Page 13 of The Keeper and I

“We are if you can believe it,” Ava answered.

“I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to my brothers like that,” Laci said with a bemused smile.

“Brothers?” Ava questioned. “As in you’ve got multiple?”

“Two.” Laci chuckled.

“Fucking Christ. As if having one isn’t difficult enough.”

They continued chatting, and Jordan stole a glance out the window. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Dane was hanging around, considering the way the guy was looking at Laci. Normally he only saw that level of eagerness from the stands at matches. Something in his gut told him to keep a lookout.

Laci finished her drink, and the tension left her body. Her shoulders dropped. She smiled easier, and she let her arm brush against Jordan’s, which he didn’t mind. It made his skin tingle more and more with each contact. He supposed it was a testament to his nature that she was comfortable. He felt comfortable too.

He always thought if he ever met Laci, he’d be starstruck, but given the circumstances, he didn’t have much of an opportunity for that. He’d even forgotten his pants were still damp from the bathroom, which now he was going to think about until well after he got home even if there was nothing to be done about it.

“Well, I appreciate you both, but I really should be heading home,” she said with a sigh. “It’s late, and I’ve got some work I need to get done in the morning.”

“How’re you getting home?” Ava asked.

“It’s nearby. I can walk.”

Jordan tensed. Should he offer to walk her home, or would that be too much? He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. But what if his instincts were right and Dane was still hanging around? If anything happened to her, Jordan would never forgive himself. But where were the lines in this situation? They’d only just met. He had no right to feel as protective as he did.

“You can’t do that,” Ava said, resolving his inner crisis. “If you don’t want to call a cab, at least let Jordan walk with you.”

Laci looked at him. “Would you mind?”

He might have laughed if he wasn’t so relieved that she was open to the idea. “Not at all.”

“It’s not far,” she said. “The weather’s nice, so you won’t be miserable.”

“You don’t have to convince me, it’s really no trouble,” he assured her.

Her cheeks turned a rosier shade of pink. “Alright then.”

He helped her off the barstool and then looked at Ava. “You coming?”

“Actually, I’ve sort of got my eye on the bartender,” she said with a wink. “I think I’ll stay.”

“Be safe,” Jordan said sternly. “Call me if you need anything.”

She replied with a mock salute. Jordan led Laci outside but came to a stop before letting her all the way out the door. There were a few people walking around, but nobody was loitering, so he figured it was safe to go on. He gestured for Laci to lead the way, and with a smile, she did. Jordan slowed his long strides to walk beside her.

“I’ve got a question,” she said.

“Fire it off.”

“D’you not hug your sister when you say goodbye?”

“If I tried to hug Ava, she’d thump me,” he said, and it was true. He could picture it, him approaching with his arms wide open only to be met with Ava’s palm against his forehead and a stern warning to never do that again. “We’re not really the hugging or…affection sort.”

“I see,” she said. “So, I suppose saying the words ‘I love you’ is…”

“Absolutely out of the question.”

She giggled.

“You’re close with your brothers then?” he asked.