Page 8 of Always You (A Lilac Bay Novel)

“Which has nothing to do with the fact that the bay was still half frozen last month and the ferry was barely running,” Zane said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, we’re kicking ass,” Edward argued.

“Speaking of kicking ass,” Andrew said, slipping his camera into his duffel bag and pulling out a mitt. “We should probably get over to the bench.”

Edward and Zane followed us across the field.

“Just look at those white pants,” Edward muttered. “Who do they think they are?”

“Stuck-up, snotty, too-good-for-all-of-us losers?” I suggested, making the boys laugh.

“Starting the trash talk a little early, aren’t you, Ri?”

I turned to see my former roommate Jenny approaching our bench, all smiles, and immediately felt a flash of guilt.

Jenny was one of the sweetest people on the island, and, unfortunately for her, one of the most innocent, too. Despite our general hatred of the place, none of us liked to make fun of the hotel in her presence—namely because her family owned it.

“So who’s the big loser tonight?” she asked.

Shit. I shot an uncomfortable look at Andrew, who appeared in no hurry to help me. “The Big Hotel, actually,” I told her brightly, hoping I could make light of it. “We’re going to crush them, just like we crushed the Elks Club last week.”

Jenny’s eyes shot over to the opposing bench, a flicker of embarrassment flashing across her face. “I’ve told them over and over again that those uniforms look stupid,” she muttered.

Jenny’s grandparents owned the Big Hotel, as had her great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, a long line of Hillmans holding the most valuable property on the island for more than a hundred years. Which meant that Jenny’s family was seriously, seriously rich. And that wasn’t the easiest position to be in on this island.

“I think the uniforms are kind of classy,” Zane offered, and I smiled at him gratefully. It wasn’t Jenny’s fault no one liked her family’s employees.

“I think yours look much better,” she said quickly, her eyes flickering down to the T-shirts the twins and I were wearing. They were a bright mustard yellow and emblazoned with not-quite-straight letters spelling out our sponsor’s name. Unfortunately, Fran’s Fine Fudge and Treats hadn’t fit, and the T-shirt guy had made the rather unfortunate executive decision to just call us Fudge. Definitely not the best looking uniforms on the planet. She met my eyes, blushing a little, and I felt even worse for letting her hear me bashing the hotel. Jenny was sensitive about it, had been since we were little kids, and always seemed more than a touch desperate to distance herself from her relatives and be considered one of the gang.

“Hey, you up for drinks at Cora’s later?” Andrew asked her. “The whole team is going, win or lose.”

Her resulting smile took up her whole face. “I’d love to!”

“Come on.” Zane slipped an arm through hers. “Looks like they’re getting ready to start. Why don’t you come sit with me and we can gossip about all the cute boys.”

“I’m standing right here,” Edward muttered.

“Thank you for that,” I said to Andrew, once Jenny and Zane had headed off for the stands.

He shook his head. “Don’t thank me, it was purely selfish. I just couldn’t stand that hurt puppy look on her face anymore.”

I scowled, but he held my gaze without flinching. Okay, so sometimes Jenny did look a little like a hurt puppy. But that wasn’t her fault. She was sensitive, that was all. Sensitive, and maybe a little—flakey. But she was a good friend and she’d given me a place to live when my options were severely limited. For that she had my unending loyalty.

“Well, you made her happy and I appreciate it.”

The corners of Andrew’s lips curved up a little, almost a smile, and then he shoved his hat down over his forehead. “No problem.”

“Alright team, listen up!” David Jenkins called from the front of the dugout, and the noise level immediately dropped. Hell, half the crowd in the stands also ceased talking. David just had that kind of effect on people. Tall, painfully handsome, and a life-long islander who had been playing for the Rec League since he was a kid, David was respected by just about everyone on Lilac Bay. And lusted after by more than half of us, despite the fact that he was currently dating Andrew’s cousin, Iris.

“I know we all want nothing more than to pull out a win against the mainlanders today,” he continued, and the bench erupted in cheers—joined by more than a few people in the stands. “But let’s play a good, clean game. Show them what therealpeople of Lilac Bay are all about.” More cheers.

“I should have been taping that,” Andrew muttered in my ear. “Talk about your pro-Lilac Bay propaganda.” His eyes scanned the stands and his face settled into a scowl. “Look at them all just eating it up,” he said, loud enough for his brother to hear.

Edward gave his twin a wicked grin. “You’re still pissed because he beat you in the Island’s Sexiest Man contest last summer.”

“Give me a break,” Andrew scoffed. “You think I wanted to win that damn thing? It’s demeaning.”

“Then how come you get salty every time it’s his turn to coach?”