On the Shore (Cottonwood Cove, #3)(30)

“Starving.”

“What do you feel like?”

“Hmmm…” She thought about it. “What if we just grab some burgers and shakes? That is, if you can handle one night of greasy food?”

“Trust me. I can handle it just fine.”

“All right. Head out to Main Street. We’ll grab the food, and I’ll take you down to my favorite spot on the cove. You’ve probably never been there. It’s a secret locals’ place.”

“All right. That sounds good.”

And that was exactly what we did.

She took off her boots and walked barefoot through the sand, leading me to a spot that had the perfect view of the water and the sky.

“This is pretty amazing,” I said after I popped a few fries into my mouth.

“I love it out here.”

“I can see why. It’s so quiet.” The crickets were chirping, and it almost sounded musical in the background.

“Did you like growing up in a small town? Or do you prefer city life?” she asked before taking a bite of her burger and watching me.

I didn’t feel the need to remind her that this was off the record. I knew it was, and I felt comfortable that she knew it, too.

“The town I grew up in was a little larger than Cottonwood Cove, but not a city by any stretch. I liked it back then, and being here has reminded me that I like it more now than I thought I would.”

“And you don’t have any siblings, right?”

“Nope. It was just me and my mom.”

“I always wondered what it would be like to be an only child,” she said before laughing and shaking her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I love my siblings to death. But when I was young, I used to wonder what it would be like to get all the attention.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “Somehow, I imagine you got plenty of attention, sweetheart.”

“Why? Because I’m so hot?” A wide grin spread across her face, and my fucking chest squeezed.

I needed to tread carefully before I got in over my head.

I didn’t know where I was playing next year.

My life was up in the air.

I did not need complications.

And Brinkley Reynolds was becoming a huge complication.

“You’re hot. It’s no secret. Don’t read into it.”

She shrugged. “I think that’s the first compliment you’ve ever given me.”

“Yeah? Well, we don’t want your head to get too big.” I tried to make light of it.

“Don’t worry about me getting the wrong idea. You’re not my type either.” She raised a brow. “I have a hard and fast rule about not dating professional athletes.”

We were both posturing and clearly, we were completely full of shit.

I wanted her.

She wanted me.

But that would be about the dumbest thing I could do right now.

“It’s a good thing that it’s not an option, then. Let’s focus on work and get this story done,” I said.

Something crossed her face that I couldn’t read, but she quickly straightened.

“That’s the plan, Captain.”

Damn.

In another world, I’d come up with a whole different plan for Brinkley Reynolds.





eleven





Brinkley





Don’t mind me. I’ve just boarded a private plane to head to New York on a work trip. #sorrynotsorry





Georgia



Yes! Maddox is thrilled that you’ve lifted the hate ban on Lincoln Hendrix.





Cage



Seeing as the guy tried to get you your job back and then offered you the story of a lifetime—I think it’s fair to say the ban is lifted.





Hugh



And he was worried about you getting home, and now he’s taking you on a trip? Yeah… time to pull out our Hendrix jerseys, boys.





Finn



Are you going to give us any insider news about where he’s playing?





No. He hasn’t actually told me where he’s going to play, so he could still screw me over if he wants to. But he encouraged me to reach out to Football Live and Sports Today, which are two of the biggest magazines out there, and let them know I’d be breaking the story. I’m getting all sorts of offers now.





Cage



Sorry. Mr. Wigglestein knocked up Janey Lowery’s corgi, Louise, and the Lowerys did not want to breed “porgis”. So, it’s a real shit show over here. They think it should have been up to her to make that decision.





Up to Janey or the dog?





Georgia



Her body. Her decision.





Cage



Yep. We’ve heard it all already. She feels Louise, the two-year-old corgi who eats her own shit, should have had a say before Mr. Wigglestein went and humped her in their backyard. This is my life.





Hey, it’s a bitch’s world; we’re just living in it.