Page 72 of Overtime

“Yes.”

“You didn’t accurately describe how hot she is. That’s a lot of tattoos, and are her nipples fucking pierced?”

“Don’t look at her nipples.” I glare at him.

“I mean, kind of hard not to when she’s all…” He gestures, and I slap him upside the head.

“For my eyes. Not yours. Do. Not. Fucking. Look,” I repeat, and he tries to look remorseful and fails miserably.

“Mom and Dad would die if they saw her.” He takes another bite of the cupcake she gave him. He’s not wrong. They’d hate a lot of things about her.

“She’s none of Mom and Dad’s business.”

“Mom still thinks you might come home and sweep Mary off her feet.”

“Mom has a lot of crazy ideas about what my future looks like.”

“Is Joss your future?”

“Joss is my friend.”

“Cagey as fuck.”

“You’ll learn when you get older.”

“I fucking know what a situationship is bro. I’ve had a few. Fuck I have one right now. Mom and Dad would hate her too, but you should see what she can do with fruit snacks.”

“She… what? Never mind. I don’t think I want to know.”

“Oh, youwantto know.”

“Who the hell are you hanging out with at college anyway?”

“Well, I’m not Mr. All-American Quarterback, brother. So I’m sure they wouldn’t be up to your standards.”

“I’m just saying you should be careful.”

“Trust me. I learned my lesson a while ago when one girl gave me head and then wanted to know when she could meet you. If you’d be at the next family dinner.”

I try to stifle the laugh.

“It’s not fucking funny. Living in your shadow. Looking like you. Like Joss said… sometimes it feels like I’m a substitute.”

“Not to Mom and Dad. He’s training you to run the farm in the summers, right? Wants you to take over?”

“I know you’re not fucking jealous over the farm. You wanna run the farm, and I’ll play ball for hundreds of millions of dollars while hot chicks wait for me half naked on my kitchen counter when I get home? We can trade bro. Anytime you want.” He’s half kidding but I don’t miss the hint of bitterness in his tone.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you on a farm. Wearing those cute little overalls and a flannel shirt. Hands dirty.” Joss grins, her eyes flashing between us as she senses the tension mounting in the room when she returns. “Ooh or better yet, Levi’s and no shirt, all tan and sweaty while you toss bales of hay around. Tell me there’s hay bale tossing off a truck involved. Please.” She grins wide and Cody laughs while I shake my head.

She grabs a cupcake and sits next to him at the counter then, asking him a million questions about college, his major, his girlfriend, and his hobbies. He’s thrilled to have that amount of attention focused on him, and my chest aches a little at how easily she makes friends with him.

An houror so later I’ve got Cody set up in the guest room, and I’ve pulled Joss back into my bedroom after she offered to go home and give me some real rest. Swearing up and down I got sleep on the plane, because I want her here with me tonight.

“I’m sorry the game ended in a tie,” she laments as she starts to get undressed for bed. “I really wanted to see him get what he deserves.”

“Better than a loss.”

“But still. He stole your girl. Was she there? Did you see her?”