Page 74

Maybe this was a bad idea, Mikey told herself as she watched the coach head her way to grab his stuff. Definitely a bad idea, she told herself when she saw the look on his face. Perhaps, she should let him know that she had to leave town tomorrow through a politely worded email?

When he absently muttered, “Good game, Campbell,” to her as he grabbed his stuff, she decided that he didn’t deserve a politely worded email.

“Coach Dilmore?” Mikey said after a slight hesitation because she honestly wasn’t in the mood to run any more laps. The twenty that he had her run before the game had been enough.

“What is it, Campbell?” he asked, not bothering to look at her as he shoved his iPad in his bag.

Clearing her throat, she somehow managed to force the words out. “I won’t be at practice this week. I found out yesterday that my family is going camping and I can’t get out of it.”

“How long?” he asked, still not looking at her as he grabbed the rest of his stuff.

“From Saturday until next weekend.”

“You’re going to miss three games,” Coach Dilmore said, finally glancing at her.

“Unfortunately,” she said with a helpless shrug.

“Well, I don’t see a problem with it. Have a good trip, Campbell,” he said, taking her by surprise.

“Thank you,” Mikey mumbled absently, unable to help but frown as she watched him leave.

That was it?

Seriously? Well, that hadn’t been so bad, Mikey thought as she watched everyone else start packing up. When the last straggler left a half hour later, she made her way to the athletic shed and set to work.

Chapter 33

“Are you ever going to tell me what you did to piss him off?” Jonathan asked as they watched Braxton through the opening in their tent.

“I have no idea,” Sebastian said, shrugging it off as he shifted his attention from Braxton, who had been glaring at everyone since his father dropped him off at their house this morning, back to the book that he was reading on his iPad.

“And you don’t care,” Jonathan guessed, not really sounding like he cared either.

“Who are you guys talking about?” Cole asked from the other side of the large tent that he’d claimed for himself. Normally they were forced to share the tent with their little brothers, but since Braxton decided to join them, Sebastian’s father had given Mathew and Joshua their own tent, most likely so that they wouldn’t overwhelm Braxton. Whatever the reason, Sebastian was thankful that he didn’t have to deal with his little brother and cousin bugging the crap out of him all night.

“Your favorite cousin,” Jonathan drawled as he gestured toward Braxton who was sitting by the fire, glaring at whatever had pissed him off now.

“I have no idea why he came. He never talks to any of us. He just sits off to the side, glaring until it’s time for his father or grandfather to pick him up. That’s usually followed by glaring while they do their best to kiss Grandma’s ass,” Cole said, shaking his head in disgust as he watched his cousin.

“He doesn’t always glare, sometimes he just stares at Mikey,” Jonathan said, drawing Sebastian’s attention to find his brother watching him with an anticipatory gleam in his eye.

“True,” Cole murmured in agreement while Sebastian sat there debating throwing his iPad at his brother’s head.

“Of course, the quest

ion is, does Mikey stare back?” Jonathan asked right around the time that Sebastian decided it would be more satisfying to use his hands to slap that smirk off his brother’s face.

Decision made, Sebastian tossed his iPad on his sleeping bag and–

“What are you talking about?” Braxton asked as he walked into the tent that he hadn’t been happy to find out that he was sharing with them and dropped down on the sleeping bag that he’d been forced to borrow from one of their uncles after learning that they were planning on sleeping on the ground instead of staying in a private cabin like he was used to.

“Girls,” Jonathan smoothly answered.

“What about them?” Braxton asked, sounding bored as he grabbed an iPad out of his bag.

“We were just discussing which one has caught our attention. I, of course, have professed my undying love for Mikey,” Jonathan said, shooting Sebastian a wink that was going to get him killed. “Cole has finally confessed his love for the girl next door and Sebastian was just going to tell us who has caught his eye.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Sebastian and Cole said in unison as they both moved to do just that when Braxton’s next words brought them up short.