Page 15 of Hot Shots


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“You’ve seen that?”

“Oh yes. I’ve run into some sad situations. Each dragon’s metabolism is different, so be mindful and figure out what works for you two.” He nodded along with what I was saying. Without even asking, I knew that Charlie would be enjoying junk food with River.

“If you grab that stuff from the living room, I brought you some things.” He washed his hands and returned with the cooler and crate.

“First, the cooler is for Charlie.” I opened it up, pulling out the fruits and vegetables. “These are as fresh as you can get from my orchard and garden.” I showed each container to River so he could see the variety. “At home, I have a place on the countertop where Daisy has a bowl of water and her plate for meals.”

River pulled a beautiful pottery plate out of the cabinet, putting small piles of meat, cherries, and chopped eggplant. “Is this good enough for your breakfast, Charlie?”

I took the plate from him, tapped the counter, and said, “Eat.” Charlie jumped from my shoulder and then started to pick through the food. Letting go of the leash, I sat down at the dining table. I was confident if he tried to fly, I could grab it fast enough.

I tapped the crate on the table. “This is for you.” I smiled at him. “It’s not much, but I figured you could use it after yesterday.”

He slid open the box and looked at the contents. He smiled at me. “I don’t know how you knew this, but my family loves this wine. These reserve bottles are the limited ones?” I nodded my head.

“Those are Waterford crystal wine glasses. I understand that they are a fancy brand.”

“Thank you so much. How did you get this? I can’t tell you how much we will enjoy these. My aunt asked me for some bottles the other day when I asked her to work on her day off. Of course, they were just the red, not the special reserve. I used it as a bribe.” He laughed. “She is my assistant but still has the upper hand on her nephew.”

“I can get you more bottles if you want. I can get you a case of anything you want: white, red, or rose. There are still some available bottles of this reserve if you would like them. This batch is a particularly nice one.” I would get him anything he wanted if it meant I could get to know him better.

He looked at me quizzically. “Well, I won’t turn down Sun Harvest wine, but you don’t have to.”

“It’s the least I can do after you set up dinner with Joshua.” Like I had planned it, I got a phone notification. “I need to ensure it’s not ‘the office’. They know I am not around this week, but sometimes they still need to contact me.”

“I completely understand. If you keep an eye on Charlie, I will grab my laptop. I need to check in with my office as well.” He stood up and walked towards his bedroom.

I looked at my phone to find a text from Rodney.

Rodneydoodle: Joshua Turner? Is he a supplier you want me to meet or something?

No, the baseball player.

Rodneydoodle: Ha, Ha, Uncle Aaron. Seriously, is this a dinner I really must attend? Sounds like you and Mom are setting me up for an intervention.

I’m serious. You, me, and your mom will have dinner with Joshua Turner and my friend River.

I could feel when River walked into the room without looking up. I found myself drawn to him. If I hadn’t seen him blush and become all awkward around me, I would say he was the most confident man in the world. I’ve seen him be shy and reserved, and I like that part of him. It made me want to wrap my arms around him and protect him.

Sitting down at the table, he opened his laptop. My phone rang, and I smiled at River. “It’s Rodney. I just told him about Joshua,” Excuse me a minute.

“Are you kidding me?? Is this real? Is this some joke??” Rodney was yelling into the phone.

River looked at me. He could hear everything Rodney was saying, and then he chuckled.

“No, I am not kidding. River has invited us to join him and Joshua for dinner. I mentioned you might be a fan and into baseball.” I laughed at his excitement. “I’ll text you all the information, but we will be going on the tenth of next month.”

River mouthed. “You need soup?”

I looked at him,confused, forgetting I was on the phone. “What kind of soup? Is canned all right, or must we make something from scratch?”

“You’ll need a s-u-i-t, not soup.” He said more clearly.

“I have to go," I say half-heartedly into the phone, then hang up. I felt the warmth of his laugh in my chest. It filled all the spots in me that had been empty.

“Why would you possibly need soup?” He looked at me earnestly, like I would have a well-thought-out answer to his question.

“I don’t know, that's just what I thought you said. Rodney is thrilled. Thank you again for doing this. If you can think of anything I can do for you to return the favor.”