Page 77 of Caught Up In You

Felix shrugs. “I’ll try to call him. I’m all for giving him space or whatever, but this shit’s fucked up. Guy had a bad suit and a shiny badge and looked like he resented setting foot in the state of Indiana. Whatever’s going on is straight-up not good.”

Grace sighs again as Felix trudges away, phone to his ear.

“Hey, I’m sure everything is fine,” I say, even though it sounds very muchnotfine. Dan has been slinking in and out of town for months, taking furtive phone calls and saying absolutely nothing to anyone. If the feds are looking for him in Cardinal Springs, Felix is right—shit’s fucked up.

Grace shakes her head. “I highly doubt it, but there’s nothing I can do about that right now. I’m just trying to focus on this food to distract me from my brother’s troublesandthe fact that the final round starts tomorrow.”

Decker’s hockey team just finished a brutal battle in the semis that lasted all the way to the final seconds of Game Seven, when a buzzer beater guaranteed them a trip to the final. Since Decker is retiring at the end of the season, this is his last chance to win a Stanley Cup, and Grace is as nervous as if she were donning skates and playing herself.

I reach beneath the table and find the bottle of champagne, which is wrapped in a red towel. “Girl, skip the OJ. Go straight for the bubbly,” I say, tipping the bottle into her cup.

She smiles. “Bless you.”

And then Grace is pulled away by some of the soccer parents coming by to fill their plates. Now that no one is paying any attention to me, I decide to take a nice stroll down the sideline to where a very handsome medic is setting up at the center line.

Owen is wearing a pair of black joggers that make my mouth water and a neon-yellow T-shirt that saysmedical volunteerin large black letters.

“Excuse me, Doctor, I’ve got an itch I just can’t scratch,” I say in a faux-breathy voice.

Owen looks up from the cooler he’s filling with ice and grins.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he says, his blue eyes slowly sweeping over me. “You look like a naughty cheerleader in that skirt.”

I pop a hip and grin. “Wanna meet me under the bleachers after the game?”

Owen glances over at the small set of metal risers positioned across the field, only four rows high.

“I think I’m a little tall,” he says with a laugh. “How about instead I take you back to my bed and fuck you until you scream?”

My mouth nearly drops open in surprise. I’ve been getting hot and heavy with Owen since January, and it still shocks me that the mild-mannered pediatrician has a mouth like that.

“Yoo-hoo!”

And just like that, my vagina dries right on up—my mother is walking toward us from the parking lot. She’s wearing a pair of white cutoffs and a red V-neck baby tee, kitten-heeled sandals on her feet. Which is why she’s wobbling on the grass like a drunk toddler, the heels sinking into the damp soil with each step.

When she finally arrives, she grins. “Wyatt, hon, introduce me to your man friend!”

“You’ve met,” I deadpan.

“Yes, well, that was before he was your man friend,” she trills.

I huff out a sigh. “Owen, this is Libby,” I say, gesturing to my mother. “Libby, Owen.”

“Nice to see you again, Libby,” he says, reaching out to shake her hand.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” she says with a wink, and I want todie. I can’t even be bothered to hide my eye roll. “Now, Owen, you’re a doctor, so let me ask you?—”

“Oh my god,pleasedo not hit this nice man up for free medical advice,” I plead.

“Fine, fine,” she says, waving me off likeI’mthe one being unreasonable. She smiles at Owen. “Wants you all to herself, I see.”

I groan. “Go get food. There’s mimosas.”

“Honey, you know I don’t drink anymore.”

Did I know that? My mother keeps up a near-constant stream of chatter, and I’ve gotten very good at tuning her out when I’m forced to be in a room with her. I guess I’ve missed a few things. Then again, I can barely picture Libby Hart without a beer in her hand, so I guess I’ll believe it when I see it.

“I’ll let you two have your alone time, though,” she says. “I’ll just go make conversation with your other friends.”

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