Page 58 of Home Game

“Why? Who is Jensen?”

Mica screwed the last nail into the wall for the curtain rods. “Noah is his best friend.”

We worked together in silence, hanging the curtains together. I felt bad for Ryan, but part of me felt fiercely protective of him. He didn’t deserve to be treated badly by his own team. Maybe Mica would be his friend?

Mica cleared his throat. “So, what happens after your arm is healed?”

I took a step back, admiring the curtains. “I go back to my old life.”

“Just like that?”

I shrugged. “Just like that.”

A knock sounded on the door. I almost tripped over myself to get there. It was Ryan. I squeezed out the door so he couldn’t see inside. He was looking down at me with concern.

“Hi,” I said.

“What’s going on?”

“Mica’s just helping me hang things.”

His eyes narrowed. “You okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Can I come in?”

“What about the big reveal?”

“What’s that?”

“When I shout ‘ta-da’ and show you the finished room, and you look amazed.”

He stared down at me for a long second and then he smiled. My entire stomach did a slow flop in response. “You want me to look amazed?”

“No, that look is just going to happen naturally when you see the completed room.”

“Why can’t I see it now?”

“Because.”

He took a deep breath and then gave another smile that almost knocked my socks off. “Is Mica behaving himself?”

I rolled my eyes. “You are seriously going to ask me that?”

He hesitated. “We are going to throw the steaks on.”

“Okay.”

He turned to go.

“This is good, right?” I asked him, referring to the fact that we had people over.

He grinned. “Yeah, not bad.”

Six hours later,Ryan and I stood in the guest bedroom. Mica was passed out on the couch, Dylan had staggered out to a cab, and now Justin was snoring in the middle of the guest bed. He didn’t even flinch when Ryan turned on the lights.

“Ta-da,” I said weakly.

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