Page 51 of Hot Response
“Lucky you,” Gavin said, maybe more wryly than he should have.
“Nothing changed on that front?” He shook his head. “Now that I think about it, it’s kind of strange how little I know about Wren’s family. She’s pretty good at changing the subject, I guess.”
“You said you thought she’d been through some stuff. Maybe it has to do with them. I wouldn’t poke too much. If there’s something to tell, she’ll tell you when she’s ready.”
“Yeah. And in the meantime, we’ll shoot some hoops with your girlfriend’s little brother.”
The way he said it made Gavin nervous. “Okay, but that whole thing where we talk about shit while we play ball? Like women and stuff? That can’t happen.”
“You mean talking about sex? That’s the only reason I show up.”
“We’re not talking aboutmysex life in front of the woman’s little brother.”
“Of course we’re not. Jesus, I was kidding.” Grant threw up his hands. “Seriously, do you think I was raised by wolves or something?”
“Hell if I know. You were raised in New Hampshire, so who knows? I’ve heard stories.”
“You are such an asshole.”
“You’re both assholes,” Scott said. “Quit running your mouths and get back to work.”
* * *
The next morning, Gavin, Grant and Aidan hung back when the tour ended since it didn’t make sense for them all to go home and then meet again at the gym. Especially Aidan, since he and Lydia had bought a house in the suburbs. She didn’t like getting up early after closing the bar, so Aidan was a regular at the Saturday morning games.
When it was time, Gavin walked down the stairs and outside to find a sleepy-looking teenager standing on the sidewalk, trying not to shiver because he was too cool to wear a coat. “Hey, Carter.”
“It is so early, dude.”
“Best time to shoot hoops. You get a little exercise in the morning and have energy to get a bunch of shit done during the day.” He nodded for the kid to follow him and headed for the lot where he parked his truck. “Plus, if we went home and made plans to play later in the day, none of us would show up. Going straight from work is the only way it happens.”
The other guys greeted them with a generalheywhen they arrived, though he did introduce Carter to Aidan and Grant, since they worked with him.
They played for almost two hours, which was longer than usual for them, but Carter seemed to be having a good time. He relaxed pretty quickly and even laughed a few times, and he got more aggressive with the ball as he got to know the other guys.
But once they had to hand the gym over to the next group, the others left pretty quickly. As they walked back to his truck, Carter relived some of the highlights of the game, and Gavin laughed at a few of them.
It had been a good morning, and he was glad he’d invited him. Not just for Cait’s sake, but because he liked the kid. They didn’t have a lot in common, but he was smart and funny, like his sister.
“So I guess you and my sister are hooking up?” Carter asked once they were on the road, killing the good mood.
Gavin tamped down the verbal cuff upside the head he wanted to give the kid for being disrespectful and counted to ten. Maybe that was what his generation called dating nowadays, for all Gavin knew.
“Cait and I are seeing each other,” he corrected.
“Cool.”
Gavin waited, but that seemed to be all Carter had to say on the matter. “She’s a pretty awesome lady.”
“She’s not bad,” Carter said, his mouth quirking up in a rare show of humor. “We’d be pretty fucked without her.”
He knew he had to tread carefully here, because putting his finger in Cait’s family business behind her back wouldn’t go over well with her. On the other hand, she had to know when she agreed Carter could use some guy time, that he might vent.
“I think you’d do okay,” he said. “I know losing your dad was a hard blow, but your mom has raised three kids. She can handle things if Cait finds her own place.”
Or moves in with me, he thought, and then he had to clench his jaw to keep from cursing out loud. Apparently his brain was on fast-forward, because they were nowhere near that yet. If they got there at all.
But, man, it would be sweet to have Cait waiting for him at home. Or to be waiting there for her when her shift was done.
