Page 52 of Go Deep (A Bad Boy Sports Romance)
Shawn rolled his eyes. Oh, this was going to be great.
“We’re setting up a mock company to coordinate pet shelter adoption drives in town,” Cassidy informed everyone around the table.
“That sounds exciting.”
“It was Slade’s idea.”
“I’m not surprised. Slade would never admit it now, but he’s always had a soft spot for pets.” She set her silverware down and settled into storytelling mode. I knew what was coming, and I didn’t want to hear it.
I laughed and cleared my throat. “Mom, she doesn’t want to hear this.”
Pops shook his head and kept eating.
Shawn agreed. “Yeah, Mom. I’m sure Cassidy’s heard it before.”
“No, I don’t mind.”
“Me too,” Miranda echoed.
Mom nodded. “Okay. We had this dog, Baxter. That was supposed to be Shawn’s and Slade’s dog, but he took to Slade for some reason.” She turned to Dad. “And remember we ended up getting Shawn a hamster to compensate for it, honey.”
Pops nodded and kept eating.
Anyway, Baxter and Slade were best of friends.”
“Shawn, have you tried the dressing?” I asked, hoping Mom would get distracted.
Shawn smiled. “I’m listening to the story, man.”
“I remember Baxter,” Cassidy said. “Yeah, he used to follow you wherever you went, Slade. Whatever happened to him?”
I decided to cut this story short. “Baxter died.”
“Oh Slade!” Mom nagged, upset that I’d spoiled it.
“He was a good boy. That was my partner in crime right there.”
Pops put down his cutlery and picked up his beer. “Here’s to Baxter.”
We all raised our glasses, and my dad gave me a wink. I could always count on him to step in when I needed him. He didn’t say much, but he had a presence.
“Well, I don’t know about y’all, but I’m stuffed,” I said, getting up from the table with my plate before Mom started up again. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be out on the back porch for some fresh air.”
“Don’t worry about your plate, dear,” my mom said. “I’ll handle those, everyone.”
“Thanks Mom. Is anyone joining me?”
“Sure,” Shawn said. “I could use a little fresh air.” The tone of his voice sounded confrontational.
The girls followed us outside. Miranda and Cassidy sat on the porch swing, and Shawn and I leaned against the rail.
“So, Miranda,” Shawn started, “what kind of folklore and mythology are you interested in?”
“Primarily supernatural stuff, like vampires and werewolves. Old witch legends and ghost stories are cool too, and Louisiana is full of them.”
“Nice. That stuff used to intrigue me for years back in high school,” he said. “If I weren’t so busy with my pre-med program, it’d probably still be a hobby.”
Cassidy and I shared a look while they started talking about old abandoned houses and some of the stories of haunted plantation homes throughout Louisiana. I never knew Shawn had a supernatural geek side to him, but he was letting that flag fly with Miranda. She seemed to light up at finally having someone to talk to.
