Page 49 of Never Say Never
As he walks by me, it’s not the food I smell, but the delicious, very male scent of whatever aftershave or cologne he has on.
“I brought you this.” He hands me the container. “You said you liked seafood, so I made paella with shrimp, scallops, and cod.”
What?“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Don’t worry, I ate some too, and Landon’s away so I had time to kill in between workouts. It’ll be even tastier tomorrow if you already ate.”
“Thank you.”
“Consider it a potential pretend-boyfriend gesture.”
No one I’ve ever dated has done anything remotely like this, so it’s very muchpretend.
I know he’s kidding, but I’m stumped for words on how to respond. I’m kind of touched that he did this.
“Let’s head to the kitchen,” I settle on. “I can put it in the fridge then show you around, not that there’s much to show.”
“Sure.”
We walk through the living room and only ten steps later are in the kitchen. My townhouse is under fifteen hundred square feet.
“You live here by yourself?”
“Yes, I rented it for a year while I figure things out for the long term. It’s not glamorous, but the price is right and everything is new in this development.”
“That’s cool. Your neighbors aren’t weird about you playing for the Surge?”
I understand why he’s asking because the townhouses are all stacked against each other, in long rows. No separation and no privacy once you leave your front door.
“Not so far. Everyone seems to mind their business.”
I put the Tupperware in the fridge. “I’ll definitely eat this before I leave tomorrow, thanks again.” I turn and lean against the island, while he hovers near the kitchen entry.
“We’ll skip this part of the tour for now, but there’s two bedrooms upstairs too. I wanted an extra in case my sister Remy or one of the boys comes and visits when school’s out.”
He crosses his arms and puts his weight against the wall. “One of the boys?”
Oh. “Yeah, my brother Jamie or cousin Wells. Jamie is finishing up his senior year of high school, and Wells is at Duke.”
He drops his arms. “Wait, Wells Holding is your cousin? How did I not know that?”
“His mom is my dad’s sister, yup. Howwouldyou know that?”
“I told you, I like basketball. I watch a lot of it.”
“Okay, super fan or not”—he snorts at my teasing tone—“I’m not surprised it isn’t common knowledge. Wells flies under the radar even though he’s a solid player. He’ll start next year though, hopefully.”
“Yeah, he’s been strong as the sixth man.”
Huh, he does know his basketball.
“Is your little brother a player too?”
“Yeah, Jamie has the potential to be the best of us all. Even more than Dylan.”
“Dang, you have some serious hoopers in your family, Parker.”
“Yes, it’s a little much. Kind of like you guys and football.”
