Playing for Keeps

Chapter 6

“I’m hungry,” Jason grumbled as he stared at the empty plates on his small coffee table.

Brad groaned, “You practically ate both plates of cookies. How in the hell are you hungry?”

Jason shrugged leaning back in his chair to watch the game. “I just am. Leave me the hell alone I’m a growing boy, damn it!”

“Yeah, a growing thirty-one year old boy,” Brad mumbled.

“I’m still growing damn it so shut the hell up and feed me!”

“Order something and stop bitching!” Brad snapped.

“You order something. I’m too weak to move.”

Brad rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how Haley put up with you for the last few weeks. I would have killed you by now.”

“Haley worships me,” he said with a snort.

“Yeah, okay,” Brad said, laughing. “That’s why she dates other men and screws you over just to laugh at you.”

“Exactly.”

Brad looked over at him. “You are a seriously f*cked up man, aren’t you?”

“Probably,” Jason said unconcerned.

“I thought so.”

A soft knock at the door drew both their attention. Brad cringed. “This isn’t another one of your girlfriends coming for revenge is it?”

Jason rolled his eyes as he jumped to his feet. “I think calling any of them my girlfriends is a bit of an exaggeration. I rather you stick with referring to them as ‘the women who agreed to having a good time with no strings attached who got really pissed off at me when I got bored and left them for someone hotter.’”

“Wow, that’s a mouthful,” Brad murmured. “And surprising none of them has killed you yet.”

“It is, isn’t it,” Jason agreed.

He opened the door, knowing no angry ex-lovers would be there. It had been a while since he took a woman to bed and to the best of his knowledge all the previous women already told him off. So, at least for now he was good.

Standing outside his door was Haley in a cute pair of cut off jean shorts and a tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a messy loose bun and some of the strands escaped and teased her nape. It didn’t hurt that those glasses of hers made her look like a sexy little bookworm.

She smiled sweetly. “I am so glad you’re here!” He couldn’t bite back the smile from that declaration. Maybe it was time to forgive her. It was pretty funny after all and those cookies were damn good, not to mention that smile she was giving him made him rather happy.

“Brad, do you think you could give me a hand? I could really use a man’s help for a few minutes.”

His jaw dropped. He could hear Brad trying to stifle his laughter.

“If you need a man, I’m right here!” he snapped.

Haley blinked and then blinked again. “Oh, sorry I didn’t think of you. I need a guy with muscle and you....” Her voice trailed off while she looked him over and then shrugged. “Well, you know,” she said innocently.

“Know what?” he demanded.

She ignored him and focused back on Brad. “Do you think you could give me a hand? I’m having company and I can’t get the barbeque out by myself. It’s kind of heavy.”

Brad chuckled as he came to the door. “Sure. I was on my way home, but I can give you a hand since there’s no one around here strong enough to help you,” he said, sounding amused with a twinkle in his eyes.

“The hell you will!” Jason said as he grabbed Haley’s arm and practically dragged her towards her house. She threw a wink over her shoulder to Brad, who was still laughing and shaking his head in disbelief.

Brad strolled to his car while Jason gave Haley a lecture on his manliness and something about her being a bad grasshopper, whatever the hell that meant. He looked back over in time to catch Jason giving Haley’s ass an appreciative look without breaking from his lecture. His buddy might not know it yet, but he met his match in that little lady. If any woman could bring Jason to his knees it was that woman.

************

“That’s not enough,” Jason scoffed as Haley tried to put away the package of frozen hamburger patties and hot dogs.

“There are only three of us. How much food do you think we need?” she asked as she tried to sidestep him to put the food away. Jason swiped the packages from her and took out more food.

“What the hell?”

He shrugged. “I’m hungry.”

“You’re not invited.”

“Since when do I need an invitation?” he asked as he doubled the amount of hot dogs on the plate.

“Three weeks and we already have a set history? For five years I contemplated manslaughter.”

He merely shrugged.

She growled.

He smiled, making her knees tremble. Damn him.

“Tell me who's coming? It can’t be any of your friends because you wouldn’t care if I was here since they all think I’m a prick and you get a kick out of watching them bitch me out.”

She sighed. “It entertains me so.”

“As it should. I am a very entertaining guy,” he said with a smile as he snuck a forkful of the potato salad she made yesterday. She considered bringing it with her today, but she knew how well it would have been received and decided to leave it here.

“Damn, that’s good, woman,” he practically growled.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said casually, but in truth it was really nice to have someone to cook for occasionally. Her friends were constantly on diets and glared at her when she offered them cookies or other baked goods. It seemed Jason hadn't found a food he didn’t like. She really was surprised that he wasn’t fat.

“So?”

“So what?”

“So, tell me why you stayed less than an hour at one barbeque only to come home to have one of your own? Food suck or something?” he asked while sneaking another bite of the salad before she returned it to the fridge. “Or was there a family smack down?”

“It’s complicated,” she finally said.

“What’s so complicated about a family barbeque?”

“Just drop it. My grandmother is coming here with her helper. Actually, she should be here by now, but knowing her she stopped at store to get all her favorites.”

His brows flew up. “Your grandmother’s coming here? I didn’t think any of your family ever came to visit you.”

She gave him a sly smile. “Been spying on me have you?”

“Not really. I just picked up on things. I’m an observant guy after all.”

“Well, my grandmother comes here several times a year. I usually invite her when I know you’ll be out of town.”

“Afraid I’ll embarrass you?” he asked teasingly.

“Nope. Afraid she might kill you.”

“Puhlease, she’ll love me. Every woman loves and wants me,” he said sincerely.

She chuckled softly. “I’m glad to see you’re so humble.”

“That I am,” he said as Haley began to load his arms up with plates of food to take out to the grill. “So, you mentioned inviting her down. I’m guessing you’re close to her.”

