Page 67 of Off Limits
She seems awkward. ‘I think he’s lonely. My neighbor, Mrs Oakley, looks in on him from time to time. He watches baseball most days. On TV.’
‘Not football?’
‘He doesn’t really get the ruckus around football.’
‘Maybe I’ll need to convince him.’
I dig into my cherry pie.
‘Do you like it?’ she asks.
A smile dances across my mouth. ‘This is the best cherry pie I’ve ever eaten,’ I say with my mouth full.
‘Well, there’s more where that came from. If you stick around long enough, you can eat another slice.’ She pauses before she adds, ‘What time you gotta leave?’
Disappointment floods my veins. I hate the curfew. Players aren’t allowed to be accompanied, not even the ones with wives and kids. The rules for the Mutineers state that lights out is at ten-thirty, and all cell phones are banned. ‘I can prolly push it ’til eight, then run all the red lights on the way back into the city. Get to the hotel with like a minute to spare.’
She beams again, and licks her fingers, and my gaze lingers on her lips for a moment too long. ‘We’ve got time then,’ she says. ‘Time to get to know each other.’
My thoughts have turned dirty again. I snap out of it and finish my pie. We move to the couch, a wide gulf between us.
‘Tell me something about you,’ she says. ‘What got you into football?’
I cock my head to one side. ‘My grandfather played football, my uncle and my dad. Kind of runs in the family. My grandfather was quarterback for the Steelers. My dad played center for the Atlanta Falcons.’
‘So… you’re like NFL royalty?’
‘You sound like my sister.’
‘I do? River, is that her name?’
‘Yeah. Riv. River. She hates me right now.’
‘Why?’
‘’Cause she had to move out here and start a new school. Claims everybody hates her and it’s all my fault.’
‘She’s what, sixteen?’
‘Seventeen.’
Her lips twist. ‘Ouch.’
‘Why, ouch?’
‘Seventeen is a tough age for a girl. I should know. Of course she’s gonna hate you. Does she have a boyfriend?’
I scoff. ‘Definitely not.’
She grins mischievously. ‘That you know of…’
‘I think I would know if River had a boyfriend. I’m not even sure she’s been kissed yet.’
‘Maybe that’s not the sort of information she’s gonna share with her big brother. More like her girlfriends.’
‘We’re close. Me and River. I feel like she’d tell me, but, hey, maybe you’re right. Had you been kissed when you were sixteen?’
The words are out my mouth before I realize my mistake. She bites her lip. I wince and squeeze my eyes shut.
