Even though they all knew his reasons for retiring, he still said, “I want her back in my life. Right now, we’ve started as friends. It’s…I’m hopeful. She even agreed to cater our meals this weekend.”
“Good,” Logan said, clapping him on the back. “Now, how about you show us inside this place?”
When Grant bent down to pick up his black leather duffle, Blake saw the stretch Hummer parked catawampus in his driveway. His buddy was so big he’d almost blocked the view.
“Which one of you yahoos drove that monstrosity?” he asked.
“That would be me,” Jordan said. “Grant and I flipped for it, but he chose tails.”
“Everyone knows you always lose when you choose tails,” Zack said.
They’d argued over the science of the coin toss for years since it was one of the most important factors in a football game. Most of them were team captains who had been in charge of the coin toss. Some of them favored heads while a couple outliers were rabid about always calling tails.
“Don’t make me punch you this soon in the weekend,” Hunter said, and he and Zack got into each other’s faces and started playfully shoving each other, causing Touchdown to bark and leap at their ankles.
“Come on, girls, you can continue the pillow fight inside,” Blake said, herding them into the house.
After storing their gear, they piled into the kitchen. Suddenly the wide open space felt like a closet with all the giants hulking about. Sam dispensed beers to the ones who wanted a brew and made some juice for Hunter and Zack. Grabbing his own beer, Blake followed the guys out onto the deck where they all dragged a few more deck chairs around his patio table until they were seated in a lop-sided circle.
“God, smell that mountain air,” Hunter said and then promptly started to cough.
Grant reached over and pounded him on the back. “Guess he can’t handle the purity after all those New York fumes he inhales daily.”
“No,” Hunter said in a raspy voice between coughs, “I think I swallowed a bug.”
Everyone started laughing at that, and when Jordan rose to give Hunter the Heimlich, their hilarity spiraled out of control. Touchdown barked and then raced off, as if deciding he’d had enough. He caught Sam’s look and grinned. Yeah, they were thinking the same thing. These guys might be yahoos…but they were their yahoos.
The rattle of metal sounded behind them, and Blake craned his neck to see what it was. Natalie was standing at the side of the house, fingering a trio of gold bracelets, an annoyed expression on her face. He glanced at his watch and winced. He’d forgotten to put a note on the front door to tell her to come in and set up lunch. Instead she’d had to come around the back to look for him.
Hunter rose from his chair first. “Hey, babe. Good to see you. We were all worried about putting Blake in charge of feeding us, but it looks like he ordered up the best like usual. How have you been?”
“Fine, Hunter Punter. How about you?”
The grin she gave his friends made his breath catch in his throat. It was a bit like old times again…except not.
“You guys were braying like hyenas,” she continued “No wonder you didn’t hear me knocking on the front door.”
“What can we say, Nat?” Jordan called out. “We like to walk on the wild side.”
The other guys rose as Blake did. He watched her walk across the rest of the yard, taking in the sight of her white capri pants, black T-shirt, and sexy gladiator sandals. The Celtic knot tattoo on the inside of her ankle had his mouth watering. He’d seen it before, sure, but he’d never had the guts to ask her when she’d gotten it or why. He only knew it had appeared after their divorce—and he found it incredibly hot.
The guys all kissed her, hugged her, and lifted her off the ground. “Okay, enough of all that,” she said, giving Grant a playful wink. “I need to let my people in.”
“I’ll do it,” Blake said, hoping to catch a look from her—anything that would tell him how they were doing today. They both knew it was weird, her being back with this group as the caterer, not as Blake’s wife.
“I’ll help you,” Sam said, slapping him on the back as if sensing his unease.
His status with Natalie was as changeable as the weather right now, and he knew it.
She finally looked at him as he slipped inside the kitchen with Sam. He lifted his hand in greeting, waiting for her to smile. When she didn’t, he felt more than a little unsettled. Having her with the guys brought back so many good memories for him, and he’d hoped she would feel the same. Then he opened the door and let two strangers into his house to set up the chafing pans and unpack the food. Now he understood why she hadn’t smiled. Things might be familiar, but they were also horribly different.
He wondered if that would ever change as far as Natalie was concerned.
Chapter 12
Though she was loathe to admit it, Natalie had missed this motley crew of giants. Sure, they’d always been easy on the eyes and charming beyond measure, in the way most superstar athletes were, but they also genuinely cared about her.
Always had.