Page 28 of Worth the Try
“Where are you going?” Ansel asks lightly. His tone is the same conversational one he’s had all week. It doesn’t sound right, but who am I to tell a man histonesounds wrong?
I smile brightly. “Out with Kari. She’s been busy the past few weeks, but Saturday nights are usually when we tear up the town…or at least pretend to.” My phone buzzes, and I hold it up. “Ride’s almost here. Have a good night!”
I swear I feel Ansel’s eyes on me as I leave. I probably shouldn’t, but I swish my hips just a little more than usual. The bottom of the dress kisses my upper thighs while I imagine Ansel groaning behind me.
A grueling thirty minutes through Atlanta traffic later, I’m walking through the doors of our favorite Mexican restaurant and beelining for the table where Kari sits.
“I’msosorry,” I begin. “Traffic…drivers being drivers. Ooh, what’s this?”
Kari grins as the server appears. “A mojito! Figured I’d go ahead and take control of the situation. And tonight felt like we needed to start with mojitos.”
We cheer and drink, then she leans forward. “Now tell me how it’s going with my spreadsheet superhero.”
I laugh. “Your what?”
She waggles her eyebrows. “That man is a literal freakwiththe sheets. You know that, right?”
“I mean, he likes spreadsheets, but…” I’m about to make her tell me more when someone approaches the table. She’s gorgeous, exuding an effortlessly cool, just-stepped-off-the-beach vibe. Blonde hair hangs nearly to her bottom, and aqua blue eyes look out from a makeup-free face.
“Kari?” she asks, with what sounds like an Australian accent.
At the sound of her name, Kari breaks into a huge smile. “Holy crap—Samantha?” The women embrace, and Kari introduces me. To Samantha, she says, “What in the world are you doing here?”
She holds up a to-go bag. “Had a desperate craving for chips and guac and no desire to make it myself, so…” She grins.
“Samantha,” Kari deadpans. “The last time I saw you was the semester of college I spent in Melbourne. Twelve years ago. Running into you at a Mexican restaurant in Atlanta makes no sense.”
Samantha’s smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s a boring story.”
“I doubt that.” Kari pushes a chair out. “Sit down and spill.”
I nod. “Guac and chips by yourself sounds tragic, if I’m being honest.”
She hesitates, then grins. “Fine. But only if you stop with the Samantha shit. You know it’s Sam.”
Kari rolls her eyes. “Sam, will you please join us?”
With a satisfied grin, Sam sits and pulls out the guacamole. “If you insist.” After popping a chip in her mouth and chewing, she says, “It looks like my brother’s going to join the Atlanta Granite.”
Kari’s face morphs into a grin. “No.Way! Your baby brother? The one who was?—”
“Chubby and played video games the whole time you knew him? Yeah. Turned out to be quite the rugger but wanted to get out of Australia for a while. He was looking at Canada but couldn’t pass up the possibility of playing in the States. He’s convinced he’ll be the best on the pitch. So, he’s here, training with them for a couple of weeks to see if he likes it.”
Kari smacks her forehead. “I should have put it all together. I knew there were some guys here from overseas trying out but never thought that Ollie Nash was your brother.”
Now it’s Sam’s turn to look shocked. “Hold on. You work for the Granite?”
Kari nods. “I’m on the PR team.”
They spend a few minutes getting caught up as we order a pitcher of margaritas, quickly realizing that individual drinks are a waste of time. Kari nods at me. “Elodie here is living with number ten.”
My face burns at the suggestive sentence, and Kari absolutely catches it. She smirks in triumph.
Sam turns to me, eyes bright. “Ooh, the fly-half? That sounds fun. Tell me more,” she urges, shimmying her shoulders.
“It’s not like that,” I protest.But I think I want it to be.“I’m his nanny?—”
“His nanny!” Sam cackles. “I’ve read that book. Spoiler: they end up together.”
