Page 55 of Lucky Baller
“Nothing much to tell, really. We made out like teenagers and then fell asleep.”
“Huh.”
“What? Huh? What’s that for?”
“Seems I was right. He’s not the playboy you think he is.”
“Maybe. He says you can’t believe everything you read, and I trust him. He’s given me no reason not to. He’s picking me up at my place after work, and he just told me to pack a bag, so I guess I’m staying over again. Not that I mind. His bed is like sleeping on fluffy clouds. It’s insane.”
“The man in it isn’t so bad either, right?” She waggles her eyebrows.
“Not bad at all.” I laugh as her phone rings.
“Hey, babe,” she greets her husband.
I tune her out, not wanting to listen to their conversation, and dig into the bag from the café. Sure enough, he got me my cinnamon coffee cake muffin and Autumn the banana nut. “He’s observant, I’ll give him that,” I murmur to myself.
“That was Jeremy. I told him about Landon, and he’s going to send out a Tweet, as well. Hopefully, there are a lot of locals who follow him.”
“That’s great. Sounds like this event is going to turn around after all.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, the phone rings. Autumn answers, and I take the moment to bite into my muffin.
“That was someone who saw Landon’s tweet. They wanted to know what time the event started. Holy shit, Tessa. Maybe we’re not ready for this type of exposure.”
“Meh,” I say, waving her off. “That’s good press for the shelter. Hell, maybe we’ll even get some new volunteers because of it, too.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice? Just think of all the things that we could finally do. That ever-growing to-do list we could mark off if we had more help.”
The phone rings again, and I answer this time. More of the same… What time does the event start, and what time will Landon Barker be here? Autumn and I scarf down bites of muffin between fielding calls. By the time the volunteers arrive for the day, we’ve managed to do nothing but answer the phone. Maybe Autumn’s right—we might not be ready for a crowd of this magnitude.
“You know, maybe we should have a sheriff here. You know, crowd control and all that. I know it comes out of the budget, but with the way the phone’s been ringing, it’s probably a safe bet that having someone here would be beneficial.”
“I agree. I’ll call the sheriff’s department now and see if they have anyone willing to pick up a shift.”
I quickly give a rundown of what needs to be done to the volunteers and field more calls while Autumn arranges security. In a matter of minutes, Landon has turned this from an “I don’t know how it’s going to turn out” into “This is bigger than we ever could have imagined.”
By the time I pull into my driveway at ten minutes after five, I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day of fielding calls. While it’s not the physical work I’m used to, mentally I’m drained. In a good way. I never could have dreamed that one simple Tweet from Landon could bring this kind of publicity to the shelter.
Before I even get my car in Park, Landon is pulling in behind me. His long legs carry him to my door, and he’s pulling it open before I can even get the chance. “Hey, Freckles.”
“Hi.” I smile up at him. He offers me his hand and helps me out of the car. “Sorry, I still need to pack, and I could use a shower.”
“You can shower at my place. Rough day?”
“Mentally, yes. Your Tweet created a stir. The phone has been ringing off the hook all day long. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Don’t mention it. I got Case and a few of the other guys on board, as well. Trent is going to bring his wife, Luna.”
“Seriously? You’re amazing.”
“Amazing enough for a kiss? It’s been way too long.” He leans in and presses a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. “I missed you today.”
“It’s been like six hours since you saw me last.” I’m going for nonchalant like I didn’t miss him, too.
He nods, and the expression on his face is serious. “That’s too long, Tess.”
“Get used to it, pal. What do you think is going to happen next week when you have an away game?”
“You know my schedule?” He grins.
