“I know that.”
He shook his head. “Sometimes you seem to forget, which I suppose is normal since you and Val.... Well, we all know what you did for us, and we’re very grateful. But you don’t have to do everything on your own anymore,” Jace said with so much tact that it threw me off. Tact usually wasn’t a priority for him.
“She already asked for time off, Landon,” Lori said. “Just relax. It will all work out.”
“Okay, I... appreciate the help. But I wish you’d told me about this before making a decision.”
Hailey clapped her hands, then practically shoved a finger in my face. “No way in hell. The best way to negotiate with you is to ambush you. Worked when I was a kid, and it’s working now. Why change a running system?” She elbowed Lori playfully.
I laughed. Lori had invented the ambush technique when she couldn’t sway me to buy her a dalmatian. She’d promised to take care of it all on her own, but I figured she didn’t know what that entailed. One night when Val and I came home from the pub, she was waiting for us in the living room, a dalmatian in her arms. She’d held the puppy to her chest, looking at me with accusing eyes.
“I hope you will find it in your cold, black heart not to put him out on the street.”
Her words had sliced enough that I could remember them to this day.
Of course, I wasn’t going to put him out on the street. The dalmatian stayed, and the ambush technique was born: a strategy used with success by all my siblings—sometimes even Val.
“By the way,” Jace said, “where’s Maddie? I got used to having her around on Friday nights.”
“At the bar where her sister works. They’re having a big event and Maddie is helping.”
Will held up his beer to me before taking a swig. Hailey propped her elbows on the table, looking at my eyes intently.
“What?” I challenged.
“I think I see stars in your eyes,” she said.
“Oh boy, here we go,” Jace said. “Run while you can. I sense another ambush coming. I get that every time a fan looks too long at me.”
“That’s different. We’re just looking out for you,” Lori explained, helping herself to more salad. “What if they want to take advantage of your fame?”
“Maybe I don’t mind,” Jace said, and we all laughed. I was proud of my brother. Playing soccer professionally required dedication and hard work. He’d been in love with the game since he was a little boy, watching Val and me play. Our school’s soccer coach had declared Val and me to be natural talents, but when Jace went for tryouts, he didn’t even make it on the team. Coach told him he’d better focus his efforts somewhere else. Instead, my brother asked me to practice with him. He was relentless in his determination. The next year, he made the team, and now he’s one of the best players in the country.
Val shifted her leg on the ottoman, then swayed widely in her chair from left to right, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.
“My butt hurts from so much sitting,” she explained when we all paused to watch.
“As soon as your ribs are better, you should move around more,” Jace instructed. “The muscles in that leg will atrophy anyway, but it’s important to keep the rest of the body strong. That’s the advice our club’s doctor gives us when we have an injury. I’m going to keep pestering him to make time to check you. He’s the best.”
“Oh, more doctors. I’m looking forward to it,” Val said dryly. Then she perked up. “Is he hot?”
Jace looked murderous. “He’s not good for you. He’s a manwhore and—”
Val burst out laughing. “I was just messing with you. Jeez, relax.” He opened his mouth, but Val held up a hand. “I believe we were talking about Landon’s love life before we got derailed.” She winked at me. “Is it my imagination, or are you spending a lot of time together?”
I couldn’t tell if she honestly hadn’t noticed I’d only slept a few nights here in three weeks, or if she was trying to take the attention off her by shifting it on me.
“Not your imagination,” I answered. Val beamed with so much honesty that I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Later, I shot Adam a message as we cleared the table.
Landon: Did you talk to Val recently?
Adam: No, man, but Hailey called last week.
Landon: What exactly did you tell her?
Adam: Hell if I know. She started asking me about my dog, and by the end of the conversation I think I even told her what color Sullivan’s logo had. You know how she can get. She’s got that talent for talking until the cows come home, like all business consultants have.