Page 78 of Never Say Never
“I know this is a lot of change.”You can say that again. “We’ll figure out the rest once you're back in Orlando.”
We hang up and within a minute, Rawley walks into the kitchen. Now fully dressed, praise the lord.
“I’m getting a bodyguard, apparently.”
My tone is dry, and his eyebrows raise slightly. “I need caffeine, and then you can tell me all about it.”
We sit down at Landon’s dining room table once he’s made his cup, and I catch him up.
“Aiden knows his stuff,” he responds. “If he’s feeling like our arrangement is working, it is. He said he’ll have some news for me this week.”
“I guess that makes it worth it.” The prospect of stopping everything before I’ve landed any deals isn’t compelling. And now I likely have to move, making my finances all the more important.
“Yeah. So, you have some time to kill before they pick you up?”
I push my now-empty cup away. “I do, but I don’t want to keep you from anything.”
He gives a small shake of his head. “No, there’s nothing on the books today. Other than getting a workout in at some point. Is there something you’dwantto do?”
“Well, truthfully, I’m itching to get to a court and shoot some baskets. Try to get in the right mindset for the road trip.”
“You don’t have practice today, right?”
“No, not on travel days. I don’t have workout clothes though.”
He taps his cup three times before answering.
“There are courts here in Landon’s neighborhood. They’re always empty too. Most people here have their own hoop, if they play basketball at all.” He chuckles. “Would you want to check them out? I’ve gone down there to shoot myself a few times, and they’re in pretty good shape.”
In the absence of another option, that doesn’t sound bad.
“Would I just wear your clothes?”
“Grace probably has some stuff here, and Rori definitely does. We can wait till Landon’s up to ask him.”
“Okay.”
It’s still only seven thirty, so Rawley makes us breakfast: protein-packed acai bowls. He mixes up a couple extras to leave for his brothers, who stumble into the kitchen as we’re finishing eating.
Landon is first, Grover at his feet. “Hi, you two,” he says groggily. “Gotta take this guy out.”
Connor comes into the kitchen next and says nothing, just goes for coffee. Relatable.
Slowly, all the grumbling Battle boys turn cheerful again, caffeinated and fed. They’re chit-chatting away, and it’s entertaining to watch. Remy, Wells, and I have a somewhat similar dynamic when we’re together.
Rawley explains our plan to Landon, and he goes off to rummage through Rori’s stuff in their closet.
He grabs a shirt and shorts that are baggy on her, which mean they should fit me, since I’m four inches taller. The biggest find is that her sneakers miraculously work for me because my feet are small for my height.
“You ready?” Rawley asks around nine, after I’m dressed.
I’m glad we waited to play, because my body finally feels awake now.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We head out the door, and I swear, Rawley has a skip in his step.
“What’s got you so giddy, Rook?”
