Evan sparked something inside of me that I had thought was dead. It scared the living hell out of me, but it was also exciting.
—
It was late afternoon by the time I got to the restaurant, and, thankfully, I beat the dinner crowd. I sent Lara home and joined Grayson at the bar. He poured me a glass of wine and winked beneath an auburn brow, his emerald eyes reminding me so much of Austin’s. “Why do you insist on being here twenty-four/seven? I’m perfectly capable of handling this place on my own,” he informed me. “I am co-owner, after all.”
I took a sip of wine and glanced around the restaurant. “It’s the only place I feel a connection to Austin. This was his dream.”
Reaching over, he grabbed my hand and squeezed. “But you have dreams as well. Make sure you don’t forget that. Austin would want you to be happy.”
I squeezed his hand back. “I am happy. Today was a good day. And don’t worry, I’m going to be spending some time away. Being with Kate and the team today was refreshing.” Change was always a scary thing, but being with the players made me feel alive. I laughed more with them than I had in a really long time.
“Hello, hello,” a voice called out. I turned to see Delaney bouncing through the door, already dressed in her black skirt and white button-down with her long brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She was a senior in high school, trying to save money for when she headed off to college.
“How was school?” I asked her as she passed.
“Eh, so-so. It’s the beginning of the school year, so not much is going on just yet. I’m going to put my stuff in the back and clock in before I’m officially late.” She rushed off to the back and disappeared.
Smiling, I turned back to Grayson. “I’m glad Lara hired her. I was a little nervous when I gave her the reins on bringing in more staff.”
“See, I told you. Everything can be handled just perfectly without you here.”
“What about you? Don’t you want a life outside of this place?”
“I do,” he said, pouring a little more wine in my glass, “but my time will come. I like being here with you…and with Lara,” he added quickly.
“Ah, I see.” By the look in his eyes, I finally understood what was going on. No wonder he always wanted to stay late and help Lara close up the restaurant.