Page 33 of The Comeback
“They’re good boys,” Miss Maggie says, beaming.
“Luckily for Devin and Jen,” I agree.
Miss Maggie laughs and hauls herself up out of the chair. “Jenna hasn’t had a minute to clean up dinner. Let’s do that for her.”
I nod and follow her into the kitchen, clearing things off the table to hand to Miss Maggie so she can load the dishwasher. We work quietly for several minutes before Jenna comes into the kitchen.
“What are you two little elves doing in here?” she asks, going to the sink for a rag.
“Pulling our weight,” Miss Maggie says with a wink.
Jenna gives her a side hug before going to the table to wipe it off. “You’re more than pulling your weight. I didn’t bring you here to put you to work.”
“I know, I know.” Miss Maggie keeps on loading dishes anyway. “You all thought you’d put me out to pasture, but I’ve got a few good years in me yet.”
Jenna scoffs, but I break into a laugh.
“Where’s Dev?” I ask, heading for the pantry to grab a broom once I’ve finished clearing the table.
“Working late.” Jenna doesn’t explain further, so I wonder if it has to do with the new house she wants. I wish she’d let me make at least the down payment for them. That’s not that big of a deal. She could call it a loan and pay me back but without all the interest and fees. I can see the value in wanting to put the hard work and effort into a business—it’s how I feel about earning my right to be one of the top-rated quarterbacks in pro football.
“How’s it going with Hayden?” she asks, probably sensing that I want to ask more questions about Devin working later and the house she wants to get.
Miss Maggie turns from the dishwasher. “Well, who is this Hayden?”
“Hayden Reid. We’ve been out a few times.”
“She’s famous on Instagram, G,” Jenna explains. “Remember those leggings I was telling you about that Riley got?”
“Oh yes.” Miss Maggie nods. “I don’t look at anyone on Instagram except my kids and grandkids. And you, of course,” she says to me.
“I don’t blame you.” I begin sweeping, working my way meticulously around the edges first, the way I know Jenna likes it. When Hudson was a baby, I babysat for them as much as I could when it wasn’t football season, and I made sure to clean when he was sleeping, just like my mom taught me.
Jenna beams at me the same way she did back then. “Well, maybe you should follow Hayden,” she says to Miss Maggie. “You’d see a lot of photos of Jett.” She gives me a teasing grin, then moves on to wiping down the counters.
Miss Maggie has finished with the dishwasher, and she closes it, then crosses to the pantry and retrieves the dustbin for me. I take it from her before she tries to bend down to help me with the pile of debris I’ve collected.
“You must like her,” Miss Maggie says, leaving a hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad for you.”
“I do like her.” I dump the contents of the dustbin into the garbage.
Jenna and Miss Maggie share a look. I ignore them to put the broom and dustbin away.
Miss Maggie voices what must have been the topic of their silent conversation. “It sounded like there might be a ‘but’ on the end of that sentence, Jett.”
“Did Gabriella tell you about her history with Hayden?” I ask Jenna. Jenna nods, and then Miss Maggie nods as well, and I laugh. “I’m worried I’ve only made time for a relationship with her because Claire thought it would be good for my public image. Or maybe to defy Ava for telling me not to date her.”
Jenna puts her hands on her hips. “From what I heard, Ava did not tell you not to date her.”
“She told Gabriella to tell me not to date her,” I correct sarcastically.
“She did not.” Jenna glares at me.
“You know more about this than me, Jen.” I throw my hands up, frustrated that my own sister-in-law is siding with Ava on this.
She huffs and shakes her head. “Ava’s just worried about how Hayden treats people.”
“Are you texting with Ava now too?” I accuse.