Page 31 of Spark
"Maybe two. And then you’re going home and straight to bed." Cam crosses his arms over his chest and the no nonsense vibe is at the same time effective and also hysterical.
"Yes, Dad." I nod and salute him. And brace for the ball I know will be flying my way.
Laughing, I lob it back to him. I am tired, but maybe I need this time with my oldest friends on the team. And maybe they need me too.
So much has changed since we first met. I’m not the only one dealing with things being different and harder. Cam has Olive, and while she’s awesome, being a dad isn’t easy, and Hercules is adjusting to both a new job and a new living space.
It might be nice to take an hour and eat pizza under the sunset, and pretend for just a little while that things are as simple as they used to be.
Reality will come blaring back at me when my alarm goes off in the morning and I’m staring in the face of another sixteen-hour day.
The sea of red tail lights heading into Center City stretches out as far as I can see. Traffic, which had been crawling along since I left the worksite over half an hour ago, is at a standstill. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken extra minutes after I left work to stop for a coffee, but I’m so tired, caffeine is a necessity if I want to stay awake for Finlay’s grandmother’s show, and I needed to pick up some flowers to give to her too.
I’m nervous enough about meeting her as it is. I don’t need to fall asleep in the middle of the performance.
Stifling a yawn, I reach for my phone, groaning at the ache in my muscles, and call Finlay.
The call engages right away, as though he had his phone in his hand. In the background, I hear music and conversations. "Hey. Are you here? We’re seated in the back near the kitchen."
"I’m stuck on seventy-six. Running late, thanks to traffic and to Charlie. It looks like I won’t make it in time for dinner with you before the show. My ETA is now thirty minutes, and it’s growing."
A half-chuckle, half-groan comes through the speaker. "Oh no. Don’t worry about dinner. Tell me about what happened with Charlie."
"He dropped a full box of nails all over the floor of the van and didn’t tell anyone. Raven and I jumped into the back to put away our tools tonight and we both slipped." My hands tighten around the steering wheel. Those first few seconds after losing control had been scary. "We were lucky we didn’t hit our heads on anything or sustain worse than a sore knee for me where it connected with a shelf, and a bruised forearm for Raven. Then we had to help him clean up the mess. I already have one scar thanks to him. I don’t need another."
"The scar in your eyebrow?"
"Yeah." I can’t help brushing my fingertip over it. "That time, he shouldered a two by four and swung around, not bothering to check whether anyone was within striking distance."
A low whistle comes through the speaker. "Wow. You’re lucky you didn’t lose an eye. If it helps, I think the scar is sexy."
A grin spreads across my face. "I’ll take sexy."
"Good. Again, don’t worry about dinner. Do you want me to order you something and bring it to the venue?”
“That’s okay. I have some food with me.” Instead of upscale Italian at a restaurant near the show’s temporary home, my dinner will be two of the protein bars I keep in my rugby bag.
“I’ll meet you in the lobby and have a drink waiting for you. They have a winery doing the wine bar. Drive safe."
"Thanks." I toss the phone into an empty cup holder and turn my attention back to the road. I’m really bummed about missing out on dinner with Finlay, Cam, and Aileene. I’d been looking forward to it all week.
Traffic finally starts moving. We crawl along and I remind myself to take deep breaths. In between those, I drink my coffee and eat the bars. Getting frustrated with the situation won’t improve it, a mantra I’ve had to repeat to myself often this past week.
After the longest forty minutes of my life, I arrive at the venue and find a parking spot in the nearby lot. Nerves tick through my system as I make my way through the warm night air. I glance at my jeans, brown boots, and pale pink button-down shirt, hoping I look okay.
I spy Finlay as soon as I enter the lobby. He looks amazing in dark jeans and a black shirt. He has a glass of wine in each hand and a paper bag by his shoes with a bouquet of flowers sticking out of the top. The mixed bouquet I bought isn’t as fancy as the roses he has, but at least I won’t be empty-handed.
When he meets my gaze, he gives me the biggest smile. My heart thumps hard and the urge to hold him is overwhelming. Seeing him is like taking another hit of caffeine. Instantly energizing. I stride toward him, weaving through clusters of people.
He holds out a glass of white wine. "You made it."
Our fingers brush as I take hold of the glass. I lean in and touch my lips to his, with less pressure and less lingering than I’d prefer. "Barely. My day just improved by one thousand percent."
"Cam and Aileene are grabbing drinks." He glances over his shoulder. "Here they are now."
I turn and Cam catches me in a bear hug. "Good to see you, Teo."
"Same, man." Smiling, I extract myself from Cam and extend my hand toward Aileene. "It’s nice to see you again."
