THIRTY-FOUR
The Mischiefs losethe next two games by three points each time. I get my first glance into moody Colt. The charming guy with the ready smile and quick wit disappears right before my eyes. There were no words of comfort that I could offer him. After the loss of game three, I go to his hotel room hours afterward, and he’s in the middle of the bed watching the game. He holds me against him, but we don’t talk much, and I fall asleep almost immediately.
I spend the next day with my brother, touring a beer garden in Milwaukee. There are only a few texts from Colt, but I get quite a few from his mother, sending pictures of Evan. She tells me that Colt can be his worst critic and for me to not let him fall into despair. I thought she was being dramatic, but she most definitely was not.
There are tweets about me being bad luck or that his hair must be braided too tight and messing with his game. Worse was when he limped off the court at halftime and sat on the bench for most of the third quarter. Even though I was several feet away, I could sense the disappointment oozing from him. When the game ends and I meet with him outside the locker room, he hardly speaks to me at all. He kisses my cheek and tells me he’ll see me in New York the next day. The team gets on their private plane and flies back immediately after, but my flight back home doesn’t leave until morning.
* * *
It’searly afternoon when we land in New York City on Friday. Instead of going home, we meet Tara at Capital Grille on 51stStreet. It’s crowded but we’re led to a small private room when we give them Tara’s name. She’s already there with Ethan. He stands, kisses my cheek, and offers Alan his hand.
“I hope you don’t mind if I crash your lunch. I have to fly out of town for a work emergency and I wanted to spend a little more time with the lovely Tara Taylor,” Ethan says. He wraps his hand around hers and kisses it.
She smiles and rubs her nose on his, and something inside of me melts. I pick up my phone and send a text.
Me: I don’t miss you. I don’t wish I was having lunch with you instead of my siblings and Ethan.
I know he’s probably at home after his practice and massage, but I get excited when I see the three bubbles on my screen.
Colt: Who is this? Another crazy fangirl?
Me: If fangirls have your number, we have a big problem.
Colt: Queen Vee. My queen, my liege. I don’t miss you either. Under no circumstances are you to hurry up and get here.
Someone tosses a piece of bread at me. When I look up, Tara’s staring at me with a knowing smile on her face. Alan throws another piece of bread, but I catch it and eat it.
“Who was that?” Tara asks.
“Colt,” Alan answers. “Keep this one, twin. The accommodations in Milwaukee were very accommodating.
“Yeah, I’ll remember that, idiot. Oh, how was your date from a couple of weeks ago? You never told us.”
Alan sighs. The waitress arrives and we order drinks. Still tired from my trip, I get water. Ethan orders a whiskey, and Alan orders the same. I catch Tara’s eye, and she side eyes our brother.
“So, my date,” Alan begins. Ethan finally puts his phone down, throws an arm across Tara’s shoulder, and waits for Alan to continue. “She offers to cook me dinner, so I’m thinking I’m going to get to at least third base.” I groan and throw a piece of bread at him this time. “I put on my good blazer. The navy blue one that makes my shoulders look wide. Anyway, I get there, and she has on this yellow sundress that makes her breasts look perfect.” He holds both hands at his chest as if he’s cupping something. When Ethan starts to cough, Alan turns to him and says, “I’m a breast man.”
The waitress returns with our drinks. “Carry on,” Ethan says once the waitress leaves.
“And it’s not just the breasts that look good. The ass is so tight, I could bounce a quarter off it. She’s also smelling good. She checked all of Alan’s boxes. We’re drinking wine, sharing appetizers, and laughing. Every time she leans over me or the table, I get an eyeful. She must be doing that on purpose, right?”
“Obviously,” Ethan agrees. “Your sister does that to me too.”
“Please, man. I don’t need that in my head,” Alan says.
“But we need to hear all about how you’re lusting for this woman’s body? And you haven’t even told us her name,” I tell him.
“She who shall not be named.” He takes a sip of his whiskey and starts to cough, so I offer him my water. He coughs so hard, his glasses slide off his face. After finally catching his breath, he says, “About forty-five minutes after I get there, her brother arrives. Cool, right? Maybe he’s just stopping by for a minute to make sure I’m not a serial killer. I’m all about the sibling love. She serves dinner, an incredible paella that she made herself. She sits across the table from me, giving me a clear view of the girls.” He makes that cupping gesture again. “It’s going well until her brother, who was sitting next to me, puts his hand on my lap.”
The entire table pauses. I stare at Tara, who stares back at me until she turns and looks at Ethan. Then, all at once, everyone but Alan bursts into laughter. I laugh so hard, tears fall down my face.
“Are you guys done?” Alan asks a few minutes later. “Let me continue because I never want to talk about this again. I nearly jump to the ceiling when he squeezes my thigh. I had a semi from the view of the girls, but after the thigh squeeze, I shrivel up like a raisin.”
“Ew,” Tara says.
“You three really do tell each other everything, don’t you?” Ethan asks.
“Taylor three,” we all say at once.
