Page 14 of Caught Looking

Apparently Seth wasn’t a health nut like my cousin. Rhett always growled about the empty calories I loved so much.

Dottie nodded, jotting his order down, then glanced at me. “And the rest of your usual?”

“Yes please. Thank you Dottie.”

“More?” Seth asked.

“I wasn’t sure how late you’d be so I ordered half my dinner when I sat down. I guess you obliterated Texas because I really didn’t expect you this early.” Or to look so damn good in sweats. His broad shoulders stretched the seams and the tight collar accentuated his strong neck muscles. The dark blue hood made the brown of his eyes more molten than I remembered.

“Obliteration actually would have taken longer because they would have put a position player in at pitcher and that always slows the game down. But yeah, we won. It was a quick game. Plus, I had a reason to get here faster.” His eyes crinkled at the corners.

“Rhett chase you out of the stadium?”

Seth laughed. “No chasing. But I didn’t want to answer everyone’s questions, either. We’re Mantas official, baby.” His grin stopped my heart. It was blinding. Happy. Gorgeous. “Everyone knows.”

I wasn’t sure if it was the use of baby or the fact that every single member of the Mantas thought I was dating Seth Butler that made my chest fill with nervous energy. This was all fake…and yet something about it felt very real.

And that made me anxious.

So I threw more gas on the fire. “Owen would like to interview you for the documentary.” I sliced through my pancakes, creating a grid, then slid the stack to the middle of the table, offering him a few bites while we waited for the rest of the food.

But Seth didn’t move. His face had gone white. “Hewhat?”

I shrugged. “Owen wants to interview Rhett for the family angle and then he asked if we werereallyserious and if we were then he should interview you too.” My pancakes didn’t taste as sweet and delicious as normal, but that wasn’t Dottie’s fault. Nope, that honor was Owen’s.

“He’s such an asshole.” Seth closed his eyes and took a breath, but when they opened, he’d erased his frustration. “I’ll do it. Tell him to schedule it through Leo.”

Leo Hancock was Seth and Rhett’s agent. “Eat.” I pushed the pancakes even closer.

“You sure?” He teased, those mischievous eyes dancing. The combination of soft and light made my breath catch. “I might have cooties.” But he picked up a fork and sank it into the stack of syrupy goodness.

“Do you? Have cooties, that is? Should I be worried?”

“Naw. I’m cootie free.” He devoured half my stack and set his fork aside while I finished the other half, sneaking in bites of sausage in between. “I’m sorry you had to see him today.”

I shrugged. It sucked. But what was there to do? It wasn’t like I could refuse to work with him. That would give Owen way too much satisfaction, let aloneammunition.And that man didn’t need any more of that.

“How was practice?” he asked.

“Exhausting. We’re playing Atlanta this weekend and the last time we played them they got in a lucky goal at the last second and beat us. Coach Summer wants revenge. Which is why I’m eating like a teenage boy.” Tomorrow I’d be better. But if I didn’t give myself these treats then work became torture and if I thought of soccer as torture then what was I doing with my life?

I wasn’t making a fortune like Seth or Rhett. I made good money, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to the millions and millions in their contracts. No, I played soccer because I loved it and because every advance we made for our sport was for a future where women could play the game they love for the same kind of recognition as the men.

Dottie brought out the rest of our food, covering the table in plates of eggs, hash browns, and more. Roscoe stuck his nose in his bowl of whipped cream and then passed out on my boots.

“We’re in Atlanta this weekend too,” Seth said with a wave of his fork.

“Yep,” I nodded, “Rhett and I are having dinner…oh shit.” I smacked my forehead. “We’re,” I waved my hand between us, “in Atlanta this weekend.” Rhett was coming to my game. Which meant Seth was now too. There was only one other weekend all season where we’d be out of town in the same city at the same time. I’d say it was a wild coincidence, but they played in so many cities, it was bound to happen by chance if nothing else.

Would we still be fake dating when our teams went to Cincinnati later this season? Would it be weird to go to Mantas games and see my ex-fake-boyfriend and hear other women drooling over him?

I shook off my wayward thoughts and focused on my food. I needed to stop wondering about our future. This thing between us was fake. A mutually beneficial situation. What did it matter what our status was weeks or months from now.

It didn’t. And I needed to remember that no matter how attracted I was to his body, to the way his eyes danced, none of this was real.

We ate methodically. I clued Seth in on my schedule while he made sure I understood his. We decided to tell people we started dating right after our joint practice. And that, like I told Owen, we kept it under wraps to keep the drama down until we knew we were a couple.

“I’ve never had a nicer post-game meal,” Seth sighed, patting his perfectly flat belly. “Just easy. Relaxed. I’m totally wearing pajamas next time. I’m sorry I chickened out and opted for sweats. They’re comfy but they’re not onesie levels of comfy.”

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