How was he ever going to tell her the truth about himself after she’d been so honest with him about her past last night? Last night would have been overkill. It had been her night. And now...
Well, not now. It just wasn’t the time. Now he was just going to sit back and enjoy his coffee alone.
“Well, don’t you look all broody and moody this morning.”
Or so he thought. He lifted his gaze to Jenna, who’d slipped in through the back door. “What are you doing here? I thought you were a vampire and didn’t get up till like noon or something.”
“I know you guys are leaving today. Figured I’d drag my sorry ass out of bed early so I could say good-bye.”
“Really.” He watched as she moved around the kitchen, grabbing a cup and filling it with coffee, then adding enough cream and sugar so that it really wasn’t coffee when she was finished with it. She pulled up a chair next to him.
“You don’t come home all that often anymore, and we didn’t get much time to talk last night.”
Uh-oh. Jenna was not the warm and fuzzy sisterly type. Which meant something was up. “Something on your mind you want to talk about?”
She palmed the cup and lifted it to her lips, took a sip, and raised her gaze to his. “It’s Mom and Dad.”
His heart stumbled, his mind already swirling with the possibilities, none of them good. “What about them?”
“Their fortieth anniversary is coming up.”
“Oh. Crap. I didn’t even know.”
“Of course you didn’t. You’re a guy, and guys pay no attention to stuff like that. Anyway, I think we should throw them a party.”
“Okay. When and where?”
She took out her phone, clicked to her calendar, and slid it between them. “Their anniversary is on the fifteenth. Gavin’s in town again on the weekend of the eleventh for a game series. He has a day game on Saturday the twelfth, which means we could do something that night. I pulled him aside last night and hit him up, asked him if he’d be around that Saturday night, and he said he would be.”
“I can be here, for sure.”
“Great. Now all we need is someone to put a big party together for them.”
She pushed her phone aside and stared at him.
“What? Why can’t we just do it at the bar?”
She gave him a look. “Oh, right. You know how that’ll turn out. We throw a party for them at the bar, and Mom and Dad both will end up working all night long. Is that really the way we want them celebrating their anniversary?”
He laid his head in his hand. “You’re right. We can’t do it at the bar. So what are we going to do?”
“Don’t look at me. I bartend. I’m not a party planner.”
“But I am.”
Mick turned to see Tara standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She walked in.
“Hey. Morning,” Jenna said.
“Good morning,” Tara said. “Mind if I help myself to some coffee?”
“Of course.” Mick watched her grab a cup and fill it with coffee. She looked gorgeous in her sweats and tank top.
She grabbed a seat. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on the two of you. I just happened to hear part of your conversation when I was walking down the hall. You’re planning a party?”
“Yes,” Jenna said. “Our parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary in a few weeks.”
“Oh, how lovely. I can help. It’s what I do for a living.”
“Of course,” Jenna said, laying her hand on top of Tara’s. “Would you? I mean, I know you don’t live here, so maybe you only do local stuff out there in California.”
“I can do anything, anywhere. I’d be happy to plan the event. Eventually I want to expand my business nationally.” She turned to Mick. “Not that I want to butt in. I’m sure I could help you find someone local, which would probably be easier for you.”
“Are you kidding? I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have organize this party. You’re serious about this? You’d coordinate everything?”
Her eyes shone with warmth. “I’d love to, Mick. Your entire family has been wonderful to me this weekend. I can’t think of any event I’d love to plan more than your parents’ anniversary party. So when is it?”
Jenna showed her the dates.
“Okay, that’s Nathan’s birthday weekend, but I’ll work around it.”
“No,” Mick said. “You don’t put your kid second.”
She laid her hand over his and offered up a warm smile. “I never put Nathan second. But I imagine for game tickets, he’d love to spend his birthday out here. And he loves your family. Unless you see that as a problem.”
He kissed her forehead. “Spending time with you and Nathan isn’t a problem.”
He caught the look Jenna gave him, but he didn’t care what she thought. He was having a hard enough time wrapping his head around his feelings for Tara and what it all meant. He sure as hell wasn’t going to try to explain them to Jenna.
Tara turned to Jenna. “Jenna can help me on this end, and it’ll be a breeze.”
Jenna nodded and picked up her coffee. “Done deal, then. We’re on for the twelfth. I’ll shoot a text message to Gavin and let him know.”
Little by little, his life was becoming more and more entwined with Tara’s. And the knot in his throat was growing.
ELEVEN
MICK DRIPPED WITH SWEAT BUT STOOD UNDER CENTER, took the snap, dropped back a few steps, ignoring the rush, fixated on his targeted receiver. Three, two, one ... now. He threw the pass, and Rodney had the ball in his hands and sprinted away.
Not that he expected a tackle. His offensive linemen were the best and would protect him while he stayed in the pocket.
Coach Lewis blew the whistle and came off the sidelines toward him.
“Still as cold-blooded as ever, Mick.”
Mick took the bottle of water handed to him and swallowed down a couple sips, then handed it off. “Thanks.”
“Your off-season workouts have added some muscle. Your timing is good. Arm feel okay?”
Mick nodded, ignoring the pinch in his shoulder and the aches in just about every damn joint in his body. “Just fine.”
Coach patted him on the back. “I’ve never seen you work drills this hard.”