Page 63 of Racing Heat

I giggle. “Well, because all of my stuff is at my place and so is yours, we can get ready separately.”

“I thought you just said my stuff was at your place,” he teases me.

“Not what I meant.” I shake my head, still smiling at him. How can I not with the way he’s grinning back at me? “Lead the way.” I walk backward to my car.

“You might want to turn around so that you don’t stumble, again.”

“You have your shirt on. I’ll be fine.” I stick my tongue out at him before climbing into the Jeep.

Chapter Twenty-Three

~JASE~

Ilead the way to a pizza place by the stadium. Some may say it’s dumb and we should be making sure that we’re not spotted by anyone, but I’m not worried. By now, most of them have gone about their day, and no one will be any the wiser that we’re there together.

At least I hope so.

We both park along the street. I’m impressed with the way she pulls into the space with her Jeep. One of the perks of having a smaller Audi is that it fits into tight spaces. But she does it without issue and hops out quickly. I find her waiting on the curb when I get out.

“Hungry?” I ask her.

“Actually, I am.”

I wink at her. “Play on words?”

Cassie laughs and shakes her head. “For once, no. All I had was a Power Bar on the way to your game. I’m kind of hungry.”

“You’re not much for breakfast?” I ask her, getting little ins to what her life is like when I’m not with her.

“I had half a bagel with peanut butter. I didn’t want to eat too much. Running around and all the heat isn’t the best combination.”

I nod in agreement, and we head inside. The air-conditioning feels so good. I let out a sigh of relief. I know exactly what I’m getting. It’s always the same thing—a deep-dish meat lovers slice with a Coke. Cassie gets a slice of veggie pizza and a lemonade.

“Vegetarian?” I ask her when we’re sitting at the table. We have a red plastic number to let them know where our food can be brought.

“Nope, I just like veggie pizza.” She shrugs and looks around the restaurant before returning the attention back to me. “And when I don’t have to, I don’t like to eat too crappy. You know, save some of the calories for the good stuff. We can’t all eat artery-clogging food.”

“Uh-huh,” I say with a shake of my head. “It’s so yummy. How could I not get it?”

That earns me another laugh. I’m not sure why this time, but I’ve got to figure out what keeps her laughing so that I can keep hearing the sweet melody.

“Thanks for lunch,” she says. “I could have paid for my own, you know.” She pushes gently at my shoulder. Even in the chill of the room, I feel the warmth of her touch after she removes her hand.

“I know that. But you were nice enough to come to my game, so I thought I’d pay for you.”

“Well, I appreciate it.” She grins at me.

“I was happy you could come to the game. It was nice having you there.”

“Did your family come to your games when you lived in Manchester?”

I nod. “Oh yeah. Mom and Dad never missed a game.”

“Any siblings?”

“I have a brother—he’s older than me. Works an office job in finance. His wife, Millie, is great. I have two nieces, Charity and Chanley.”

“I bet you miss seeing them.”