Page 69 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“Are you going to try to be a hero?” I ask, hands on my hips. “Because that will make you look more ridiculous. Sorry to say but Hardy and Hudson have an edge on you. And I’m not saying that to hurt your fragile man ego. I’m saying that because they’ve played this before, so they have experience. Trust me with this, just pass me the ball. I’ll take care of the rest.”
I pat his chest and move onto the playing area, essentially a large rectangle of sand demarked by cones. I offer some high fives all around and eye the bin behind the towering Hopper boys. That bin is mine.
Brody walks up next to me, clearly not as enthusiastic. We’ll just say he has his game face on, not his grumpy pants. Because grumpy pants never won any games.
“The blue team wins the coin toss,” Reginald says. “They’re choosing to start with the ball.”
“Who is the blue team?” I look around and then notice our flags are blue. “Oh.” I chuckle as I place my hand on Brody’s arm. “We’re blue.”
He’s not amused.
Okay, moving on from him, I lean forward, rub my hands together. “Remember what I said. Get the ball to me.”
Reginald rings a bell—one of those handheld bells from an old schoolhouse—and the game begins.
Haisley starts with the ball as the other team comes after us. She tosses it to Jude who charges forward, twirling and spinning away from the boys with ease, only to dunk the ball into the bin no problem. Wow, that was like, ten seconds. The man is a beast.
“Woooo!” I cheer, raising my arms up. “Good job, Jude.” I offer him a high five and then turn toward Brody. “See, that’s what I’m going to do, but with my stiff -arm.” I pat my arm again to show him just how tough I am.
“You’re delusional,” he says as the ball is put into play again.
This time, Hardy has it and Jude rushes him, so he passes it to Hudson. Brody runs over to grab Hudson’s flag, but Hudson jukes him so hard that Brody falls face first into the sand and Hudson scores.
Ooof, that was not good for him.
See, I’m not the one who’s humiliating the man, that’s a him issue. Not a me issue.
But just to be the doting girlfriend, I walk over to him and pat him on the back as he rises from the sand. “Solid attempt, but next time try to grab a flag.”
When his eyes meet mine, I can see just how murderous he is.
Oh boy.
Maybe I should step away.
“You’re going to have to be quicker than that,” Reginald says to Brody. “Those boys are fast.”
“Sure are,” Brody says in the fakest voice I’ve ever heard before walking back to the start of our side, sand encrusted on his sweaty chest.
“Do you need anything to wipe that brown off your nose?”
Why are you poking the bear, Maggie?
He ignores me and gets into position.
“Remember, toss me the ball,” I whisper. “This is our point.”
He doesn’t even acknowledge me but keeps his eyes on the ball in front of us. Reginald holds it up, tosses it in the air to our side and Brody runs up, leaps into the air, and catches it.
Oh look, there’s some athleticism. He tucks the ball under his arm, charges toward the left side of the pitch, slipping for a second in the sand, but takes off on the opposite side from where Hudson and Hardy are, giving him a clear path straight to the bin where he dunks the ball.
Well, well, well, look who showed up. Golf clap for the sand man.
And dear God, look at that man puff his chest, trying to act like it was no big deal that he just showed the entire beach the raw potential billowing out of him. Hell, I was impressed.
When he comes back to our side, he hands out some high fives and then looks up at me, a smug smile on his face.
“Told you I could handle it.”
