Page 26 of Recipe for Rivals

“I owe you dinner, and it’s getting too dark to ride that thing without a light.”

Brody hesitated before turning his bike toward a black truck.

“We’ll see you there?” Dusty asked, winking at my kids over my shoulder.

“Yeah, you’ll see us there.”

His gaze dropped to my face, a flash of something in his eyes I couldn’t name. I held my breath, my eyes locked on his, before breaking the connection and looking down at my phone, ostensibly to check the time.

“Great,” Dusty said, tapping the hood of my car before walking toward his truck.

I rolled up the window, letting out a shaky breath.

Yes, okay, so I could no longer deny the attraction I felt to Dusty, but that didn’t change anything about my situation or priorities.

“That’s mine!” Alice said, her shrill whine cutting through my thoughts.

“I just want to play one round. I’ll give it right back.”

“But you didn’t ask,” Alice cried. “You have to ask.Mom! Ben took my Kindle!”

“Give it back, Ben,” I told him, putting the car in reverse and looking in my rearview mirror.

His face was lit by the screen. “After I finish this round.”

“Mom! It’s mine! He didn’t ask!”

“Ben,” I said, more sharply this time. “If you expect me to take you for milkshakes, your behavior needs to earn it.”

He scowled, but it only took a second for him to toss the Kindle on the floor. “Fine.”

Alice scoffed in outrage. “He threw my Kindle!”

“Ben,” I repeated, more pleading this time.

He made a frustrated sound, but picked it up and put it in his sister’s lap, then frowned out the window. I wanted to ask about practice, but that conversation would probably go better at bedtime, so I bit my tongue.

Gigi’s was noisy when we let ourselves in the back door, having parked just outside the entrance to our apartment. Bonnie looked up from where she was manning the stove and gave us a wide grin. I hadn’t gotten to work with the evening cook yet, but we’d met a handful of times.

“Gigi’s out there.” Bonnie’s eyes dropped to Ben. “A crowd just came in that looks to be about your age, young man.”

Ben grinned, his face lighting up and all contention with his sister forgotten. “It’s my football team.”

The ownership with which he said this made my heart sing. “We’d better join them. Good to see you, Bonnie.”

The dining room overflowed with people. The boys had crammed themselves into two booths and parents were milling about, chatting and taking seats at different tables. I imagined waitressing and figuring out bills here was a nightmare in the evenings, and was glad Lacey was the one on shift. She seemed competent.

“Mom,” Alice whispered, grabbing my hand.

I leaned down. “Is this overwhelming? We can leave and come back for Ben later. I bet Gigi would keep an eye on him.”

“No, I see Kendall.”

I looked where my shy girl was pointing and found Kendall at a table with Desi and a redheaded man in a blue button-down shirt, which accounted for Kendall’s strawberry blonde hair.

“I think they’re having a family dinner. We shouldn’t interrupt.”

Alice tugged on my arm. I didn’t know why we had to run into people my kids knew everywhere we went, but it was a little exhausting.