Chapter 5

Jamie showed up on my doorstep Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. sharp. He was still wearing his shirt and tie from church, his white sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his tie loose. He held up a brown paper grocery bag. “Dessert, as promised,” he said through the screen door.

I pushed the door open and stood to the side so he could come in. “You look nice.” Much nicer than my jeans and loose V-neck, but since I was sure I had the edge on comfort, I wasn’t feeling bad about it. “No time to change this afternoon?”

“None. I had a meeting thing after church, then I had to do this dinner thing with Dave and his fiancée, and then I headed straight over here.” He held up the bags. “You ready to eat this now? If not, I can stick it in the fridge.”

“The answer will always be now with me, Jamie. When it comes to food, always yes. Always now.”

“Noted.” He followed me into the kitchen, where he set the bag on the table and pulled out a large plastic dish with a bright-purple lid, followed by two smaller containers. “You like your cheesecake with raspberry sauce or chocolate sauce?”

I pulled a couple of plates out of the cabinet and grabbed some forks, setting them on the table beside him. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

He gave me a sideways glance and smiled. “Got it. Chocolate sauce and raspberry sauce coming up.”

I sat down and watched as he dished up the cheesecake and drizzled it with both sauces. “It looks amazing.”

“It should be for as much as Katie talked about how long it took her to make.”

“Katie?”

“Dave’s fiancée.”

“That’s right. You mentioned the fiancé dinner thing. Tell me about that.”

He shrugged. “It was annoying, really. Katie’s family is in town to see the venue for the wedding and finalize some stuff, and they hosted dinner for everyone. Katie’s aunt lives in Raleigh, so . . . yeah. We were all over there all afternoon.”

“That doesn’t sound too awful. Why was it annoying?”

He grunted something noncommittal and completely inaudible. He handed me my plate. “Cheesecake?”

“Wait a minute. Not so fast. Why the grunt?”

He rubbed his hand across his jaw. “Katie has sisters. Lots of them.”

“Ohhhh, it was a matchmaking party.” It was easy to tell from the pained look in his eyes that it had made him uncomfortable, which made it easier to joke, but I still felt a tiny spark of jealousy flame to life at the thought. Interesting. Date two and I was already feeling some ownership.

“Not exactly. But close.”

“Was there one for each of you? Four brides for four brothers? Ohh! Are you going to get matching cummerbunds and bow ties to coordinate with the bridesmaid dresses? Each couple could have their own color. The possibilities are endless, Jamie. Endless!”

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

I grinned. “Immensely.” I took a bite of the cheesecake.

“The sad thing is you aren’t far off from the truth. Minus the cummerbunds. Katie has a twin sister, and since she’s the maid of honor and I’m the best man . . .”

“Wait. Katie has a twin?”

He nodded. “They’re identical. Really, really identical. If I were Dave, I’d be totally freaked out about getting them mixed up.”

“This story gets better and better.”

He reached for my cheesecake. “I’m taking this back. I don’t think you deserve it if you’re going to keep making fun of me.”

I slid my plate out of reach and took another bite. “Okay, okay! I’m done. No more teasing. She’s the maid of honor, and you’re the best man, and . . .”

“Nope. I’m not telling you now.”

“Please? I promise. No laughing.”

He put down his fork. “We have to learn a dance.”

I pressed my lips together. Hard. But a dance? How could I not laugh at that? “Like a dance, dance?” I managed to squeak my words out giggle free, but it wasn’t easy.

“Like a ballroom dance. It’s Katie’s thing. And her sister’s. So we’re learning this dance to perform at the reception.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Wow.”

He shot me a knowing look. “Tell me about it.”

I took a few more bites. “This is really good cheesecake.”

“You want to know the worst part? Honestly, it’s not even the dancing.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “It’s the expectation. Cooper’s off the hook ’cause he’ll probably be gone before the wedding. And Simon’s off the hook because of Karen. But they must have paraded Katie’s sister in front of me a hundred times. It felt like one giant setup.”

“Does Katie’s sister have a name?”

He paused. “Elizabeth? No, wait. It’s Jane. The younger one is Elizabeth.”

I reached over and squeezed his arm. “Poor guy. It’s a miracle you made it out in one piece.”

“And with cheesecake.”

“That’s a miracle I’m grateful for.” I nudged my plate forward. “Is there more?”

“You do like your food, don’t you?”

“It’s one of my favorite hobbies, yes.”

