Page 40 of Bluffed By the Offense

“I know, right?!” he says. “Two under two is our new theme song. It’s going to be a circus.”

“The best kind of circus.” I laugh. Dustin really is an amazing dad. He’s hilarious and he’s going to be the biggest hype man when his kids are older.

I fill Dustin in on Porch Light and some of my plans for the first events I have in mind.

Dustin nods along and then he says, “That’s awesome, Cass. I’ll talk to the guys. And I'd love to hear more about the ways we can be included.” He pauses. “Before you go … I’ve heard about you and our Thunder quarterback.”

“Delaney?”

“Yeah. I’m hearing rumors that you two have been hanging out.”

“We had dinner.”

“Seems like such a good guy,” Dustin says.

“Seems so,” I say. Emphasis on the word seems.

I can not wait for this buzz to die down.

If I had come around a few weeks ago—before the photo shoot or our unfortunate night at the Fork and Fiddle—Dustin would only be talking about the charity. But now, Porch Light falls under the long, inescapable shadow of Marcus Delaney.

“Text me the details about Porch Light. I’ll talk to Cody and we can figure out how the firefighters can be involved,” Dustin says.

I thank him and drive to the deli.

When the manager walks out, she smiles brightly.

“Hi, Sharon,” I say, ready to pitch Porch Light to her.

“Cass! How’s everything?”

“Good. I’m here to ask …”

I don’t even get my first sentence out before Sharon leans in and says, “So. You and Marcus Delaney? Wow. Wouldn’t that be wild if both you and your sister ended up with pro football players?”

I smile a closed-lipped grin and take a deep breath in through my nose. “Actually, I'm here about Porch Light.”

“Oh yes. Will Marcus be helping you with that?”

“He’s planning to show up to an event or two.”

He is. Whether I like it or not. And it seems like his presence will bolster interest in our outreach, so I’m trying to capitalize on what I can.

“We’d love to support the cause,” Sharon says. “Especially where he’s involved.”

I fight the urge to squeeze my eyes shut. The man is like a bad rash.

I focus and present the first three projects I have in mind to Sharon. She’s on board—emphasizing again how she’s especially interested in any event where Marcus and the Thunder will be present.

The next few stops go almost the same way. I mention Porch Light, they hear me out, but can’t wait to ask about Marcus. My final stop for the day is the hardware store.

The owner, Burt, says, “Yes. Porch Light. Sure. We’ll give you a discount on lumber or paint or whatever you need for home repairs for families in need. You can have my wholesale prices, Cass.”

“Great! Thanks, Burt. This means the world to me—to the families we’ll help.”

I think I’m getting away without a mention of Marcus when Burt stops me.

“By the way, Cass, I’ve been dying to hear the details about you and Delaney. A few customers mentioned they had seen you at the Fork and Fiddle. Did you two hit it off and decide to officially start dating?”