Page 34 of The Anaconda Downstairs

Mysterious... can’t wait. Should I be nervous?

I smiled despite myself. Even through text, she was cute as shit.

Nah, you’ll do great. You’re just about ready to graduate from the Everett Kingman School of Love

The sooner the better. For us both.

That is a lie straight from the pits of hell, professor. I’ve failed every class. I’m sure I’ll be enrolling for remedial classes next semester.

Oh, she’d passed body language without even trying. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard. I wanted to tell her how charming she was, how any guy would be lucky to spend time with her. But I was more chicken than Kylo Hen.

Trust me, you’ve got more charm than you know. Friday will prove it.

If you say so, oh wise love guru. See you Friday.

I tossed my phone into my locker and leaned back with a groan that got me more than a couple of looks from the guys around me. I put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a couple of rotations so it looked like I was just sore from practice.

This was for the best, I reminded myself. Penelope had confidence, it was just hiding for some reason. To see that she could attract plenty of guys would give her the boost she needed. Guys who weren’t her boss’s future brother-in-law. Guys who could actually pursue something real with her.

The thought made me want to call the whole damn thing off.I just hoped I was doing the right thing by stepping back. Because the more I tried to distance myself, the more I realized how much I wanted to be close to her.

As I pulled into my driveway after practice, I spotted Billy sitting on my front porch steps, his legs swinging back and forth. My heart rate spiked for a moment, worried that his damn snake had escaped again and was after me. Life as a celebrity meant I might someday have a stalker, but I never figured it be the snake next door.

But Billy was not scouring my porch in any kind of search pattern. He was idly tossing a football up and down in the air.

“Sup, Billy,” I called out, approaching cautiously. “Everything okay? Your snake is not on the loose again, is she?”

Billy’s face lit up. “Oh, no, Mr. Kingman, sir. Snakey’s at snake practice for her big music video debut. Isn’t that cool?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Snake practice, huh? That’s... something.”

“Yeah, Miss Penelope arranged it all. She’s pretty awesome.” Billy’s eyes were wide with admiration. “Hey, Mr. Kingman, I was wondering... could you maybe throw the football around with me? I asked my dad, but he said to go outside and play. He never wants to hang out and practice or nothing.”

Something in the kid’s tone tugged at my heartstrings. I thought about all the times my own dad, despite a crazy busy schedule coaching, raising eight kids on his own, and trying to keep our family thriving, had dropped everything to play with me and my brothers.

“Sure, kid. Let’s hit the backyard.”

I tossed the ball, sending Billy on all kinds of routes to catch it, until he was breathing hard and more than a little hot and sweaty, even in the cool almost-winter air. “Let’s take a water break, huh?”

He was about ready to keel over. “I can keep going.”

“I’m sure you can, kiddo, but I’m thirsty, and it’s important to stay hydrated.” I waved him over to the deck and grabbed a couple of bottles of water for us out of the outdoor fridge. I took some long gulps and watched Billy emulate me out of the corner of my eye.

Billy’s face split into a wide grin when he finished his bottle before me and crushed the plastic in his little fists. “You know, Mr. Kingman, Miss Penelope said she’s going to help me giveSnakey a better name. She said we could make it like a contest or something.”

“Did she now?” The smile that spread across my face couldn’t be helped. That was so typically Penelope, always thinking of ways to fix everything so everyone else was happy and good to go.

“Yeah. She’s really cool, and nice, and pretty,” Billy continued, his cheeks reddening slightly. “If I was older, I’d probably marry her. She’s not afraid of nothing, not even Snakey.”

I felt a weird twinge in my chest. Was I actually jealous of a kid’s crush? Yes, yes, I was. I nodded and looked up at the clear blue Colorado sky.

“She is pretty and smart too,” I agreed, trying to keep my tone neutral. “And it’s awesome that she’s helping you with Snakey. Having support like that is important.”

Billy’s smile faltered a bit. “Yeah, I wish my mom was more like that. She doesn’t really get the whole snake thing. My dad either.”

I spun the football around in my hand a few times, thinking. What would my dad say in a moment like this? “Have you tried talking to them about it?”

Billy shrugged, looking down at his feet. “Not really. They’re always busy. Dad says we gotta keep up with the Joneses. I don’t know them though. But I kind of think they suck. But don’t tell him I said that. I’m not supposed to say suck.”

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