“Facebook. I put everything on my page.”
“Wait a minute,” Jack muttered. “That’s it.”
“What’s it?” Kelly asked, confused.
“Come on, Stratton!” Warner called. “Or are you wimping out?”
Jack ignored him and spoke to Kelly. “I just thought of something. I have to go.”
“Now?”
Jack looked back to Preston. He hated to leave in the middle of a fight. “I gotta take off,” he yelled.
The guys on the field jeered. Warner was the loudest.
Kelly took Jack’s hand as he headed for the Impala. “Are you okay?” Her blue eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed.
“I’m good. A friend of mine needs help. You’re cool with that?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry about those guys.”
“It has nothing to do with them. I don’t care what they think.”
“Neither do I.” Kelly handed Jack his wallet and keys.
He tossed the keys up in the air, then caught them again with a loud jingle. “Are we on for Friday night?”
“Yes.” She kissed him. It was a quick kiss, but long enough for her fingertips to brush down his forearm as lightly as a snowflake.
“Wow.”
She smiled.
As Jack climbed into the driver’s seat, he had to grind his teeth together to keep from groaning in pain in front of Kelly.
The group of guys came jogging over together in a pack. “Hey, Jack,” Preston called out. “Now that you know how we play, next game we can go a little harder.”
“Sure. Anytime.” Jack waved him off.
Archer grinned slyly. “We play most Saturdays. Tell you what, why don’t you get a team together? Bring some friends.”
Jack tried not to make a face. “Sounds like fun.”
“But if football’s too hard for you,” Warner said, strutting forward, “I’ll let you ref. I’m sure Kelly will let you borrow her cheerleader whistle.” He laughed, and the others joined him.
Jack was about to get back out of the car—he was already reaching for the door handle—but Kelly leaned in the window, pulled him close, and kissed him. This was a much longer kiss—a much better kiss. Her hand slid to the base of Jack’s head, and he slowly moved his own hand so it rested on her hip.
When she pulled away, Jack just gazed at her. He was only barely aware that Archer and Preston were now struggling to hold Warner back.
“Thanks,” Jack said with a smile.
Kelly’s breathing was ragged. “Call me?”
“I will.” Jack started up the car. He knew all eyes were on them. He smirked at the gawkers and then drove past the boys, who could only glare as he drove away.
Twenty minutes later, Jack parked in front of Aunt Haddie’s. He pulled a gym bag from his trunk, then headed around to the back door. At the sound of the old pickup truck pulling up in the driveway behind him, Jack stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
Chandler jumped out of the cab of the truck and shut the door. With all the grease and oil on his clothes, hands, and face, he looked like a mechanic who’d operated on a car that didn’t survive the procedure. “See ya, Mr. Emerson,” Chandler said to the driver.
Mr. Emerson, an old man with white hair and even whiter teeth, flashed an enormous grin. “Couldn’t have done it without you, son. Thank you.”
As Mr. Emerson drove off, Chandler turned to Jack. “Don’t tell me you’re here to work out, because I just spent three hours breaking my back.”
“I thought you were delivering a refrigerator.”
“I was.” Chandler held up four fingers covered in grease. “Fourth floor. I had to lug the thing up strapped to a dolly. But the used refrigerator Mr. Emerson got wouldn’t fit. So I had to swap out the motor and install it, then take the one we brought up back down all those stairs.” He again stuck up four fingers for emphasis.
“I’d rather have done that. I drove Aunt Haddie and Mrs. Martin to the prison.”
Chandler laughed. “Was there a riot? You look like you got jumped.”
Jack looked down at his dirty, grass-stained clothes. “Oh, this is from Kelly’s picnic.”
“What kind of picnic do rich folks have?”
“Shut up. It was supposed to be a pick-up football game,” Jack said. “Except no one told me that I was the ball.”
Chandler laughed again.
“You want to give me a hand finding Two Point?” Jack asked.
“Not really. Why do you want to find him?”
“I promised Mrs. Martin. And Aunt Haddie.” Jack didn’t need to add the last part. He knew Chandler would go with him. He held up the gym bag. “But do you mind if I take a quick shower first?”