“Not at all. Why do you think I brought food from the diner on our picnic?”
“Convenience?”
“That and I didn’t want to serve you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which is just about the only thing I can make.”
“You can make Ramen noodles too,” Ryan said, choosing that moment to walk into the kitchen. He crossed to the refrigerator and opened it, grabbing a Monster energy drink. He started to close the door when Bones spoke up. “Aren’t you going to offer our guest a drink?”
Ryan glanced over at me. “Thirsty?” he asked.
“Got any water?”
He nodded and handed a bottle over.
Once again, he started to close the door when Bones spoke up, “And I’ll take a beer since it seems like you weren’t going to ask,” he said. There was laughter in his eyes despite giving Ryan a hard time.
“You know I’m going to be the one taking care of you in old age, right?” Ryan asked, handing over a bottle of Bud Light. “You might want to be a little nicer to me.”
“I’m training you for that time. Wouldn’t want to go thirsty.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Just for that, I’m not telling you the score.”
Bones chuckled as Ryan went back into the living room, leaving the two of us alone again.
I could see they had a good relationship, the kind that allowed them to snark at one another without any hard feelings.
“I did make dessert,” Bones said, indicating a painted glass cookie jar in the shape of a bear with a hat holding a huge chocolate chip cookie on the counter.
I lifted the lid of the jar – the bear’s hat – and peeked inside. It was full to the rim of chocolate chip cookies. “You made these?” I asked incredulously. He didn’t seem like the type to bake. In my mind, I tried to imagine him whipping up cookie batter, wearing an apron to avoid getting flour on his clothes and I had to bite back laughter.
“Well, I baked them. Technically, they came from some cookie dough I bought from Chalk’s daughter for a fundraiser for her school’s dance team.”
“That’s nice of you to help with that.”
“Nice, my ass. I swear I was conned into it. Sarah is only six-years-old, but that girl has the puppy dog eyes down. I think Chalk taught her.”
I laughed. “Parents gotta do what they gotta do.”
“Sarah made a damn fortune off the club,” he said, but there was no animosity in his voice. A timer went off and Bones opened the oven again. This time he pulled out the two pizzas, one plain cheese, the other pepperoni. “I hope this is okay. I only eat cheese on mine and Ryan likes pepperoni. I usually just get one of each on game days.”
“Just cheese? Bor-ing,” I said in a singsong voice.
He smacked my butt, making me squeal. I looked at him with my mouth hanging open.
“Now who’s boring?” he asked, as something darkly erotic appeared in his eyes.
It made me wish we were alone in the house, but we weren’t, so I would have to push all the dirty thoughts in my head to the back of my mind to be revisited later when I was home alone tonight.
Bones cut the pizzas and I helped him carry them into the living room, where we sat them on the coffee table. I took a seat on the couch while he went back into the kitchen for our drinks and some paper plates.
Bones sat beside me, close enough that our thighs were touching. I could feel the heat of his body coming through the denim and reaching my bare thigh.
The game was in its third quarter and we watched it while we ate. I had never been a football fan and didn’t know much about the game, but I was curious. I wanted to ask questions, but I wasn’t sure if it would be annoying.
Finally, after I’d eaten two pieces of pizza, I had to know what was going on. “Why did he just kick the ball?”
Bones looked at me curiously. “You don’t follow football?”
I shook my head, slightly embarrassed. I knew it was very popular, but I’d never understood the game, so I’d never followed a team or even watched a game before.