Page 22 of Ruff and Tumble

“Hey, Reg… She says she can’t come over on Sunday.”

“Wait. She’s there?Now?”

“She’s throwing her own party, apparently. I didn’t know.”

“It’s not really a party,” Hailey was quick to say. “Just a small gathering. For my family and friends.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell her.” Cole’s voice grew a little louder as he returned his attention to the phone conversation. “Reggie says you’re welcome to bring them along. She has more than enough space.”

For a long moment, Hailey was afraid she was going to have to ask Garrett to shove her head between her legs again. In another lifetime, this would have been a dream come true. She was invited to watch a Lumberjacks game at the home of Cole Bennett’s manager and sister—and she was allowed to bring witnesses with her. She could hobnob and talk shop and indulge in her love of football with the one woman in the world who probably knew more about Cole than she did.

Except…she didn’t have any family or friends to bring along. Oh, she could rustle up Penny and a few other coworkers, of course, but it wasn’t the same. Deep friendships—lastingfriendships—had always eluded her, a sort of what-if dream that came easily to other people, the same way they had things like extended families and social safety nets and someone to call when they needed a hug. And the only other person she could imagine sharing this with, her father, was long gone.

But oh, how Dad would have loved to go.

She could almost hear his deep laugh, smell the sharp tang of his favorite IPA and the burning cheese of the pizza they always cooked—and forgot about—on game day. She could also imagine exactly what he’d say if he knew she was acting so silly about all this.

If you want something, Hailstorm, go after it. You only get one chance at this life. You might as well throw the ball.

“Sure,” she said before she was even aware that her lips were moving. As was the case the first time she’d lost her mind—and her verbal filter—around Cole, something about this man caused every logical reaction she had to fly out the window. “That’s very generous of her. I’ll be there.”

“Really?” Cole sounded as surprised as she felt at her sudden turnabout. “You aren’t going to fight me over it? Not even a little?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. Until Cole had waltzed into her office, she’d never fought anyone over anything. Just last week, she’d watched as the receptionist had walked up to the break-room refrigerator, pulled out the yogurt withHaileywritten on it in permanent ink, and proceeded to have a midafternoon snack.

“No. I mean, I think it’s pretty cowardly that you had to send your wide receiver to do your dirty work, but considering how often you rely on his catch radius to get the job done, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Behind her, Garrett choked on a laugh.

“I just spent the past hour going over all my shortcomings with Coach Taylor,” Cole said. “Nothing you say can hurt me.”

“Then you won’t mind if I tell you to work on putting more realism into your pump fakes. A down-on-his-luck magician could sell it better than you do.” As soon as the words escaped, Hailey wished them unsaid. Not—as might be supposed—because they were unpardonably rude, but because both Garrett and Cole roared with laughter.

“Oh, man.” Garrett got up from the chair and shook his head, a grin splitting his face. “What I wouldn’t give to watch the game with you and Reggie on Sunday. You two are going to get along great.”

“We are?” Hailey asked, suddenly wary. “Why?”

Cole must have overheard his teammate, because he answered for him. “Reggie says you don’t have any choice now. If you don’t show up, she’ll come to your house and drag you by force.”

The thought of yet another Bennett viewing the spectacle of her home was more than Hailey could bear. “That won’t be necessary,” she said quickly.

“Good,” Cole said and paused. Hailey could almost swear there was hesitation—uncertainty, even—in that pause, but that was ridiculous. What could Cole Bennett have to feel uncertain about? “Thank you, Hailey. This means a lot more to me than you know.”

Chapter 6

“I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I made this.” Hailey shoved a plate at the woman standing on the other side of a colorfully paned wooden door. The door matched the rest of the house—a huge, historic residence located near the top of Seattle’s Queen Anne Hill. “Sorry.”

“What for? It’s perfect.” The woman accepted the cheese log and parted her bright-red lips in a smile. Even if Hailey hadn’t already assumed that this tall, wide-shouldered woman was Cole’s sister, that smile confirmed it. The dimple in her right cheek was identical. “Let me guess…a log for the Lumberjacks?”

Hailey blushed. She’d downed several bottles of water on the way over in hopes of controlling the inevitable flush of heat, but it didn’t appear to be working. Plus she really had to pee.

“I’m Reggie, but you probably already guessed that, didn’t you?” The woman stepped aside to allow her into the paneled foyer, pausing a moment to peek over Hailey’s shoulder. “Where’s the rest of your party?”

“Oh, um. It’s just me, I’m afraid,” she said. And a good thing, too. Penny would have started screaming before they even made it up the driveway. “I thought it would be better if—”

“It’s the puppy lady! The puppy lady is here!” A small figure darted around the corner and hurled itself at Hailey’s legs. It was fortunate that she’d already handed off the plate, because Mia hit her with such force that she almost toppled over. “Where’s Rufus?”

Hailey couldn’t find it in her to meet Regina’s eyes. Offering this child a puppy was all well and good when she’d thought it was the reason for Cole’s interest in her, but it took on new meaning now that she was meeting Mia’s mother face-to-face.