Page 54 of One Sweet Match Up

“Yep. With a lot of help.”

“You’ve been busy.”

He had, and he’d do it all over again to prove to Zoe he was there for her.

“Marc’s donating cooking lessons?” She seemed surprised by that. At least she looked surprised, but how could she be? She didn’t know him. Ah. That was probably why she was confused. “He was my business partner at the Rocky Top. He offered to come to Buttermilk Falls and teach a series of lessons to one lucky winner.”

“Oh,” she said and slid the postcard in her purse.

A bit odd, but he wasn’t going to dissect her reaction. Maybe she wasn’t into French cuisine, which was probably a good thing. The last thing he needed was Marc falling for Zoe and offering her a job at the Rocky Top.

No. He needed to work on being the reason she stayed permanently in Buttermilk Falls.

Over the next hour, they watched the game. She didn’t quite understand the rules or the plays, so he’d explained them, loving this impromptu time together. Who needed Mother Nature to force them together, he was doing fine on his own.

When the game finally ended and the people around them began descending the bleachers, he hung back, stretching his legs. “Mind if we sit for a minute?”

“Okay,” Zoe said, fixing her pink knit hat still on her head and mimicking his stretched legs with hers, his basketball now on her lap. “That was a lot of fun. Thank you.”

“It was, wasn’t it?”

“I think I got the hang of it.” She held the ball up in the air and aimed for the basket.

He brought his hand to his chest, smoothing his jersey. “You learned from the best.”

“So, I hear.” She laughed, bringing the basketball back down, resting her chin on it. “No. Really, thank you for suggesting we stay. I haven’t gotten out to many public events since I moved here.”

“Really?” He found that hard to believe.

“Nope.”

“You went to the Holiday Hook Up.”

Her lips turned downward.

Nice going, jackass. Why would he go there? Was he trying to ruin this perfect vibe? He quickly changed the subject. “You know . . . This was my favorite part after a game. I’d climb up here after everyone had gone home and think.”

“About what?”

“Lots of things. Whatever was on my mind. The win. The loss. What I’d have Ralph teach me to make. Before I left I’d make a wish on something I really wanted.” He grabbed the basketball. “And then I’d go down and take a final shot to see if the wish would come true.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. I’m not sure I knew any teenage boys who made wishes.”

“What can I say. I was a bit of a dreamer, but if I made that basket, I worked doubly hard to make that wish come true. I always wished for something attainable, not something like winning the lottery or marrying Cindy Crawford.”

She laughed. “So, your wishes were really goals.”

He’d never thought about it, but yeah, that’s exactly what they were. He shrugged and straightened his back. “I could think them out in the silence. It was easier to plan my next move when I didn’t have any distractions.”

“I get that. I think best without a lot of commotion.” She paused. “Although, I’m always alone . . . I mean . . . um . . . I live alone. No commotion.”

The sadness in her words made his heart squeeze. Was she lonely here? It seemed so. “Well, you’ve got me now.” He quickly added, “Um . . . I mean at the shop. I can goal set with the best of them.”

“It’ll be nice to have help,” she admitted. “I thought everything would fall into place once I moved here and my business started. When it took off this summer, I thought . . .” She sighed. “I thought it would be less lonely.”

His eyes met hers. Starting tomorrow she’d never feel lonely again. He’d make sure of it. Even if she wasn’t interested in him romantically, he was going to give his all to this partnership.

But right now, he wanted to make her laugh. He nodded to his left knowing what would do the trick. “I wasn’t always alone in here. I’d often catch Rachel making out with Adam over there behind the bleachers.”

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