Straddling the Line(80)
“We’ll take care of that with the scavenger hunt after dinner.”
“You’re right about that,” Trevor said, resting his hand at the small of her back. “Come on. Let’s go get something to drink.”
She asked for a glass of wine from the bartender, and Trevor grabbed a beer. They made their way around the room, and Trevor talked to a few of the guys while Haven wandered off to visit with some of the other players. Trevor liked that Haven was independent, that she didn’t cling to his side like a lot of the women he’d dated always seemed to do.
When the catering manager found him and told him the food was ready, he announced it to the crowd, and they all made their way to the tables. There was barbecued beef and chicken, along with potato salad and coleslaw, fruit salad and beans. Everyone filled their plates.
He found Haven talking to Barrett Cassidy, the safety on the team, and Barrett’s brother Grant, who played quarterback for St. Louis.
“You’re on a bye this week, too?” he asked Grant as he took a seat next to them.
“Yeah. Thought I’d take a trip out here and enjoy the warm weather, see one of my brothers.”
“You came out here to see the bikini babes, not me,” Barrett said.
Grant grinned. “Maybe.”
“I’ve discovered Grant and his brother Barrett are part of a family dynasty of football players,” Haven said. “They have two more brothers.”
“Tucker doesn’t count. He plays baseball,” Barrett said.
Grant leaned back and shot his brother a look. “I’m going to tell him you said that.”
Barrett shrugged. “Like he hasn’t heard it before?” He took a long swallow of beer.
Trevor laughed. He knew all the Cassidy brothers. They were a tight-knit group, and they were all kick-ass athletes.
“Haven and I were doing a little trash-talking about the University of Oklahoma versus Texas, where I went to school,” Grant said. “It’s a hell of a rivalry, as you know.”
Trevor looked over at Haven, who cast a smile at him. “I have to defend the alma mater.”
He laughed. “I guess you do.”
“I hear there are games in store for us tonight, Trevor,” Barrett said. “Is that right?”
“Think of it as a team-building exercise.”
Grant nodded. “Sounds fun, seeing as how your team needs all that building.”
Barrett shoved an elbow in his brother’s ribs.
“Hey,” Grant said. “That hurt.”
“You quarterbacks,” Barrett said. “Such pussies.”
“I’m totally up for it,” Grant said. “And if you and I aren’t on the same team, Trevor, be prepared to have your ass kicked.”
Trevor knew these guys would be competitive. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?”
“Will you be playing, Haven?” Barrett asked. “Because the Cassidy brothers will kick your butt, too.”
Haven laughed. “Unfortunately, no. I’ll be ringleading this circus tonight.”
Barrett cast a glance over at Trevor. “How much did you have to pay her to get her to agree to that?”
After taking a sip of beer, Trevor said, “Surprisingly, she volunteered.”
“You poor thing,” Barrett said. “You have no idea what you’ve signed up for.”
Haven laughed. “I think I can handle this rowdy bunch. Besides, you’re all going to be way too busy to give me a hard time.”
Haven excused herself after dinner, and they let everyone socialize a bit while the caterers cleaned up dinner. Trevor noticed Haven was taking down everyone’s names, and she’d wandered off into the office. When she came back, she got everyone’s attention and herded them all into the living room.
“Trevor and I have cooked up something very special—and hopefully fun for you for tonight. Trevor, do you want to tell everyone about it?”
He didn’t. Too many details, and he didn’t want to screw it up and get things wrong. “You go ahead, Haven. You’re doing a fine job.”
“Okay. We’re going to have a scavenger hunt. And the best part is, there are prizes at the end. You’re all going to be paired up in teams. There are forty items in total that have been hidden. These items could be hidden somewhere on the property here, on the street, or in town. You’ll be given a list of these items, as well as clues where to find them. You have one hour and one hour only. At the end of the hour you’re to report back here. The team that has found the most items will be declared the winner.”
“What are the prizes?” one of the guys asked.
“The prize for the first-place team is a deep-sea fishing expedition.”