Page 31 of Last Night Was Fun

“I’m still really sorry.”

She untied the take-out bag and lifted out the top carton. “Yeah, I can tell.” The smell wafted out in a mouthwatering tease: eggs, tortillas, salsa, onions—chorizo if they were lucky. She noted when she opened the box with a smile they were, indeed, lucky. “For the record, I will take this form of apology any day.”

Gabe pulled his own box out of the bag and fished out plastic forks for each of them. “Noted, though I don’t plan on smashing any more line drives into your legs.”

“Appreciated,” Emmy said around a luscious bite. “Good thing my maid of honor dress for my sister’s wedding is long, otherwise she’d hunt you down herself for ruining the aesthetic she’s had planned since she was twelve.”

Perhaps it was the food distracting her or her still thriving hangover or the fact Gabe Olson was sitting at her island sharing breakfast with her, but she didn’t realize she’d breached herno personal stuffrule until the words were out of her mouth.

“Your sister is getting married?” he asked with an interested tilt of his head.

“Yes,” she said, suddenly feeling vulnerable and exposed.

“Huh. I don’t think I even knew you have a sister.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t talk about my personal life much at work.”

“No, you don’t. I didn’t even know you were left-handed until last night.”

“Only in the batter’s box,” she reminded him. “And I’m not the only one who keeps personal things to themselves. Did you know Ishida has a girlfriend?”

A muffled laugh pushed out around the bite he was chewing. “No. Not until last night. Did you?”

“No idea. She was nice.”

“She was.”

They chewed in silence for a few beats. She wasn’t about to give him the pleasure of knowing, but these were quite possibly the best chilaquiles she’d ever had.

“What about you, Jameson?” he asked. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Emmy almost choked at his question. Not only were they sharing breakfast in her apartment, now he was asking her about her relationship status. As with many things with Gabe Olson, the question felt like a challenge. He was going to somehow one-up her by saying hewas dating Miss Universe or something. So, in a reflexive move of self-preservation, she told him a half truth.

“Yes. Kind of. It’s still very early, so nothing official yet.” Her face burned at the mention of Axe Murderer.

He turned to her and finished his bite. A tiny spec of salsa clung to his lip.

“What?” she asked. “What’s that look?”

He shook himself like he was snapping out of a haze. “Oh, nothing. It’s just, well, I’m at that stage too.”

“Oh?” she asked, ignoring the confusing twinge in her chest. It was probably heartburn again. She waseating spicy food after all.

“Yeah,” he said. “Still very early. But, like, kind of awesome.”

A rare glimpse of vulnerability flashed over his face. Emmy saw it come and go like a wave scurrying onshore only to recede back into the tide. Something about it felt familiar though she couldn’t say why. The most vulnerable she’d ever seen Gabe Olson get was when the Tide had made the playoffs. Admittedly, they’d all gotten a bit misty-eyed that night.

“That’s cool,” Emmy said for lack of a better response. She simply could not believe she was discussing love lives with Gabe Olson. She stabbed another bite. “Do you want it to be official?”

“That’s rather personal.”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“Fair,” he said, then filled the air with a contemplative pause. “I don’t want to say, because I don’t want to jinx anything.”

Emmy normally would have rolled her eyes because the seriousness of his tone matched with a silly superstition like jinxing was worthy of an eye roll.But.She admittedly felt the same way about Axe Murderer, so she gave him a pass.

“I get that.”