Page 54 of Love at Teamsgiving
“How do you feel when she’s around other men?” Redd asks.
My expression must betray me.
“Murderous,” Grady says, answering on my behalf.
“How about you with other women? Have you dated? Found someone else?” Hayden asks.
I shake my head slowly. “Not even close.”
He claps his hands. “We’re going to help you win her over.”
I should tell them I’ll pass, but curiosity gets the better of me. Must be a result of Burt Reynolds rubbing off on me.
Team huddle style, they gather us in.
“Okay, so what you need to do is be her secret admirer,” Hudson says.
“That might freak her out.”
“Trust me.” Hudson smirks.
Pierre adds, “Don't wear a shirt around her.”
Grady follows up, “Make her dinner.”
Then Beau says, “Lightly touch her shoulder when you say goodbye.”
They laugh at that one, even though he somehow must’ve wooed Margo, which defies all logic given their differing personalities.
“I don’t know, guys.”
“If you don’t listen to us, Badaszek will get involved.” Redd’s tone suggests this is a warning.
I stiffen. “What do you mean?”
Pierre explains, “He fancies himself a matchmaker on the DL. The down low. It’s his secret side hustle.”
I look around, confused as if I’ve entered an alternate universe. “Where am I?”
“The Fish Bowl, bro. Cobbiton, Nebraska,” Hayden says.
If I click my heels, I don’t think I’ll get home.
But home just walked in the door, swiping her bangs out of her eyes. I want so badly to slam it in Hayden’s face if only to save myself from what’s sure to happen because I’m a sucker. I know this and should fight tooth and nail not to let Junie back into my life. We’re bad for each other. So bad we’re good.
She wears two French braids. She used to practice on my brothers and me when she was in beauty school. Charlie purposely grew his hair long for this purpose. The three of us younger ones all had crushes on her.
I touch mine now. She was the last one to cut it. Her butterscotch brown gaze lands on me as if we’re connected by an invisible string.
“Is that the hater?” Grady asks, tipping his head toward Junie.
“How’d you know?”
“She has eyes for you.”
Like a pie cooling on the counter, I know that I can’t have a slice until Ma says it’s okay. That means hands-off. But it’s hard to resist temptation. My pulse does laps merely knowing she’s at a nearby table.
Hayden cups his hands around his mouth and says a long, drawn-out, “Boo. She’s wearing a Kings jersey.”
