Page 46 of A Hard Habit to Break

ClamClam’s “MRRRRROWWWWWWW!” rang out in agreement.

“Go, Benji, you got ’em running scared,” Rachel cheered even louder.

Noah shot her a side-eye from the field. “A deal is a deal,Six. We’re the ones losing. You should cheer for the underdog. Ain’t that right, fellas?”

“Yeah,” Jimmy said. “For an interior decorator, he tackles like a demon slayer. I swear, he hit me, and my whole body blazed with fire like holy water on a sinner.”

“I’m an electrical engineer with fashion sense,” Benji yelled. “That’s just a taste of my spark.”

Noah didn’t like being on the other end of taunts. He had counted the initial touchdown as a lucky one-off. But the second had him grinding his back molars. Someone should’ve clued Benji in on the game plan. Currently, his band of merry misfits had exploited every mistake to rub out any advantage Noah’s talent with a pigskin had afforded him in the past. He’d agreed to this game, expecting some good-natured fun between guys, with his team taking home an easy win. The men had stopped laughing at the long-haired Californian dressed in orange leggings with red ombre flames by the third play.

He had to fix this. Get the win. Impress the girl.

“Don’t let up, Benji,” his mama bellowed. “Rachel is worth every drip drop of my son’s sweat. Make ’em earn it.”

“Mama,” Noah admonished with a roll of his eyes. “Stop it. This isn’t about Rachel.”

“The heck it isn’t,” Matt retorted. “You wouldn’t be carrying on if it were Bubba instead of Benji who challenged you.”

Rachel threw up her hands in disbelief. “Hey, I can hear you… and newsflash, whatever is happening on that field is not about a Rachel and Noah romance.”

Noah watched as Rachel’s dad gave her a pointed look. “Plus one or not, that man knows what he’s doing on the field. It’s more than playing a game, too. If Noah gets you back, he’ll be sore and limping, ’cause your plus one will make darn skippy he’s worthy of the assignment.”

“Dad,” Rachel chided, her cheeks glowing red with embarrassment, “just watch the game.”

“I said what I said,” Matt laughed.

Noah wanted to deny it, but what could he say? Benji intended to punish Noah for past sins and ensure there wouldn’t be any in the future where Rachel was concerned. The man acted the part of a protective big brother who could never stand by if his little sister was being manipulated. Noah respected his position. But he hated how good his game was.

“Time out,” Noah called in a full-bodied bellow.

While Benji’s team of many colors huddled in unwavering confidence, Noah stomped over to his teammates, the same guys he’d trained and triumphed with in high school. His jaw was tight, and storm clouds were roiling in his hazel gaze.

“This here is Service, boys. Everything we need to win is right here.” From the corner of his eye, a broad silhouette in a broad-rimmed black cowboy hat appeared. Pete had arrived.

Noah noticed Rachel’s smile slip.

“Hey, Pete,” Noah called.

“What’s up, buddy?” He smiled before turning his attention to Rachel. “You’re looking lovely again and right at home, city girl.”

With one hand, Rachel looked up, shielding her eyes. She looked Pete over from head to toe. Pete had Noah’s height, with a slighter build. She crinkled her nose at his custom boots and tailored clothes, a subtle symbol of the Judelson money. She’d never been impressed by the exterior, and Noah imagined not much had changed, even with her living closer to Hollywood glamour than he ever would.

Noah heard her say, “This is still home, Petey.”

“Sure… is.”

Pete’s hesitation, that split second too long, triggered a feline sixth sense. Noah heard the war cry.

“MRAAAAAAAAAAAAOWWWWWW!”

ClamClam stood on her hind legs, front paws on either side of her face, with an expression that said, “Come at me, bro.”

“Crazy cat,” Pete hissed, jumping back.

Noah watched the entire situation as Rachel’s smile returned and her features relaxed. He wondered in that moment if the little cat really did mirror her personality. It seemed Pete and Rachel still required a referee. A fact not missed, even by ClamClam. It had been the same when they were younger. Noah thought the best of everyone, especially his friends. Pete could be petty, jealous at times, but after Noah saved him, the family’s treatment of Noah went beyond friendship. As for Rachel, she once told him Pete had never been a friend to a single person in his life… not even Noah.

“Mayor,” Matt cleared his throat. “You gonna stare at my daughter all day or watch the game? It’s a beaut.”