Page 32 of Kiss the Girl
“He stops by my office sometimes on his way out after practice. He doesn’t like to talk to me during school because he says it ruins his credibility with the other players.”
“He’s a good kid,” I said.
“He is that. Have a good one, coach. We’re almost to Friday. Get the football game out of the way, and you can enjoy your weekend.”
“Sure thing, Dr. Boone.” But I didn’t have my usual end-of-the-week tiredness, because Thursday was game night, and I was hosting so I could babysit Evie while Paige worked. And that meant Grace was coming over.
I had some prepping to do.
Chapter Eleven
Grace
“I have good news,” I announced when Noah answered his door.
“I can always use some of that.” He stepped back to let me in.
I glanced around as I shrugged out of my hoodie. The late September evenings were beginning to acquire a slight chill. “Glynnis came into the store today.”
“I thought you said Glynnis would be the most stressful part of doing Christmas Town.”
“She would be if she were still doing it. But she’s retiring. Said she’s getting too old. So that’s one less thing to worry about.” His apartment was small but cozy with a comfortable-looking corduroy sectional and a couple of framed prints of the Blue Ridge mountains on his walls.
“Nice place. Is that a guy requirement?” I nodded at the giant TV. “Get a degree, a job, then a huge television?”
“Yes. How else are we going to watch all of our manly and violent sports?”
A cute little girl with blonde hair in two braids walked out from the short hallway that probably led to his bedroom. She was in unicorn pajamas, and she climbed on the sofa and clicked on the remote like she’d done it a hundred times.Mickey Mouse Clubhouseblinked into life.
“Manly and violent sports, huh?”
He grinned at me and shrugged. “Evie gets what Evie wants. Can you say hi to Miss Grace, pumpkin?”
Evie rose to her knees and twisted around to study me over the back of the sofa. “Hi to Miss Grace, pumpkin.”
“Hi, Evie. What are you watching?”
“Mickey Mouse.” She waved me over. “Come.”
Noah smiled at me. “Better watch while you can. After I finish getting the snacks ready, I’m putting her to bed. She has a cot in my room, and it’ll take me about fifteen minutes, but Brooke should be here any minute for you to entertain each other.”
“Sounds good.” I walked around to take a seat on the sofa at a respectable distance from Evie so I didn’t make her nervous.
“I’m five,” she said. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-six,” I answered.
“Is that big?”
“I think so.”
“Okay.” Then she popped her thumb into her mouth and scooted over and curled into my side. “Toolbox,” she said around her thumb as Mickey called for something named Toodles. An animated toolbox popped up on the screen.
“My kind of show,” I said, settling in. I hadn’t spent a lot of time around kids, but Evie was so laidback that she made it easy.
I heard the sound of the oven door opening and a warm wave of something delicious-smelling wafted through the apartment. “Smells good,” I called.
“Potato skins,” he answered. “My specialty.”
