Blake walked out to the porch as Jack drove up Grandma’s driveway in his black Chevy pickup.
“Yo.” He nodded to Blake and strolled across the front grass.
“Hey, man,” Blake called to him. He hugged his cousin, feeling the sting of his hand slap on his back.
Jack wasted no time in throwing out a dig. “Are you taking care of some things around here or are you too busy staring at your PC?”
“You look like you peaked in middle school.” He tossed back.
“Original. You look like—” He sneezed. Clearly faking it. “Excuse me, I’m allergic to stupidity.”
“Hardy har.”
Before the antics could continue, Ty arrived in a gorgeous ’57 Corvette and sporting a brand new Rams sweatshirt. As he unfolded himself from the enviable machine, Jack chided, “Do you wipe that thing with a diaper?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
He shook his head. “Blake, we’d better stop somewhere and get this boy some drawers then.”
Blake rolled his eyes.
Ty grinned. “Oh, he’s on a roll today.” He leaned in to hug his cousins.
Grandma came out to the porch and greeted them. They each said their hellos and bent to hug and kiss her. From the glow and smile on her face, anyone could see how much she loved having her grandsons near.
“Will you boys be back for dinner?” she asked as her eyebrows rose.
Blake wanted to chuckle over the fact that his grandma still called them “boys”.
“I don’t know, Grandma,” Blake supplied.
“Oh, well, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.” She paused. “And invite the girls, too.”
Ty nodded. “Okay. I’d need to check with Faith, make sure we don’t have plans.”
“I could call Mya,” Jack said as he shrugged a shoulder.
Blake had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach—the conversation was treading dangerous territory.
She looked up at him. “You call Charlotte, too,” Grandma said as she clapped her hands together in front of her and her eyes twinkled.
Both of his cousins’ heads snapped in his direction, as if they just heard some unbelievable news. “Um. Okay, Grandma. I’ll call her.” He knew his words were a lie. “But that’s if we make it back in time.”
“Sure, sure. Well, I don’t want to keep you. Call me later. Have a good time, boys.”
Man, his grandmother was persistent.
During the ride to the stadium, no one brought up the topic of Charlie . . . but Blake knew his cousins. He wasn’t off the hook; it was just a matter of time.
After they had arrived at the stadium, they each got a drink and took their seats.
“Did you guys hear about the new stadium?” Ty asked.
“Everyone knows about the football stadium, man,” Jack said with a grin on his face. Jack harassed him about how the new stadium was the talk of the town.
Looking Ty’s way, he asked, “So how are things going with you?”
Ty leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs. “Good. You know I’m the lead investigator for the Larimer County Prosecutor's Office, and that’s going well. Occasionally, I fill-in at Faith’s rehab facility as a personal trainer.”
“You guys are living together now, right?”
Ty’s lips curved at the mention of Faith. “Yeah. She’s great. It’s going great.”
“So when are y’all getting hitched?” Jack nudged.
Ty sat back in his chair and refocused on the field where the action had started. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out.”
The Rams’ wide receiver caught the ball and ran twenty-eight yards for a touchdown. The crowd went wild. Blake and his cousins stood to cheer and high-five. The guy behind Blake let out a whoop that left Blake’s ears ringing.
After the stadium noise had subsided, the conversation continued. “How’s the school year starting out, Jack?” Blake asked.
“Good. Looks like I have a smart bunch of grad students.” He nodded in contemplation. “It should be a good year.”
“And how are things going with Mya?”
“She’s in the process of scouting locations for opening her own dance studio.”
“Good for her. And what about wedding bells for you two?”
“Whatever.” Jack smirked and adjusted his tortoiseshell eyeglasses. “We’re not talking about me. What did Grandma mean about inviting Charlie over for dinner? Are you two back together?” Jack asked.
“She’s trying to get us back together.”
Ty and Jack glanced at each other and grinned. They were all too familiar with Grandma’s matchmaking.
“What’s going on?” Ty’s eyes squinted.
Blake ran a hand through his hair. He wished he had something stronger than soda at this point. “I don’t know. It’s weird. It’s like Charlie wants to get back together,” he said while looking at the game, and not really watching.
“Why would she think that? Did ya’ sleep with her?” Jack asked blatantly.
“Shit, Jack.”
“You guys had a bad breakup, if I recall correctly. Has that been rectified?” Ty asked.
Blake shrugged a shoulder.
“That means no,” Jack offered. “So, let me get this straight. You’re sleeping with her, she wants more, but you haven’t gotten past something that happened years ago. That sound about right?” Leave it to Jack to pry into his personal business.
“I only slept with her one time since being back.” Two days ago to be exact.
“Doesn’t matter.” Ty was right. It didn’t matter. After the initial awkwardness, the time he’d spent with Charlie since returning had been great. He also knew he was attracted to her, but his heart or head—whatever—wouldn’t let him get closer.
He scrubbed the side of his face. So much for having a distraction with his cousins.
So what should I do next, he thought as he let out an exasperated sigh.