Ready or Not (Ready #4)(23)

Smug bastard.

The waitress came by to take our orders, faltering when her eyes stumbled on Jackson. She quickly righted herself when she saw me. She must have assumed Noah, Jackson and me made a happy little family. I didn’t bother correcting her. She could keep her eyes to herself.

She needed to learn to be professional. That was the only reason I wanted her to stop eye-f*cking Jackson, and damn it, I was sticking to that lie.

Both men ordered a slice of cheese pizza, and I managed to keep my snicker to a minimum.

“And for you, ma’am?” Miss Perky asked.

“I’ll have the veggie calzone,” I answered.

The waitress finished up and walked away. I couldn’t help but look up to see if Jackson was watching her very obvious saunter into the kitchen.

His eyes were trained on me, and it gave me chills.

“So, you don’t eat meat? Like, ever?” Noah asked, breaking our connection.

“Um…what? Oh no. I haven’t for years.”

“Why? That’s kind of weird,” he said.

I laughed. I loved the raw honesty of a child. While most adults kept their opinions to themselves, only to voice them when in the restroom or after leaving for the evening, kids would be upfront—no pettiness, no games. It was refreshing.

“I guess I just don’t like it,” I answered.

“Not even steak? My dad makes the best steak.”

“I bet he does, but no, especially not steak.”

“Someday,” Jackson said, “I’ll get you to eat one of my steaks, and when I feed it to you, it will be the best damn meal of your life.”

His voice deepened, and I wondered if the offer came with the option to lick his fingers clean as well.

“Better than Thai?” I asked, trying to keep my brain out of the deep gutter I’d created.

“Way better than Thai.” His lopsided grin nearly had me but I refused to be charmed.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” I mocked his pet name from earlier, “never going to happen.”

Our food arrived just then, and the conversation quickly died to a minimum as food became the main focus. I did manage to get Noah to talk about school a bit.

“Are you excited?” I asked between bites.

“I guess.” He shrugged.

“That’s about all I can get out of him, too,” Jackson said.

He had already managed to polish off his extra-large slice of pizza while I was still only three bites into mine.

I gave Jackson a wink. He’s just playing it cool, I mouthed.

We finished up lunch, and being the Southern gentleman he was, Jackson insisted on paying.

“Are you sure? I can pay for my part,” I said.

He stole the check out of my hand right after the waitress had placed it on the table.

“I asked you to join us, so it’s my treat,” he pressed.

“Okay,” I relented. “Thank you.”

His eyes met mine once more, and he gave a brief nod.

“Where are we off to next, tour guide?”

“If our next stop doesn’t amaze you, I don’t know what will.”

~Jackson~

Liv pulled the car into the parking spot and cut the engine.

“Is this what I think it is?” I asked.

“It depends on what you think this is,” she mocked.

“Are we at the training camp for the Washington Redskins?” I looked around, watching families pile out of their cars, covered in burgundy jerseys.

“Why then, yes, Jackson, this is in fact exactly what you think it is.” She smiled.

“Holy shit,” Noah whispered from the backseat.

“Noah!” I scolded even though I had been about to say the same thing. The little nut had just beaten me to it.

“Did you not know the team trained here during the summer?” Liv asked.

We climbed out of her tiny car, the one she’d insisted on driving because mine was, as she’d put it, “a gas-guzzling ozone killer.”

I helped her pull a few things from the trunk. The woman had come prepared with blankets, a few chairs, and even a picnic basket and cooler.

“I knew. I mean, I heard from a few guys at work that the team practiced here.”

“It’s a big thing for the local fans. They’ve only been training in Richmond for a couple of years, and it’s become one of the biggest events of the summer. We just need a ticket to get in,” she said, waving her hand in the air, “which we have.” She dove into her tiny purse and produced a printed piece of paper from its depths.

I grabbed it and saw it was indeed the golden ticket to get us in. She stole it back just as we reached the gate and as if the gates of heaven were opening up, they let us proceed forward, and make our way to the field.

“Whoa! Dad, look!” Noah exclaimed, pointing ahead, as the first string made their way across the grass.

“This is amazing, Liv. Seriously. I would never have thought of this.”

“I know. All the chemicals in your brain from that crappy food you eat clog the thought process.”

I looked over at her and watched the serious face she was trying to uphold melt into a fit of laughter.

“I’m kidding!” She giggled. “Mostly. Come on, let’s go, counselor.”

Watching a training practice was light years different than seeing an actual game. There was no stadium or huge jumbotrons advertising various sponsors and vendors. It was simple and gave real fans the opportunity to see behind the scenes.