“So I take it you’re not the kind of girl who counts the croutons on her salad.”

“Absolutely not. Unless there aren’t enough croutons on the salad. Because croutons are delicious.”

He dished up a second piece of cheesecake and slid it toward me. I took the containers of sauce and drizzled them over the top. “So how did Jane feel about the matchmaking? Was she interested? Annoyed? Embarrassed?”

“Definitely embarrassed.”

“You should tell her you’re seeing somebody. Then the expectations are gone and maybe you can be friends.”

He dropped his fork and slid his plate forward. “Okay. You win. I can’t even finish my first piece.”

“This is already round two for you, right? Did you eat dessert with everyone else?”

“I guess I did. And enough dinner for three people, so maybe I’m okay letting you win this time.” He stood and took the dessert containers to the sink, where he rinsed them off. Helpful but annoying. Because I’d just alluded to us having an actual relationship and he’d responded with . . . nothing.

I followed him and leaned against the counter. “So you’re gonna let that one go, huh? I say we’re seeing each other, and you say, ‘Hey, I should do the dishes.’”

He turned off the water and reached for the dish towel hanging over the stove handle, a huge smile stretching across his face. “I wasn’t going to let it go.”

“No?”

He stepped closer—intentionally closer—and threw the towel over his shoulder before propping his hands on the counter, one on either side of me. Framed by his arms, I was close enough to see him, to smell him, to reach up and touch the shadowy stubble along his jawline. Our bodies were only inches apart. Maybe Jane got to be his ballroom dance partner, but it was me getting his smolder. The effect it was having on my heart was maddening.

“I did tell her I was seeing somebody.” He reached up and wrapped one of my curls around his finger. “It made me happy to hear you say so too.”

I swallowed. “Yeah?”

He leaned in just a hair, then took a step backward, folding his arms across his chest. I felt his absence immediately, a feeling I knew he was counting on. The man had flirting down to a finely honed science. I couldn’t have formed a coherent sentence if I’d had to. “I also told her there was a very specific reason I have to give this relationship”—he motioned back and forth between us—“a chance.”

I pushed my hair behind my ears and tried to shake the fuzz out of my brain. Stupid man and his flirty charms. I crossed my arms, mimicking his stance. “And what’s that?”

“Well, I mean, somebody’s gotta knock you off your soccer high horse.”

“Ha!” I lunged forward and gave him a playful nudge. “How are you the man for the job? Seems like last time we played, the only person getting knocked out of the saddle was you.”

His eyes narrowed. “Oh, you are so going down.”

He was easy to be around. We never ran out of stuff to talk about, which saved us from any awkward silences. But mostly it was fun. More fun than I’d had with a guy in a long time. We didn’t even do anything significant. Flipped channels. Watched the tail end of a soccer game. Made fun of all the bad hair on old-school reruns of nineties sitcoms. Around Jamie, I didn’t worry about anything. Not impressing him. Not whether or not my breath was bad. He was completely comfortable. I’d never had that with a guy.

It was after midnight when he finally stood to leave. He reached for my hand and pulled me up beside him. “I’m really glad we got together,” he said.

I smiled, pushing my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. “Yeah. Me too. I’ve never had so much fun doing absolutely nothing.”

“We should do it again sometime.”

“We have to keep you true to your word, after all,” I said. “You did tell Katie’s sister you were seeing someone.”

“That I did.” He tugged at my elbow and pulled my hand free, sliding his fingers down my arm until our hands were clasped.

He wanted to kiss me. I could tell by the way his eyes kept darting down to my lips. I was in—all in—but I wasn’t going to stand there all pansy-eyed while he made his move. I leaned up and took hold of Jamie’s tie, giving him a gentle tug. When our lips touched, he pulled me close, wrapping his arms all the way around me.

I could feel him smile as we broke apart. “You just stole my move,” he said.

I grinned. “Does that bother you?”

He made a noise, something between a moan and a growl. “No. No, it doesn’t.”

* * *

After two hours on the soccer field with four Hamiltons and twenty-five eight-year-olds, I was maybe in love with all the brothers. The charm. The jokes. The pretending to miss goals so the kids had an excuse to dog pile them all.

It was interesting observing the personalities of each of the brothers—the similarities and differences among them. Jamie and Cooper were a lot alike. They were all about showing off their fancy footwork, which of course the kids loved. It made them fan favorites by a large margin. Dave was the technical one, creating the drills, orchestrating, instructing, keeping everyone on task and on schedule.

