Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 779(@200wpm)___ 623(@250wpm)___ 519(@300wpm)
Dying. I was so dying, in a good way. A great way.
I was still geeking out twenty minutes later too. Full-on. I couldn’t stop smiling and saying, ‘uh huh’ to every question they asked me. At first, they were confused and then they found it endearing. Now they thought it was funny.
But because I had a lack of social skills while I was in my geeking out phase, the three women had been talking amongst themselves. Dusty finished telling a story where her little boy bulldozed into a neighboring football game, somehow got their football, scored on their endzone, and how both teams went with it. The one team tried defending against him while the other team, the one whose endzone he was running for, began helping to block him. His own team stood stupefied on their field, but the kids began cheering him on.
It'd been a whole thing, according to Dusty.
Kayla’s eyes began shining with extra wetness, so Emma changed the subject, the first one cluing in on her reaction. She looked Dusty’s way. “Is Colby coming tonight?”
Dusty reached over after noticing their friend’s reaction and patted Kayla’s hand. “You know, I don’t know. He mentioned he might, but I’m not sure.”
“Is he bringing—”
“Shhh…” Kayla nudged Emma, glancing at me under her eyelashes.
“Oh. Right.” Kayla nodded.
Me. They were not saying something because of me. Oh no. I had to leave my geek-out phase. I’d been mute for too long. Taking a sip of wine, I stuffed all my ridiculousness down inside of me and coughed. I could be normal. I could. “Don’t worry about me. I didn’t want to interrupt the conversation, but I’m good now. What were you saying about Colby Doubard?”
All three stared at me. They didn’t respond for a moment.
I looked around. “What?” Oh no. I’d let my geeking out go too long. It was weird now. Weird in a way where I couldn’t come back from that. I’d messed up.
But Kayla flashed me a smile, the wetness in her eyes gone. She teased, “She says ‘what?’ after sitting here for over twenty minutes when we’ve been forced to converse with each other.”
“I—uh—what?” My neck got hot, and I knew my cheeks were probably flooded with color. “I just had a bit of fangirling to manage, over all of you. And your husbands, but not in the way you’re thinking. I know all their football stats since they were in college.”
They shared shocked looks.
“Yeah,” I sighed, looking down at my lap where I curled my hands together. That was too much.
“Their football stats?”
I looked back up. “Yes.” God. I hoped they didn’t think I was geeking out over their husbands for other reasons? That was my worst nightmare. Or, well, maybe not my worst nightmare. “Stone had six hundred thirteen yards after catch. He was targeted one hundred eighty-four times last year with a hundred twenty-eight receptions. That was last year.” I bit down on my lip because I could say more. I could talk all night long.
The women shared a look before Kayla leaned forward. “Billie.”
I was still mortified. “What?” This was embarrassing.
Dusty cracked a grin. “You’re the one we’re intrigued about.”
I frowned at her. Blinking. “What?”
Kayla was trying not to laugh and failing. “We’ve been trying to bring Brett into the group for so long, but you’re the one who got him here.”
I gave each a long look. “What?”
All three dissolved in laughter once again.
Kayla was shaking her head and trying to smother her mouth in her hand.
Emma, who’d I’d not spoken directly to yet, leaned forward across the table. “Brett wasn’t going to come to dinner. Stone asked him more than a couple times, and all the guys have tried befriending him. Olvander’s the only one who had success, but that’s because they played together in Kansas City. Brett’s a good guy and the rest of the guys want to keep him here. They don’t want him leaving, but it’s not just about the game. They want to get to know him too, and he has a wall up. Even now, he’s got it up.” Her eyes flicked behind me.
I twisted around. Brett was standing next to Ole, both holding a beer, and both talking. Stone Reeves and Jake Bilson were also there, but they were talking to each other. They weren’t talking with Brett. I kept watching, seeing how Jake and Stone both would talk with Olvander. Their eyes touched on Brett, but he had shifted backwards. He wasn’t totally in the group. He was putting himself in that position.
A pang went through my chest, and I reached up, touching the back of my chair. My fingers curled around it. No one should not have friends, even if it’s by their own design. I’d know. That was a kind of loneliness that no one should know.