Page 10 of Make the Play

“Yeah, yeah.” She rolls her big green eyes. “We’d better go before this one dies of starvation.” She points to her brother.

“You got your card?” Landry asks her. Corie holds up a credit card. “Finally, you’re going to use the damn thing,” he grumbles.

“We’ll be back,” I tell Landry. He rests his head back on his arms and closes his eyes. “Come on,” I tell Corie, placing my hand on the small of her back and leading her out to my truck. I’m taking every opportunity to touch her. It’s fire. I’m flirting with fire, but I can’t seem to stop myself. It’s harmless. She’s not someone I can pursue, but fuck me, I can enjoy looking at her.

I pull open my truck door, then wait for her to climb inside and buckle up before closing her door. Once I’ve slid behind the wheel, I turn to look at her as I buckle my own belt. “Where to?”

“I say we hit the bakery by the stadium. Landry loves that place.”

“Sounds good,” I tell her as I back out of the driveway and head toward the stadium.

“He’s glad to have you home,” I tell her.

“It’s good to be back in town. I missed Sloane, but I don’t plan to stay for long.”

“You’re leaving?” I ask, glancing over at her before turning my eyes back to the road. My chest feels heavy at her admission. Landry is going to be crushed. That’s what this feeling is.

“Not leaving, but moving out. It’s not Landry’s job to support me.”

“Come on, Corie, you know how important you are to him. Besides, he can afford it,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.

“I know he can, but it’s not his responsibility,” she replies softly.

I reach over the console, grab her hand, and give it a soft squeeze. “Landry loves you. It’s an honor for him to be able to provide for you. Let him help you. Stick around for a while until you’ve settled into your career.”

She’s quiet, giving me a half smile and turning to look out the passenger window. I want to pull this truck over to the side of the road and make her see that she’s not a burden. She’ll never be a burden to Landry. It’s not my place, so I let my words settle between us until the quiet becomes too much.

“So, how’s the job hunt going? Landry mentioned you had applied to several local places?”

She clears her throat and turns toward me. I watch her out of the corner of my eye as she nods. “Yeah, I’ve applied for a few locally. I’m hoping to be able to stay close to Landry, but if something doesn’t come through soon, then I’ll have to start looking outside of the Nashville area.”

“I’m sure something will come up.” I hope I’m right. It would crush Landry if she moved away. They’re the only family each other has, and I know he wants her close. Hell, all he’s talked about the last few months is that Corie, his baby sister, is finally coming home to stay.

“Hopefully,” she says, and I can hear that hope in her voice. She wants to be close to her brother, but doesn’t want to feel like he’s supporting her. I get it, but I also know it’s pennies to Landry, but I won’t say anything about it unless she does.

“So, there are seven of us total. That card of your brother’s is going to be smoking,” I tease as I pull into a parking spot in front of the bakery.

“Landry will be disappointed if not. I know how he eats, and I imagine the rest of you do the same.” She grins before hopping out of the truck.

Rushing to follow her, I grab my keys and phone. I race to meet her at the door and pull it open as we enter the small bakery. There’s a man and his son at the counter, and when the little boy, who appears to be maybe seven or eight years old, looks over at me, his eyes widen. I smile and wave, and he tugs on his dad’s shirt.

“Dad,” he says. “That’s Knox Beckett.”

The dad stops talking and turns to look at me, and his mouth drops open.

“Morning,” I say, nodding at him.

“Good morning.”

“You’re Knox Beckett!” The little boy bounces on the balls of his feet.

I crouch down so we’re at eye level, and he inches toward me. “I am. What’s your name?”

“I’m Zac.” He’s vibrating with excitement.

I offer him my hand, and he slips his much smaller one in mine, and we shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Zac. Are you a Rampage fan?”

“Yeah!” he cheers.

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