Matching Mr. Right(27)
Jake slipped his big arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. “Shelby darling. When you gonna break down and marry me?”
“I can’t take a man serious who asks without a rock.” She slid her arm around his waist and returned his hug. “Besides, I’m afraid of your wife. She’s a lot bigger than me.”
He chuckled. “Everyone’s a lot bigger than you. Ooh, did you see that?” He pointed down field and they lost themselves in the game. A few minutes later, Nick appeared by her side with a beer and a plate of nachos. She unwrapped herself from Jake’s big arm and accepted them. “Thanks.”
Jake lifted his chin in Nick’s direction. “Yo. Be good to her man, or you got me and my men here to answer to.”
Nick’s chest puffed out as he crossed his arms. “Seems to me, it’s you who better watch out. You just had your arm around my date. Want to step outside?”
When Jake’s eyes narrowed, Shelby’s stomach took a dive. What the heck was Nick doing? The man outweighed him by at least a hundred and fifty pounds. “Jake, Nick was just—”
Then Jake’s face lit with a big grin. “Well, now. That took some big cojones, didn’t it?” He slapped Nick on the back so hard he took a step forward. “I think you’ll do just fine for our little Shelby. Step up on over here and let me buy you a drink . . . or three.”
Nick sent her a smug grin as he disappeared into the big cloud of testosterone surrounding the bar.
Men.
She shook her head and went to check on Emily.
Emily and Mikey were working on an impressive castle made with Legos. “Hey guys.” She stuck her plate of nachos out, but got silent head shakes in return. Evidently building stuff with Legos was serious business. She’d never had Legos as a kid. It was halftime, so maybe she’d give it a try.
Between gooey, cheesy bites of nachos, and swigs of beer to wash it down, she went to work.
Just as she was putting the pice de la résistance on the top, Nick’s hands spread across her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. “That might be the most pathetic attempt at a house I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s because it’s not a house. It’s a castle.”
He laughed. “Then it’s even worse. Best to stick to using the good side of your brain writing books and finding soul mates.”
“I don’t recall seeing Lego Building Inspector on your application, buddy. And the other side of my brain works just fine.” She swatted his hands off her shoulders for good measure. And because she was liking his touch just a little too much.
Nick called out, “Em and Mike? We need a ruling over here. Shelby’s kinda bad at this, right?”
Mikey said, “Yeah. But she’s nice.”
Em scrunched up her nose. “She did her best, Uncle Nick.”
Ouch.
Shelby reexamined her masterpiece with a serious critic’s eye and . . . had to agree. It pretty much sucked.
Nick’s blue eyes shone with victory so she said, “Rule number three in the dating manual states: always compliment your date, even if she creates crooked Lego castles. Clearly you need to do your dating homework, Caldwell.”
“My bad.” Nick smiled so sweetly it made her heart do a funny little jig. He held out a hand to help her off the floor, so she let him.
“Forward that manual to my e-mail and I’ll do my best to make you proud. But halftime is almost over. Want to go watch the rest of the game with the guys?”
With the guys? Did he mean her guys? “You come to one game and you think you’re automatically in the club? It doesn’t work that way. We’ve all been tight for years. You have to earn your membership.”
“They said any guy you’re with has to be all right. So, I’m in. Jake invited me back next week. He said he’d leave my name at the gate. How cool is that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Standardless Neanderthals, each and every one of you.”
“Is standardless even a word?”
“You dare to doubt a writer? Maybe you’d like to put your money where your mouth is?”
“Never mind. But I’m going to google that later just to keep you honest.” Nick wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her toward the bar. “This is the best date I’ve ever had, Shelby.”
“That’s not saying much. You don’t do real dating. Remember?”
His lips tilted in an I’m-a-little-bit-drunk way. “That’s going to have to change now.”
“Yeah, well to get to this level of date, you’re going to have to learn how to get past the first meet. Are you willing to fit me into your ridiculous work schedule so I can help you do that?”