Page 45 of Bluffed By the Offense

Kate’s right. This will blow over quickly. Solidifying the impact is never a bad strategy. And, like she said, this helps everyone. No one needs to know that Cass Carter probably has fantasies of slitting my throat in my sleep, or that I’d rather date a wild boar than spend another hour alone with her.

Kate and I hang up and I head back to my seat.

The guys seated around me all pivot like a gaggle of nosy women over coffee.

“What did Kate want?” Linc asks.

“Just talking about Porch Light,” I say as nonchalantly as possible.

“The event looked awesome yesterday,” Declan says. “Good turnout.”

“My wife signed up after seeing the news,” Linc says. “She got a hold of Winona to ask how to contribute.”

“My mom donated,” Keller says. “Cass has a website. It’s pretty basic, but they’ve got a spot for donations.”

“My sister keeps asking if you and Cass are really together,” Treyvon says.

His sister knows me well. We not only grew up in the same town, I was at their house whenever Trey wasn’t at mine.

“We’re not dating.” The words are out of my mouth before I have a chance to think about PR or the spin Kate wants me to put on this situation. But these are my friends, not the public.

“Mm hmm,” Treyvon says. “You sure about that?”

“I’m beyond sure. She’d rather date … anyone else … than me.”

“Is that true, O’Connell?” Trey asks Declan.

“I plead the fifth,” Declan says with a sly expression and a wink.

“You brought a ton of attention to that project,” Jaxon says.

“Yeah. It’s a good cause,” I say, grateful that we’re back to talking about the project instead of whatever is not going on between me and Cass Carter.

“She’s a beautiful woman,” Keller says.

The guys nod—all of them except Linc and Declan, who are in committed relationships.

Jaxon’s right. The project is doing good things for the community. And she’s behind it.

Is she beautiful?

She’s gorgeous. Exactly my type—long brown hair, those intense brown eyes, her figure. She’s everything I usually go for in a woman. Until she opens her mouth. Then, she’s like the human version of a disturbed hornet’s nest.

“I could see myself asking her out,” Keller looks to O’Connell as if he’s the one who gets to give consent.

“No, you’re not,” Treyvon says. “I’m going to ask her out. She laughs at my jokes.”

“That’s not a sign of sanity,” I say, joking.

“You’re not locking her down, are you, QB?” Trey asks.

I look at Declan. This is his future sister-in-law. I don’t need to tell the guys how she assumes the worst of me. They’ll only mock me for that later. They’ve already seen us spar at lunch. And I definitely don’t need to go into the fact that she is the most headstrong and opinionated woman I’ve ever met.

I’m definitely not dating her, but the idea of Trey or Keller asking her out doesn’t sit right with me.

“No one’s locking her down. We’re about to go into our season. Eyes on the ball, men.”

They collectively burst into laughter.