For Lucy

“Ouch.” I gave her five more seconds to change her mind, but she held strong, so I turned and retraced my steps to the front door.

Tatum kept a good distance behind me, staying silent as I slipped on my boots and opened the front door. I played it cool like it wasn’t a big deal, all the while feeling disappointed that I’d gotten it wrong. Those two hours at the cafe weren’t just any two hours. They really were unforgettable—apparently just to me.

“Chiefs are at home this Sunday,” she said.

Without turning back to her, I paused, waiting for her to elaborate while my gullible heart skipped a few beats.

“Not a date. Just two people who like football sharing free tickets.”

My grin nearly broke my face.

“I’ll put your ticket in your … uh, your parents’ mailbox after my class tonight.”

I didn’t look back. Not once. I exuded complete confidence in spite of sweat dripping down my back all the way to my truck, and it wasn’t hot outside.

“A date, huh?” Andi said as she and my mom filled the dining room table with food for my brother’s birthday party, the Saturday before the Chiefs game. “You should have invited her to the party. We’d love to meet her.”

I helped my niece into her high chair. “Not a date. She was clear about that.”

Andi clucked her tongue several times as my parents and brother laughed a little at my predicament. “Nonsense. She’s just playing hard to get because you lied to her. I suggest you play hard to get as well. Play her game. It will drive her crazy.”

“I don’t want to play her game. I just want …”

My mom perked up, eyeing me with her usual knowing look. “You just want her. Oh, my boy is quite taken with a girl. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you like this.”

“I’m not taken. I’m just interested. That’s all.”

“Well, she offered you a ticket on the fifty-yard line. I’d say she’s interested too.” Will added his two cents to the conversation as I wrangled Miss Squirms A Lot into her bib.

I knew she was interested, or at least curious, in spite of my living situation. “I need to get my own place. It’s time.”

“Ya think?” Will razzed me like only he could do.

“You have the entire basement to yourself, including a minibar with a microwave and fridge. Rent is such a waste of money, Emmett.” Mom had no desire to lose another baby to the big bad world.

Dad stayed quiet because he understood me, but he also didn’t want to get smacked upside the head by going against Mom.

“I agree. You need to move out.” Andi nodded, retying the bib after I managed to do it incorrectly. “No woman wants to be intimate with a guy at his parents’ house.” Her nose scrunched as she eyed my mom. “No offense.”

“They just met,” Mom said. “I think intimacy is at least a few months out if they make it that long.”

“Bec, I don’t think this generation waits a few months to have sex.”

Mom scowled at Dad, jabbing her head toward my niece as if a toddler knew what sex meant.

“I have quite a bit of money saved up. Buying something small, maybe a duplex where I can rent out the other side, wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“Oh, I like that idea.” Andi ruffled my hair.

“We’re putting the cart before the horse. He hasn’t even had a real date with her yet.” Mom knew how to keep it real.

“So I should play hard to get?” I shifted the subject back to my current situation instead of hypotheticals.

The following day, I painted my chest for the first time, dug out my favorite Chiefs hat, and headed to the stadium for my “not date” with Tatum. A few rows from my seat, I stopped to admire her before she knew I was there. Maybe it was just the back side of her head—hair down and straightened under her red hat—but I still felt my chest constrict thinking about all the possibilities.

As if she sensed my proximity, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled through her red and yellow painted face, giving me a little wave with her mitten-covered hand.

Keep cool. Play hard to get.

I smiled in return and sidestepped my way to her.

“Thought you painted your whole chest. Or was that just another lie?” She wasted no time busting my balls.

After plunking into the seat next to her, I unzipped my jacket, exposing my painted chest. Complete satisfaction lit up her face all the way to her eyes. “I see you even painted on abs. Nice touch.”

“They’re the real deal. Since we’re friends, you can feel them, but since this isn’t a date, I’ll need you to keep it brief so other available women in the vicinity don’t think you’ve laid claim to me.”