Page 31 of One Pucking Life

I don’t overthink it.

Instead, I let my eyes close again, a small smile tugging at my lips as I drift back to sleep.

All the fear from earlier? Gone.

Right now, all I feel is peace. And joy.

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

DELANEY

Max just got back from a stretch of road games. The Cranes were on the West Coast for a few days, and the house felt especially quiet with just Caroline and me. I texted Iris, hoping for some company, but she travels with the team—and her husband—when they’re away, which somehow made my loneliness feel even heavier.

The guys dress up when they travel, and Max walks through the door looking mouthwateringly good in a dark gray suit. He greeted me briefly on his return before tossing his duffel in the mudroom and disappearing into his room to change. Now, he’s reappeared in gray sweatpants and a T-shirt that fits his shoulders entirely too well. If it’s possible, he looks just as scrumptious as he did in the suit.

He smells faintly like soap… and a little like airplane air, that filtered, oddly fresh scent no one else seems to believe exists. My friends always roll their eyes when I mention it, but I stand by it. Airplane air is a scent, and Max is wearing it now. I have to fight the urge to lean in for a whiff.

Apparently, loneliness makes me desperate.

He taps the hot-pink sticky notes on the wall above the kitchen table—our unofficial scoreboard. They're covered in scribbled numbers, documenting the ongoing battle that is our rummy game.

Max had suggested we play a couple of weeks ago while Caroline was down for a nap. I used to play with my mom, so I jumped at the chance. During that first game, neither of us made it to five hundred, which is usually the official winning score. So we slapped our running tally on the wall and have been sneaking in a round or two here and there ever since.

At this point, we’ve long passed five hundred. I’m not even sure what we’re playing to anymore. I don’t think either of us wants to admit defeat, so maybe it’s the kind of game that just never ends.

For the record, I’m currently winning—by forty-two points.

“Got a round in you?” he asks.

“Always have time to kick your ass,” I say, sliding into my seat.

He pulls out the chair across from me and sits. “You know forty-two points is basically nothing in this game, right? I could catch up in a single hand.”

“You could,” I say, raising a brow. “But will you?”

He picks up the deck and starts shuffling with practiced ease. “I guess we’ll see,” he says, flashing that charming smile that always makes my stomach do a little somersault. Then softer he adds, “Is it bad that I kind of hope she doesn’t sleep through the night tonight?”

I offer a gentle smile. “Not bad at all. You miss her. But she’s been sleeping like a champ lately, so chances are your reunion will have to wait until morning.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, then starts dealing the cards, stacking the deck neatly in the center between us.

We start playing, cards clicking softly on the table between us.

“Did you girls do anything fun the past few days?” Max asks, laying down three aces with a smirk.

“No,” I say, sorting through my hand. “It was pretty boring, honestly. Iris is my only local friend left—everyone else has moved away. And she was off with the team, unfortunately.” I toss a card into the discard pile. “I did try a new recipe, though. Chana masala.”

He grins. “IknewI smelled curry. You mean chicken masala?”

“No,Chana.It’s an Indian chickpea curry. I suppose it’s like chicken masala, but… you know, with chickpeas.”

Max lays down a card with a chuckle. “Are you seriously still on Chickpea TikTok?”

“Uh, yes. And considering the sheer volume of recipes on there, I’ll be stuck in chickpea land for a while.”

He shakes his head, laughing under his breath.

---