Page 9

Chapter Nine

Travis

C an an eleven-year-old be a matchmaker?

That question swirled in my mind as I sat across from Mallow at Brown’s Social House.

Fortunately, the place was somewhere between dive bar and five-star dining.

Perhaps a little closer to the latter, but I’d survive.

Everyone else wore jeans with various types of footwear.

We’d all shed our outerwear, and now I was pleased I’d put on a clean henley.

Dodge, my friend at work, claimed the color matched my eyes.

Well, our coworker, Annabelle, had pointed it out, and Dodge repeated it, so that meant two people liked it.

Right?

I just didn’t know.

Cassandra sat primly next to me and pointed to the menu. “They really do make amazing burgers, but their bowls are exceptional.”

Exceptional? I wasn’t certain I’d ever used that word in my life.

“Bowls?

“The Southwest Rice Bowl is good. I also like the Dragon Bowl.”

I quickly scanned the menu. Black beans. Uh, no. My digestive system didn’t do well with black beans—something I’d learned the hard way. “How are the fish and chips?” Something to be said for going simple.

“They’re good.” Mallow offered a shy smile. “So’s the French Dip. Have whatever you like. My treat.”

Cassandra sighed. “Almost like a date.”

I nearly scowled, but somehow managed not to. “I can pay my own way.” Because I could. This place wasn’t astronomical in price. I could fit it into the budget.

“I’m certain you can.” Mallow tapped his shoe to my boots. “But I want to thank you for coming to the game and getting soaking wet.”

He wasn’t wrong. My damp jeans clung uncomfortably to my thighs and a bit of my neck had gotten wet when I’d removed my slicker.

My own fault—not paying attention. Nope, I’d been watching a certain fullback removing his jacket and showing off nice muscles beneath his tight T-shirt. “Yeah, okay. This time.”

Cassandra giggled. “That means you’re going out again.”

Becca turned to her daughter. “Are you meddling?”

“You mean like when I told Uncle Jason about the woman with the—”

“Cassandra.” Becca hissed the word under her breath, but still audible to said young woman as well as Mallow and me.

She just shrugged. “I thought you said we’re supposed to be honest.”

Becca sighed. “There is such a thing as too much honesty.”

Cassandra arched an eyebrow delicately.

Jesus, I can’t even do that. Now I’m jealous of a child. Well, she clearly verged on teenager hood, and I would’ve pegged her as slightly older. But then I knew nothing about kids.

“What are you having?” Mallow met Cassandra’s stare with one of his own. Clearly he was either braver than me or had done this before. Or needed his head examined. I wasn’t certain staring down that young woman was such a good idea. That being said, she could likely smell blood in the water.

“Tiki Tuna Poke Bowl.” She closed her menu.

I blinked.

“Some of it will come home in a container.” Becca smiled. “She doesn’t eat all of it.”

“Harumph.” Cassandra looked displeased, with a little furrow between her eyebrows. “I’m a growing girl.” She straightened and nodded to me. “I’m training.”

I blinked.

“I do track and field. I’m a runner. Building up speed and agility.” She crossed her arms. “I wish we had rugby at my school.”

“Uh…what grade are you in?”

“Seventh.”

I tried to do the math on that.

“I skipped a grade. School’s so boring.” More pouting.

Becca sighed. “Cassandra is…advanced. The school decided she might get up to less mischief if she skipped third grade entirely.”

“Didn’t miss it.” She ran her hand through her short hair. “I can’t wait to get to high school.”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I had the same attitude.” I considered my next words carefully. “I didn’t take school seriously. I was dumb anyway, so why bother?”

Isaiah tapped my foot with his.

“I got into trouble with the cops. All juvie stuff, but I wound up dropping out. I dicked around—pardon.”

Becca waved me off.

“Doing nothing good, I mean.” I winced. “Then my mom got sick, and I had to take care of us. I got a job working in a fabricating plant. I was making good money, but the shop wasn’t so good about safety.

” I gestured to my face. “That was me being inattentive and them not having proper safety protocols.” I blinked several times.

“I was in the hospital for two weeks and when I got out, I had to take my mom right back there. She died a month later.”

Another brush of his foot.

Cassandra frowned.

“Sorry, too blunt.”

