Page 31 of Make Your Shot
“Mia, you have a little bit of drool on your bottom lip,” Andi teases, tapping my knee with her foot.
I clamp my mouth shut, not even realizing that my lips were parted as I blatantly stared at him.
“For the record,” she says, her voice low enough for just me as the kids keep chanting for Caleb to jump in the pool. “You can still have fun with someone who’s emotionally unavailable.”
“I’ve never been that type of person,” I tell her.
“Yeah, well, different circumstances call for different things,” she says simply with a shrug. “I didn’t plan on anything with Carson either and look at me now.” She lets out a soft laugh. “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t kill either of you if you end up falling into bed together.”
“I don’t think that will ever be happening.”
Caleb suddenly breaks out into a sprint, running and jumping off the end of the diving board. He takes perfect form, springing into the air as he dives in, plunging deep down toward the bottom of the pool. My breath catches in my throat and time is suspended as I anxiously wait for him to break through the surface once more.
He swims through the pool with perfect precision, not breaking through until he’s in the shallow end, roughly two feet away from me. He comes up through the shimmering surface, both kids hooting and hollering as he gives both of them a dazzling smile.
He shakes his head, brushing his hair from his face as his gaze drifts to mine.
Andi snorts, shaking her head. “I’d put all my money on it.”
Caleb’s eyebrows pull together as he looks at her. “Huh?”
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Tella calls out, breaking through the confusion as she bounds toward her father. Caleb lifts her into the air, tossing her into the pool before doing the same to Matteo, careful to make sure he doesn’t land on his cousin.
Caleb glances back at me, a smile drifting across hislips before he goes back underwater, swimming after the two kids. He joins in with their games in the pool and every so often I catch his wandering eye. As much as I want to ignore it, it’s undeniable that there’s been some kind of a shift. Whether it’s a shift into a friendship or some kind of a camaraderie.
Because surely, it can’t ever be anything more than that.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CALEB
“Cale, wait up!”
I glance over my shoulder as my brother’s voice calls out, slowing to a stop when I reach the door that leads out of the arena. We all came in for a morning practice, but thankfully we have off this evening. As much as I like games, I’m looking forward to having the evening to hang with Tella.
“Hey,” he says a little breathlessly as he jogs over to me. I push open the exit door and hold it for him as he walks out ahead of me. “You seem like you’re in a rush to get out of here. The guys were all talking about going and getting a late lunch or something. Did you want to come too?”
I shake my head, letting the door close behind us. The fall air is crisp as we walk through the parking lot to our cars. “I don’t think so, not today. Tella has a riding lesson later and I want to take her instead of having Mia take her.”
Carson raises an eyebrow at that. “How are thingsgoing with that? I feel like I haven’t really gotten a chance to ask you about it, but Andi told me about yesterday.”
“Things are going well.” I adjust my bag on my shoulder, keeping my gaze in front of me. “What did she say?”
Carson lets out a low chuckle. “Just that it looks like the two of you are getting along just fine.” He pauses by my car and I feel his stare on the side of my face. “She said you’re nicer to her than anyone else, except for T.”
Reaching into my pocket, I press the button on my key fob to unlock the door and pop open the trunk, tossing my bag inside before closing it. “She’s taking care of my daughter. Of course I’m nice to her.”
Carson lifts his hands, an innocence smirk on his lips. “I didn’t say anything,” he says in a low voice. “I haven’t been around the two of you to make my own observations yet.”
I narrow my eyes at him as I walk to the driverside door and pull it open. “There’s nothing to observe. She’s my nanny and she’s Landry’s daughter. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
Carson steps closer, his hand grabbing the door as I get inside. “No one said she was anything more,” he says, a frown tugging his lips downwards. “It’s also not a crime if both of you are attracted to one another...”
“I’m not attracted to her.” The lie falls from my lips with zero hesitation, the bitterness lingering on my tongue. “Not in the way that I would act on it.”
Carson’s face scrunches. “What does that even mean?”
“It means yes, she’s attractive, but no, I won’t be acting on it.” I suck in a deep breath, my lungs expanding before I blow out the breath. “I—I can’t.”
