Page 46 of From Air

“Then I second that.” Gary gives me a resolute nod.

“Traitors,” Fitz grumbles.

I follow him to pick out a ball. “Well, that’s settled.”

“Don’t think I didn’t see you whispering in her ear.” He shoves his fingers into a ball and picks it up.

“That’s a little too much ball for you. Size down,” I say, picking out a pretty six-pound green ball with sparkles.

“I don’t know how to handle anything but big balls.”

“Stop,” I snort, returning to Gary and Evette.

“You started it,” he mutters behind me.

Gary and Fitz show their ultracompetitive sides for three rounds while Evette and I sip cheap wine and see who can have the longest streak of gutter balls.

“He’s pretty smitten.” Evette leans into me as the guys hover around the ball return.

“Who?”

She nudges me with her elbow. “Calvin, of course. Gary and I have never seen him like this.”

I squint. “Like what?”

“He can’t take his eyes off you. He couldn’t the night of the party, and ...” She nudges me again to make sure I see Fitz making a glance in my direction as we speak. “We’ve never seen this side of Calvin. What have you done?”

It was just a kiss.

“I think you’re mistaking his distrust of me for something else.”

“Hon, I’m not mistaken about anything. If you both are too blind to see it, Lord help us all. This kind of chemical reaction will be explosive.”

I return a nervous laugh and shake it off with an exaggerated eye roll. But for the rest of the evening, I can’t stop noticing Fitz stealing glances at me so often it makes me sweat.

“Thank you so much for coming.” Gary hugs me after the last round.

Fitz watches.

Evette hugs me again too.

Fitz watches.

It’s a little chilly when we emerge from the building into the late-night air glowing from the full moon.

“Brr ...” I rub my hands together. “Isn’t spring supposed to be here soon?”

“It’s in the fifties, Beach Babe.” He chuckles, opening my door.

I raise an eyebrow. “This feels too special. What’s the catch?” I climb into his truck.

“Catch? To opening a door?”

“You watched me dig my Jeep out of the snow shortly after I moved here. You’re not the guy who opens doors for a lady.”

His lips pull into a lazy, lopsided grin. “I didn’t know you were a lady at the time.”

I open my mouth to respond, but he closes my door and circles around the front of his truck. He starts it and turns on the heat. When he moves to put the truck into gear, I rest my hand on his.

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