Fallen Crest Alternative Version (Fallen Crest High #2.1)(16)

“Oh, come on, Malinda. You greet Mark the same way every time he comes home from school. You’re one to talk,” David grumbled, but the grin never faded from him. He held open the chair for me and I sat, grateful Becky was on the other side. She gave me a bright smile and squeezed my knee.

Malinda laughed as she sat. “I love my boy. What can I say?”

“Mom,” Mark groaned. “Come on.”

“What?” She winked at him and fluttered her eyelashes. “You’re so handsome. I have to take my hugs when I can get them. Pretty soon, you’re going to be hugging some other girl and I’ll have to fight her for you.”

Her eyes twitched as she glanced at Amelia, but the look was gone in a flash. I blinked and wondered if I imagined that as well? And then she held a bowl of salad across the table to me. “Here you go, Samantha. Eat up. We’ve already started on our first course. Would you like a glass of wine?”

“Malinda.”

She rolled her eyes and stood. “It’s sparkling wine, David. The girl can have one glass.”

“Well, maybe one.” David shook his finger at me. “But only one. I wouldn’t want your mother saying that I’m a bad influence on you.”

“I think we can all agree that she has no grounds for those accusations.” I blushed and ducked my head. “And I think mom would agree with that too.”

Something switched in him, and he was all smiles. The wall had fallen, if there’d been one. He reached over and squeezed my hand on the table. His voice was gruff. “It’s good to have you here, Sam.”

I squeezed back. “I agree.” And I sent a silent thank you to Garrett. I wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t helped me. How he did, I had no idea, but I knew he did.

“So, Sam.” All smiles, Amelia refilled her wine after Malinda had filled mine. “Where’s Mason and Logan? I wondered if they would come too.”

David sat up straighter beside me as I gave her a polite smile. “They have a challenger’s game tonight.”

“That’s right.” Mark perked up. “They always play Roussou, don’t they? I can’t believe they play them in their challenger game. Talk about violent.” He grimaced before he reached for the mashed potatoes and lifted a spoon full of them. “These are great, mom.”

She beamed at him. “Thank you, honey. Who’s Roussou?”

Amelia snorted. “Only their fiercest competitor in sports. If they could kill each other on the court, they would.”

“Honey, do we play Roussou?”

David’s smile was strained. He busied himself with the carrots. “They’re a level above us.”

“Oh. They are?”

“We’re a private school.” Adam was the epitome of a professional diplomat. Fake smile and fake charm. Malinda bought it all the way. “We play Fallen Crest Public because we attend schools in the same town. It was a friendly competition drawn up a long time ago, but FCP is larger. They play in the league above us.”

Cassandra had been watching the conversation. She lifted a shoulder now and cooed at the hostess. “They wanted Adam to play for them. They wanted him to attend their school too. Did you know that?”

Malinda’s smile slipped a notch. “From what I’ve heard, the Kade brothers are assets to their team, but better for us. We need you, Adam. You’re our star quarterback.”

Cassandra clamped a hand on his arm. “And he plays hockey too. Did you know that, Malinda?”

He bit out a laugh as he twisted his arm from her hold. “Uh, yeah, but football’s more my sport.”

“You don’t play basketball?”

He seemed apologetic to Malinda. “I don’t.”

She turned in her seat. “Mark, you do.”

“Um.” He froze in mid-reach for the ribs and blinked several times. “I do, mom. You’re right.” He glanced around. “Was that a point of conversation? If I played basketball or not?”

Cassandra plastered another bright smile on. She took the wine from Amelia, who had filled her third glass. “My boyfriend is their captain. Peter Glasburg. You’ve met Peter, right, Malinda? He’s their forward.”

Becky groaned next to me. Her hands switched from her lap, to her plate, to her utensils, and back to her lap. She hadn’t had a bite of food from her plate.

“He’s the one who dribbles the basketball down the court, right?” Malinda made a point to flutter her eyelashes across the table. “I haven’t been watching my son play his favorite sport since he was in third grade for nothing.”

Mark grunted and walloped a spoonful of mashed potatoes on his plate. “My mom was my first coach. She played in college.” He grimaced. “If you want your asses handed to you, play horse against her. She always wins.”

Cassandra’s laugh sounded strangled. “You don’t say.”

Amelia blinked and beamed. “I’d love to learn basketball, Malinda. You could coach me.”

The older woman’s smile slipped, and she rested back in her seat. “Oh, dear. Those days are long gone for me now. I wouldn’t know how to even spell horse anymore.”

“You beat me last weeken—” Mark started to say.

“Try some gravy with those, son.” Malinda stuffed a spoonful in his mouth, and he jerked back, sputtering from the onslaught. She sat back with a contented smile and raised her eyebrows across the table. “You were saying, dear?”