Becca offered a small smile. “Cassandra’s grandmother—Roger’s mother—passed away last year after a brief illness. We didn’t shield her.”

“I miss Grannie. Do you miss your mom?”

Slowly, I nodded. “Yeah, I really do. I wasn’t the kid she thought I should be and by the time I tried to grow up, she was gone.

” I scratched my chin. “But I decided I’d do better.

Not even a speeding ticket in twenty years.

I work hard, pay my taxes, and stay out of trouble.

” I pointed to my face. “But people see me a certain way and have certain expectations. Some of those I can meet, and some I can’t. ” I glanced quickly over at Isaiah.

His dark-brown eyes shone. “You’ll always meet mine.”

He whispered the words, and I strained to hear them over the din of the restaurant.

“I don’t care what people look like.” Cassandra fingered her menu. “Like, it’s what inside that counts.” She nudged her dad. “At least that’s what he says.”

Roger, who had been in a deep conversation with Johnnie, turned his attention to his daughter. “Sorry, sweetheart, we were discussing scrum strategies.”

She perked up at that.

“Cassandra was just explaining how someone’s outward appearance doesn’t matter.” Becca closed her menu. “And how it’s what’s on the inside that counts.”

Roger caught my gaze. Slowly, he nodded. “Cassandra’s got a good head on her shoulders.” He met my gaze. “You’re…not what we expected.”

Johnnie nodded.

Isaiah coughed.

I shot a glance his way.

He mouthed later .

I nodded—truly curious, but also aware small ears were probably the most likely to pick up on nuance that might just go right over my head.

At that moment, the server arrived to take our orders. On a whim, I ordered the steak. I certainly had the funds to take Isaiah out for a nice dinner when we could be alone.

All through dinner, he kept tapping my foot.

I regretted we hadn’t sat next to each other so I could press a hand to his thigh.

Unsurprisingly, Cassandra had commanded the seating arrangements.

Much to everyone’s amusement.

Dinner turned into dessert where I tried something decadent with Oreos. Who knew a simple cookie could be turned into something so tasty?

Isaiah, Cassandra, Johnnie, and Roger discussed the game in quite some depth.

I did my best to follow. I really did.

In the end, Becca engaged me in a discussion about what I enjoyed most about my job working steel fifty stories above the ground.

Isaiah’s focus appeared split between the two conversations, although he left me to my conversation with the charming woman.

I encouraged her to talk about motherhood—a discussion I rarely got to partake in.

Most of the guys I worked with, even if they were fathers, didn’t share the intricacies of raising four children and being over-the-moon excited about the prospect of adding a fifth.

Oh, and having a husband who traveled often.

I’d assumed Cassandra would be roped into helping—and she was, on occasion—but Becca’s mother-in-law lived with them and, apparently, loved grandmothering.

Again, I might’ve thought that would be intrusive, but Becca’s glowing words made it clear her affection was true.

I loved it.

In the end, the hour was late by the time we called it quits.

Johnnie drove away in his beater car.

Roger, Cassandra, and Becca took off in their minivan.

I wondered how they could fit all those kids in that thing. I supposed there was a way.

“Are you coming home with me?” Isaiah snagged my hand.

“Are you inviting me?”

“Only if you promise not to leave me before saying goodbye.” His eyes flashed hurt.

“I…most guys don’t want me to stay the night.”

“I’d like to think I’m not most guys .”

I chuckled. “No, you’re definitely not.” I pressed my hand to his chest. “Yes, Mallow, I’ll come home with you.”

He grinned. “You know the way. My gate code is 2704.”

Four digits I could remember—despite how my heart rate increased and the tightening in my jeans.

The night drizzle continued. “I’m going to be a little wet.”

“Oh, I plan to make you a lot…uh…” His scrunched his forehead in an absolutely adorable way. “I don’t think I got that right.”

I chuckled. “And yet I knew what you meant.”

Slowly, he ducked his head. He released my hand, then cupped my cheeks.

Oh my God, he’s going to kiss me. I don’t kiss. One of few rules I had. Kissing was an intimacy I didn’t dare enjoy with anyone. Lest my heart get broken. Yet my eyes drifted shut as he pressed his lips to mine. I’m a goner.