Who was she kidding? She was the one who needed that beer.
Dating sucked.
She’d considered dressing in something a litter cuter, like a normal person, but Nick had told her she looked hot in her jersey, so she’d gone with it. She ignored the heat gathering in her gut as she recalled the way Nick’s eyes had darkened with desire before he’d told her that.
She and Greg hadn’t walked two feet inside her uncle’s box before a dark-curly-headed blur ran toward her with open arms. “Hi, Shelby!”
She pried Emily’s arms from around her legs and lifted her up. “Hi, Em. I didn’t know you were going to be here today.” She turned to Greg. “This is one of my biggest fans, and my new writing buddy, Emily Monkey-Brains.”
“That’s a great name. I’m Greg.” He beamed a big smile at Emily.
Just like a little chimp, Emily wrapped her arms around Shelby’s neck, her legs around her waist and settled in before she said to Greg, “Uncle Nick calls you Prince Charming. Are you Shelby’s boyfriend?”
Nick was a dead man.
Greg sputtered, “Well, um—”
Shelby jumped in before he turned a deeper shade of red. “So, where is your Uncle Nick, honey?”
Emily threw out her hand toward the bar. “With those big guys. They’re kinda scary.”
“But they’re the nicest people ever. Let’s go find your uncle.”
“Can I sit with you, Shelby?” Emily’s lips tilted into a sweet grin.
She glanced at Greg, whose color had faded to almost normal again. “Do you mind?”
Greg shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Want a beer?”
God, yes!
“Sure. Thanks.” She carried Emily down to the front, hoping Mikey would be there. Maybe he’d brought his Legos. This could be a disaster in the making. And unfortunately, Mikey and his parents weren’t there.
After she settled with Emily on her lap, a pair of big hands slipped over her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. They certainly weren’t Greg’s hands. But somehow her heart didn’t seem to mind as it kicked into high gear at Nick’s soft caress.
His warm breath tickled her ear as he whispered, “Hey, Shelby. Looking hot, as always. Emily needs some cotton candy. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“No!” She turned to argue the wisdom of that particular treat, but Nick was already headed for the door. She huffed out a breath and closed her eyes. It could be a very long afternoon.
A few moments later Greg slid beside them and handed her a beer. “You used to like Amstel Light, if I recall?”
“I do. Thanks.” As she took a long drink, Emily patted her shoulder. “I’m thirsty too, Shelby.”
“What can I get for you?” Greg dropped his beer into the cup holder and hopped up again.
That was nice of him. Or maybe he was just happy to be away from Emily and the possibility that another embarrassing question would pop out of her mouth.
Emily scrunched her forehead. “A big orange soda?”
“You got it.”
She probably should’ve suggested he make it a small one, but he’d left too quickly.
A few minutes later Nick returned and sat beside her with a huge cone of cotton candy. Her stomach joined in with the rest of her mutinous body, clenching at the sight of him.
He’d bought a new Bronco’s Jersey—that was evident from the price tag peeking out from under the back of his collar—and he wore old faded jeans that clung nicely to his good parts. He’d even added face paint. “I see you upgraded your fan wear.”
Nick nodded and handed the treat to Emily. “Here you go, kid. Have at it.” Then he leaned closer and whispered, “Told you I was stepping up my game. Impressed?”
Shelby rolled her eyes as she reached up and tore off the tag, checking the price. “I might have been, but then you went and paid entirely too much for this. I’ll send you the link for where I get all my stuff online, dirt cheap.”
Nick narrowed his eyes. “Smartass.”
Chuckling, she tapped a finger on his warm lips to warn Nick about his language in front of his niece. Shelby glanced down at Emily whose eyes had glazed over as she inhaled her treat. Luckily, Emily was much too interested in her sugar-crack to notice.
When most of it was gone, she glanced up. “Did you want some Shelby?”
“No thanks, sweetheart.” Shelby turned to her sexy seatmate who was lost in the game. She poked him in the arm to get his attention. “Why don’t you take Emily with you over to the bar so you can share the rest of this treat together?”
Nick slowly tore his attention from the field. “I’d rather sit here and share it. You’re a lot cuter than those guys.”