But it was Simon I watched the most. He spent a lot of time standing in the background with his arms folded across his chest. But then he’d cross the field and get down on eye level with one kid or another, and talk to them. Really talk to them. I was never close enough to hear what he said, but I saw the change in the kids after he’d finished. Chins higher, shoulders back, smiles on their faces.

I didn’t have an official role, so I floated, helping wherever help was needed. But my eyes were always drawn back to Simon and his mini pep talks bestowed like happy magic all over the field.

“Hey, you’re really good at this,” I told him after the kids had all gone home.

He stopped in his tracks, dropping three of the four soccer balls he’d been carrying. He scrambled to gather them back up. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Sorry. I just said you’re really good with the kids. I like the way you sought them out individually. I think it’s good for them to be seen like that.”

“Oh. Thanks,” he said.

“What do you tell them?”

“Who, the kids?”

“Yeah. They’re always listening so intently.” I picked up the bag for the soccer balls and held it open, letting Simon drop them in before cinching it up tight.

“Thanks,” Simon said, taking the bag. “It’s different for each kid, really. I try and tell them something they’re doing right and compliment them on that, then think of something simple they can work on that won’t overwhelm them.”

“I love that,” I said.

“I don’t know.” He scratched his chin. “The last kid I talked to spit on my shoe and told me I looked like a giant booger, so I’m beginning to question my methods.”

I laughed. “I guess you can’t win them all?”

“Hey, Jamie!” Simon called across the field. “Can you and Coop get those cones?”

Jamie waved a hand of acknowledgment and started gathering them up.

“You were pretty great out there too,” Simon said.

I raised my eyebrows. “Yeah? I’ve never had any coaching experience. But it was fun. Thanks for letting me come.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you come back next week. I’ll even let you keep the shirt.”

I glanced down at the bright-orange T-shirt Jamie had given me at the start of the evening. The word COACH was printed across the front in big white letters, with the name of Simon’s accounting firm on the back. “I’ll cherish the shirt,” I joked. “Truly. I might even wear it to work tomorrow.”

He laughed. “If anybody can pull it off, it’s you.”

I froze. I probably should have just played it off. It was nothing. A joke about a T-shirt. But the compliment still gave me pause.

“I’m sorry,” Simon said quickly. “Was that—”

I shook my head. “No, it was fine. It’s not—”

“Cones,” Jamie said, dropping them at our feet with a flourish. “Every last one of them. Cooper didn’t help though, just for the record.”

“Thanks,” Simon said. His eyes met mine one last time before he leaned down, organizing Jamie’s haphazard pile of cones into neat stacks. Poor guy. He probably figured he’d made me uncomfortable, when really I was mostly just flattered. I mean, orange was a good color on me. It felt nice to think someone had noticed.

Right?

Right?

Cooper: BROTHERS. The white envelope has arrived.

Dave: Sweet. Where are you headed?

Cooper: That’s it? No ceremony? No film footage to share with all the Internet? Just, where are you headed?

Simon: We know you had Mom open it and read it to you over the phone.

Cooper: She told you?

Jamie: Nope. We just know you. As patient as . . . wait. There is actually no living creature on this earth as impatient as you.

Cooper: Whatever.

Jamie: Spill it, Coop. Where are you going?

Cooper: Sierra Leone. I’M GOING TO AFRICA, BABY.

Simon: That’s incredible!

Dave: And you’ll only come home with a little Ebola.

Cooper: Seriously? Is there still Ebola in Africa?

Dave: Pretty sure missionaries have to wear masks and gloves their entire mission. Even while sleeping.

Cooper: Simon. Tell me Dave is joking.

Simon: He’s joking.

Cooper: You’re sure?

Simon: The World Health Organization declared Sierra Leone a safe zone awhile ago. They wouldn’t send missionaries there if Ebola was still a legitimate threat.

Cooper: AFRICA. I’M GOING TO AFRICA IN THREE MONTHS.

Dave: You’re going to be great. Dinner tonight to celebrate?

Jamie: Burgers at Simon’s. I’m not cooking.

Simon: I’m working late. I can eat, but I can’t cook.

Cooper: I’m feeling the love, guys.

Dave: You’re both jerks. Rib eyes. My house. 7 pm. I’ll grill. Katie will help.

Jamie: If Katie’s coming, I’m bringing Lane.

Dave: Sounds like a party.