“So we’re looking for a mansion,” Danny asks.
“We’re looking for an awesome normal-person house,” Cora says, shooting him a look. Cora is used to living like a normal person, and the insinuation is that we aren’t.
“Is it that one?” Danny asks.
“Yes…pull into the drive,” Cora screeches, and Tobias wrestles with the steering wheel, throwing the car into a large driveway in front of a very pretty house. Someone likes gardening, as the beds are filled with vibrant shrubs, and pots overflowing with colorful flowers that decorate the porch. There’s a scooter by the front door, and a swing with a colorful cushion seat set in front of a rattan table and a few chairs. Not enough for twelve adults, but I guess they don’t all use the area simultaneously.
“Gordon, Logan, and Daryl won’t be here. They’re training,” Cora says.
I know that Tobias will be as disappointed as I am that our visit is during preseason training. Logan and Gordon could tell us a whole lot about what it’s like to go pro. It’s something Tobias has dreamed of more than me, and not something our dad has ever been enthusiastic about. He wants his sons to work in reputable industries and worries about the injuries that can be inflicted when coming head-to-head with the brutes playing for the opposing team.
I like football, but it’s more of a hobby for me. Up until this year, it’s been a great way to get girls too, but I’ve gotten bored with the kinds of women who are into players for their hulking bodies and their potential paychecks. All they want is someone with ripped abs and notoriety. They’re never interested in the person behind the name and the six-pack.
“So that only leaves nine names to remember,” Mark says. Of course, he’d be worried about the details.
“Complicated by the set of twins and triplets,” Cora smiles. “Don’t worry. They’re used to people making mistakes. They’re never bothered by it.”
A woman with dark, long wavy hair and a broad smile appears in the doorway with a small child resting on her hip. “There’s Maggie,” Cora says happily. As soon as we begin to disembark, Cora’s off across the driveway, the gravel crunching beneath her feet and her long floral dress clutched in her fists so that she doesn’t trip over. I know that they were friends in college, but I didn’t realize how close. Cora filled us in on Maggie’s story on the way over, explaining the unusual relationship situation. I’ll admit to being absolutely stunned at the idea that eleven men could share just one woman. I spent most of the journey trying to imagine what kind of woman could keep eleven men satisfied, and I’ve got to admit that Maggie looks nothing like I expected her to.
She could be the girl next door with her mom jeans, white tee, and sneakers. Whatever she has that makes her so intoxicating must be well hidden. What’s the saying? A lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets?
But then I think about Cora and the sweet way her eyes crinkle at the sides when she smiles, or how she licks over her teeth when she’s thinking, and how those little things make me want to bend her over the table and slide deep inside her. The rules of attraction are certainly not scientific. More animalistic, if the truth be told.
Cora embraces them both, bending to kiss the child’s chubby cheek. Maggie beams, obviously happy to see her friend, and the warmth of the scene touches my heart. For the first time, I see how open and sweet Cora is with the people she loves, but before I get a chance to dwell too much in my sentimental thoughts, she’s waving us over, and a whole herd of men begin streaming out of the house.
A whole herd of huge men.
I don’t know what it is about the way men meet men that feels instinctively like everyone is on the edge of a confrontation. I stand shoulder to shoulder with my brothers as we take in the nine men in front of us. Fuck. These dudes seriously share that tiny woman.
Then one of them smiles broadly, and that’s all it takes for the ice to break. “Get in here,” the man says. “We’ve got meat on the grill and beers in the cooler.”
Tobias wastes no time, practically jogging up the steps as Cora introduces each of Maggie’s men. There’s no time for me to work out how to remember names, but I take comfort in the knowledge that it’s unlikely they’ll remember ours. We can always slip into an unofficial man-language where we refer to each other as bro and dude.
We make our way through the house, and Alden remarks on the period interior. Danny’s eyes are drawn to the wall of black-and-white photographs in the den, and Mark seems fascinated by the number of shoes by the front door. It’s tidy and clean, but definitely, a house that’s lived in by a lot of people.