Page 28 of The Perfect Steal

“I’m driving. Make sure to grab a spot.”

I tried to figure out what she meant, when I saw that the couples had paired off and I was going to be stuck with Kate and Dax, as well as Ben and Serena. All the tall people in the same car.

Nate trotted over to the other car, and I was sad he hadn’t been there when we’d all walked out of the school so I could be in the same car. At least he’d be at lunch.

Kate drove us in her cute little crossover vehicle, and we pulled into a parking lot of fast food joints. Not my first choice as I preferred not to regurgitate food I wanted to eat after the season was over. I’d survived conditioning the other day, but I didn’t want to be throwing up my favorite hamburger during the last practice before our first game.

Everyone was laughing and holding hands, and I was pretty sure I could just die of embarrassment right then. Maybe I needed to start inviting Hazel to come around so I didn't have to worry about being the girl without a boyfriend. Nate and Colt were trailing the three couples in front of us, and I could see Nate was just as annoyed with the situation as I was.

“You have a game soon, right, Brynn?” Colt asked. He had always been nice to me, and John was a fan. That made him all right in my book.

“Yeah.”

Nate held open the door for us, and I thanked him. He gave me a small smile and stood behind me in line. We both leaned up against the banister used to guide the traffic of the ordering line, and I contemplated leaning over and nudging him. But was that too flirtatious? I hated that I kept second-guessing everything lately.

I had never seen him do something like that. He was usually charging ahead to be at the front of everything. Just another thing to add to the “pro” column I was definitely not keeping in my head when it came to Nate.

“Everyone I've talked to says you’re going to be the star of the show this year,” Colt said, standing in front of me.

“Ha,” I snorted. “That would be our point guard, Stephanie Hendricks. She’ll be the one to lead us to victory.”

“Who are your rivals?” Nate asked.

“Every Royals team’s rival. Groveton, of course.” I laughed, and Colt and Nate joined in. Groveton had been our rival for the past few decades in just about every sport.

The couples in front of us finally ordered, and we stepped forward. I waved the guys ahead of me. “Sorry, I still need to figure out what I’m getting.”

“Are you sure?” Nate asked, studying my face.

I nodded and waved him by me, getting a nice whiff of his cologne or body spray. It was something tropical, and I couldn’t help but smile.

With a glance back at the menu, I scanned, wishing I could get my usual bacon cheeseburger and fries, but that would be a mistake for whatever Coach Adams had in store for us today.

Nate and Colt got their cups, and I zeroed in on one of the salads.

“Can I get the Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad?” I asked the cashier, handing her the ten-dollar bill I should have been using for lunch the rest of the week. I was going to have to ask my dad for more, not something I wanted to do right now. He'd give me the age-old lecture of working more hours, which always conflicted with basketball now that the season was starting.

The cashier handed me back the money and said, “Your food has already been paid for.”

I frowned, sure that had never happened to me. “Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes, one of the boys paid for you.” She waved in the direction of Nate and Colt, but I couldn't really tell which one had done it.

I filled my water cup and strolled over to the tables where the others were already seated. We ended up at a table, Nate, Colt, and I, and I needed to remember to avoid my friends for a few more weeks until I could handle all the mushy stuff. The holding hands, the little kisses. It was all too much.

“You guys didn’t have to buy my lunch,” I said, glancing between Nate and Colt, trying to figure out which one had done it. I’d always felt guilty when people gave me stuff, but I needed to remember to be grateful. At least I’d be able to eat the rest of the week rather than powering through until I got home.

Colt looked like he had no idea what I was talking about, and Nate jumped up since it was his number the gal behind the register called. That was good timing.

“You have a tournament this weekend, right?” I asked, waiting for my number to be called.

“Last tournament this weekend. There will be a few workouts coming up after the holidays, and then we’ll have a bunch of tournaments before high school tryouts. But it will be kind of nice having a break.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I get that. I’m usually exhausted by the end of the basketball season.”

Nate returned, carrying the food for the three of us. “Here you go, guys.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking the tray from him so he could put Colt’s tray down. Instead of sitting next to Colt, Nate walked around to the other side and sat next to me. What was happening?

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