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Dylan pulled her sleeve, and Abby turned toward him.
“Look, there’s Dad.”
Abby followed the line of his finger and found Scott squinting up into the stands, one handheld high with thumb, forefinger, and pinky extended. She recognized the ASL sign forI love you.
Dylan waved, then flashed the same sign back.
“You should do it, too. It’s for luck.” He gazed up at Abby with wide, dark eyes.
Smiling, she formed her fingers in the same way Dylan held his. Scott couldn’t possibly see them clearly from where he stood, even if he seemed to know exactly where to direct his gaze, but she did it, anyway.
Settling back into their seats as the teams lined up for kickoff, the woman in the row behind them leaned forward, into their space, and raised an eyebrow at Kelly. “Intro?”
Kelly smiled. “Jif, this is Abby. Abby, Jif.”
“Like the peanut butter?”
The woman laughed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly, flipping her long, caramel-brown hair over one shoulder.
“Short for Jennifer,” she emphasized the “if.” “It’s a nickname, but it kind of stuck. Like peanut butter.”
“Who are you...? I mean, is there a player...” Abby trailed off, realizing she didn’t quite know the right etiquette. Would Jif be insulted?
Jif laughed again, reassuring Abby she wasn’t. “I’m Coltan Pritchard’s sister. Hislittlesister, so my chances of being ‘with’ anyone on the team is approximately negative infinity.”
Kelly snorted. “Doesn’t stop you from trying.”
Jif stuck out her tongue. “What can I say? Some of those guys definitely put the ‘fan’ in fanatic.” She waved her hand as if she were too hot and puckered her lips in a sexy pout.
Kelly groaned. “That was terrible.”
Jif ignored her. “Welcome to the club, sister. And I promise to keep my eyes off your man.” She held a hand to her heart. “Scout’s honor.”
“Were you a Girl Scout?”
Jif grinned unrepentantly. “Nope.” She popped the P.
Abby turned back toward the field, a small smile on her face. She liked Jif. And she liked Kelly.
“Scott said you had a dog.” Kelly said, carrying the conversation easily. “Will we get to meet her?”
Jif leaned forward, a curtain of her hair dropping between Kelly and Abby. “Ooh, I love dogs!”
“She’s a therapy dog, so I have to be careful...”
Jif frowned. “I know. Jimmy said she did an amazing job at the hospital. I’m so jealous he’s met her, and I haven’t.”
“You just met Abby.”
Jif ignored Kelly. “Will you bring her next time?”
“I can’t.” As disappointment flashed across Jif’s face, Abby sighed. “But if you wanted to grab coffee later this week, there’s a place in Cannonborough we go to a lot.”
“Yes!” Jif pumped her fist and threw herself back in her seat.
Abby, eager to change the subject, took the opportunity to talk to Kelly without Jif’s head between them. “So, what do you do?”
“I’m in marketing. Advertising, specifically, but I also handle Finn’s contracts.”