Page 50 of Exposed

“Sweet boy, please put on some clothes. We have company.”

“Aunt Kennedy? She doesn’t care. I don’t have to wear pants.”

“No, it’s…”

“My abuelo is here again! I need my hat!”

I heard little footsteps and he ran out into the hallway butt naked except for an old-fashioned, brimmed hat. But he stopped when he saw me in the doorway of Brooklyn’s room.

I knew this kid. I’d thought Tanner had kidnapped him. This time when the boy looked up at me, his hat was pushed back. And I got a good look at his face. He had Brooklyn’s nose.

“Oh.” He smiled up at me.

He had Brooklyn’s smile too.

“Jacob, this is my friend Matt,” Brooklyn said.

“Hiya, Coach,” Jacob said.

I stared at him.

“I thought you were Abuelo. Can we play football?”

“Wait, do you two already know each other?” Brooklyn asked. She looked as confused as I felt.

“He lives with Abuelo in his castle. With the angry little man. Right, Coach?”

“Yeah…” I looked back at Brooklyn.

“What angry little man?” she asked.

I was assuming he meant Nigel. And I loved that description of him. Nigel had been rather perturbed about the fact that he wasn’t the most adorable boy in the room or something equally disturbing. “It’s a long story. But I was staying with Tanner while this place was on the market.” I didn’t want to go into any Poppy details right now. “Tanner was watching him last night. I’m sorry…how is he Tanner’s grandson?”

“Jacob met my dad and he liked him about as much as I do. And Mrs. Alcaraz is teaching him some Spanish…”

“Sí,” Jacob said. “I don’t like my other abuelo. I like Abuelo Tanner. Why are you so dirty? Were you already playing football? Where’s the ball?”

“Oh…um…” I cleared my throat. “I left it in the car.”

“I’ll go get mine.” He ran back into his room.

Brooklyn looked up at me with a smile on her face. “It looks like he already likes you,Coach.”

Jacob ran back out into the hall carrying a football under his arm, like a perfect little running back.

“Nope,” Brooklyn said and picked him up. “If we’re going outside you at least need socks and pants.”

“Nooooo.”

I smiled. That was the cutest, drawn out no I’d ever heard.

“Yes,” Brooklyn said.

“No hablo inglés.”

“Yes you do speak English. And you also wear pants.”

This kid was about as stubborn as Scarlett. And Brooklyn was right, he already seemed to like me. And if he wanted to play football? That sounded a lot better than playing Barbies.

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