“I am. She raised me off and on until I was ten and then took over full time,” she said, opening the screen door for him. "Anyway, I decided to cut my visit to my parent's home short today."

“Why?”

“Because I told her to. That’s why,” a woman’s crisp voice said.

Jason looked up to see an old woman in a wheel chair being pushed towards them by a wiry man with thinning gray hair. By the look of the man he was Haley’s grandmother helper or caregiver.

“Are you my Haley’s boyfriend?” her grandmother demanded. Wow, she was a no nonsense woman. Just like Haley, once she was out of her shell of course.

*************

Haley felt her face burn as she waited for the earth to open beneath her and drag her under. Prayed for it was more like it.

“No, Grandma, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s my friend from next door.”

Grandma’s eyes narrowed on Jason. Haley was about to tell her Grandmother to cut it out. That look had sent many friends and boyfriends running scared, but to her complete surprise Jason didn’t cower.

He reached over and shook her hand. “My name is Jason Bradford. I’m the neighbor from hell.”

Grandma’s lips twitched. She looked over at her companion. “Chris, be a dear and go get the items we picked up.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, leaving Grandma with them. He sent Haley a smile before he hurried away. No doubt he was expecting Grandma to tear into Jason. Hell, that’s exactly what she was waiting for.

“You also work with my granddaughter, Mr. Bradford. Isn’t that correct?”

Without asking Jason pushed Grandma carefully to the table and locked the chair. “Yup, I make her life a living hell there as well.”

“You sound proud,” Grandma noted.

Jason walked over to the grill and started placing the meat on the grill. “I am,” he said, smiling.

Grandma did something she’d only heard when it was just the two of them. She laughed. It was soft and musical and immediately brought memories of a happy childhood to her mind making her smile in return. Jason caught her eye and winked.

“I like you,” Grandma announced.

“Thank you, Mrs.-”

“You may call me Grandma,” she said in a tone that let him know she would not tolerate him calling her anything else.

Haley sat there stunned. She was the only one allowed to call her Grandma. The rest of the grandchildren called her grandmother when they started to take after their parents.

“Okay, Grandma it is,” Jason said with an easy smile. Wow the man really did have a way with women.

Chris stepped out from the house, no doubt where he just put away an enormous amount of groceries that had nothing to do with a barbeque. It was one of Grandma’s sneaky ways of helping her out since she refused to accept financial help from her family. Grandma had her ways.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but it seems some of the guests from the last barbeque have followed us here,” Chris said softly.

“Who is it?” Haley asked.

“Your cousins and a few aunts. I believe one or both of your sisters as well, Miss. Haley,” Chris said.

Grandma waved a dismissive hand towards the front of the house. “Well, they can leave because there isn’t enough food,” she said even though she hadn’t looked at the grill.

“I can put some more on if you want,” Jason offered.

“No!” Haley and Grandma said at once, startling Jason.

Chris cleared his throat. “They’re rather insistent about joining, ma’am.”

“Tell them to go away or I’ll write them out of my will in the morning,” Grandma said firmly.

Chris hid his smile as he turned to do just that.

Jason gave them all a curious look before shrugging. Apparently he really didn’t care enough to be bothered, which was a good thing for her. She earned her way in life and didn’t want anyone thinking any differently. All her friends knew she came from money and none of them cared. She was just Haley to them and she planned to keep it that way.

“What did you think of your father’s birthday gift, Haley?” Grandma asked.

Jason frowned. “I missed your birthday?”

“It was months ago,” Haley said with a shrug.

“He just remembered today?” Jason asked in disbelief.

“It’s no big deal,” Haley said, giving him a tight smile.

Jason scoffed. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Ah, children? If I may interrupt? Haley, have you looked at your gift?” Grandma asked.

“Not yet.” There was no rush. She already knew what was in there since her father thought she was twenty-five there would be twenty-five hundred dollar bills in an unsigned card.

“Well, go get it,” Grandma said.

With a sigh she went into the house, rolling her eyes at the overfilled bags of groceries that covered her kitchen counters and table and retrieved the envelope from her purse. She carried it out and sat down with it.

“Well, open it!” Grandma said.

“Why are you so eager for me to see this gift?” Haley asked suspiciously.

“Because I’m the one that suggested your gift,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Haley bit her lip so she wouldn’t cry. Not only had her father forgotten her birthday, but Grandma had to be the one to finally remind him and most likely ordered her gift.

She opened the card and wasn’t too surprised to see the card wasn’t signed. Surprise, surprise. Her eyes shifted to the gift and froze there. It was a full minute before she began breathing again. In another ten seconds she was up and around the table, hugging her grandmother and kissing her.

“You are the best, ever!” Haley said between kisses.

Grandma laughed. “I’m glad you like it. I wanted to give those to you but you’re so damn stubborn about no one helping you so I used your father’s stupidity. Now you have to accept them,” Grandma said with a firm nod.

*************

Jason got up and flipped the burgers before he added the hot dogs. He turned back in time to see Haley jumping up and down and giggling like a school girl.

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense,” he said, earning a loud squeal from Haley.

Apparently she was beyond words so she pushed the card into his hands. He looked down. Blinked. Blinked again before stumbling back into a chair. Did he just wet himself? Ah, who cared? He was holding four tickets to the Yankees vs. Red Sox at Yankee Stadium for this Friday and they were without a doubt the best seats in the stadium.

His eyes shifted from Haley to the tickets and back again before he made a split second decision and made a run for it. He didn’t make it five feet before his little grasshopper tackled him to the ground and ripped the card from his hands.

He spit grass out of his mouth. “Fine. You can come with me I guess,” he said, earning a knee to the ribs.