Chapter 13
13
Janie
THIS PLACE WAS insane. It had been years since she’d been to a high school football game, and holy hell were they different when you were over forty and not looking to socialize.
Janie dodged a group of teenage boys paying zero attention to where they were going, shooting them a glare not a single one of them noticed, as she shoved her freezing hands into the pockets of her fall jacket. It was way colder than she thought and the chill in the air was already starting to sink through the fleece lining, making her regret not digging her down coat out of the closet.
If she hadn’t promised to be here, her ass would be turning around and heading back to her car. The last thing she wanted to do on a Friday night was sit in a packed football stadium, freezing her tits off, watching a bunch of high schoolers scramble their gray matter.
Thankfully, it was the last game of the season, so she couldn’t be talked into coming to another one .
Stopping at the concession stand, she ordered the biggest hot chocolate they offered and a soft pretzel. She was just digging through the small purse strapped across her chest in search of her wallet when a deep voice made her fumble the leather pouch.
“Make that two hot chocolates and two pretzels.” Devon dropped a twenty onto the counter and tucked another into the donation jar dedicated to whatever sports team was slinging hot dogs and popcorn tonight.
Janie dropped her wallet back into place, ignoring the flip of her stomach, as she tipped her head in a nod and offered a little smile. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me.” He leaned close, bringing that scent she was becoming way too familiar with into her personal space. “I may have used you to skip the line.”
Janie scoffed, faking outrage. “You are a man of the law.”
Devon collected the first of the hot chocolates and passed it to her. “That makes it even more impressive when I break the rules.”
He took their pretzels and his hot chocolate before leading her away from the cinderblock building situated next to the home stands. Shooting her a sexy grin that pulled all her focus to his lips, he winked. “Don’t pretend you aren’t in awe of my rebellion.”
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. This guy was really starting to become a problem. All the shit-eating grins and corny jokes and overused winks should be reminding her he was a dad, but the more she was around him, the more impossible it was to think of Devon as anything other than a man. One who was frustratingly charming.
“I’ll be in awe when you clean out your garage so you can park your car in it.”
It was impossible to resist giving him a hard time. Lecturing him the way he used to lecture her. But somehow it always came out as teasing. Possibly flirting.
“Always bringing up the mess in the garage.” He shook his head but didn’t look put out. “Even though the house looks a thousand times better.”
“The house does look a lot better.” She could give him that. “You and the girls have done a good job of keeping it up.” She gave him a sidelong glance. "But you’ll thank me for giving you shit about the garage when it starts to snow."
Devon glanced up at the night sky as they continued walking toward the bleachers. "It's feeling like that won’t be very long, so I guess I should get on it."
Janie adjusted her grip on the hot chocolate cupped in her hands, moving her bare fingers around to warm as many spots as possible. "It is pretty freaking cold, isn't it?"
"The last game of the season is usually the toughest one to sit through." Devon led her up the bleachers, still carrying her pretzel in his hands. Leaving her no choice but to follow. "I'm surprised you decided to come out for it."
Janie continued trailing him as he chose a row and moved down the line of corrugated aluminum serving as seats. Devon stopped and sat, choosing a location that gave them a great view of where the large group of cheerleaders stood at the edge of the field.
"It wasn't so much that I decided to come out." Janie lowered to the spot beside him, scanning all the girls bouncing around the sidelines. "Olivia asked me to come so I could see her cheer. She said the last game of the season they let the JV girls cheer for the varsity team, and she wanted me to see how well she's doing with her backflip."
She continued looking for Devon's middle daughter, so immersed in the task that it took her a few seconds to notice he was staring at her intently. Dragging her eyes away from the field, she looked his way, tucking her chin at the thoughtful look on his face.
"What?"
He shook his head, eyes moving over her face. "Nothing." He finally turned toward the field, tipping his head toward her cup as he did. "Might want to drink that before it gets cold and doesn't do you any good."
Janie lifted her brows. "Now you're going to lecture me about how to properly drink hot chocolate?"
"Seems like I have to since you haven't taken the first sip." His focus came back her way, eyes drifting over her. "I should probably also lecture you on the proper attire for the last game of the season."
She tried to fight the smile working across her face and failed. "That was a lecture I could have used an hour ago, so you can save it and stuff it."
Devon chuckled, taking a big bite of his pretzel while also handing hers off. "Eat up. You're going to need as much sustenance as possible to keep your body heat up."
"I'm sure I'll be fine." She bit into the warm, slightly chewy snack. "It's only a couple hours."
"A couple hours can feel real long when you're freezing your ass off." Devon’s eyes moved past her to fix on something farther down the row. "It's a good thing someone I know likes to be prepared for anything."
Janie turned, following his line of sight to find an older couple shimmying their way down the same row. There was no reason to wonder why Devon had noticed their arrival, because he was the spitting image of the woman offering her a wide smile.
"There you are." The older woman reached Janie's side and dropped the giant canvas tote she was carrying onto the metal next to her. "I was starting to think we would never find you." She dug into her giant bag and pulled out a seat cushion. Shoving her bag to the side, she set the cushion in its place and plopped down. “Have you been here long?”
“Just a few minutes.” Devon polished off the pretzel he’d practically inhaled and leaned close, tipping his head her way. “This is Janie.” He motioned to the older woman at her other side. “Janie, this is my mother, Alice, and my dad, Frank.”
Devon’s mother continued smiling, not batting an eye at Devon’s very lacking explanation. “It’s lovely to meet you.” Her smile slipped as she looked Janie over. “But it looks like my son could have helped you pick out something warmer to wear.”
“A ctually,” Janie started to explain what Devon had not—that they weren’t here together—but Alice had already turned back to her bag and was pulling out a thick, plush blanket.
“Here. Use this. It will help keep the chill off you.” She went to work draping the covering around Janie. “Next time you should wear your heavy coat when you come to a game this late in the season.” Alice finished wrapping her up and gently worked her hair free. “And probably some long-johns.” She finished up and went back to her bag. “No sense in freezing to death.”
Janie almost laughed out loud as Alice pulled out a set of instant hand warmers and started to shake them, continuing with her lecture. “I know it’s not the most comfortable to layer up in all that, but you don’t have enough body fat to keep you warm in this weather.” She handed over the activated warmers. “Here.”
Janie worked her hand out from under the blanket she’d been burritoed into. “Thank you.”
Alice brightened, her smile flaring back to life. “Of course, honey.” She looked over to Devon. “What about you? Are you warm enough?”
“I’m fine.” He took a sip of his hot chocolate. “You worry about her.”
Janie shot him a glare as Alice went back to her bag, but Devon no longer seemed fazed by her scathing looks. In fact, he appeared to be having a hell of a time watching his mom fuss over her like a mother hen.
It was an odd situation. One she’d never come close to being a part of. Her own mother was emotionally distant at best, emotionally abusive at worst. Never once had she worried over Janie’s well-being. The only thing that mattered to her was that her daughter excelled. That everyone they met was impressed by her manners and her appearance and her achievements.
For a while, she’d bought into it. Busting her little kid ass to be the smartest. The prettiest. The best.
But eventually, she fell short, and that’s when it all went downhill.
“You should be the one worrying about her. You’re the one who brought her here.” Alice gave Devon a not-so-gentle admonishment. “The least you could have done was packed a blanket.”
Normally she enjoyed when Devon was being lectured—she did it frequently. But he didn’t deserve this particular talking to. “We didn’t come together.” Janie paused when Alice’s eyes lifted. “We just ran into each other at the concession stand.” Devon’s mother was misreading the situation—and judging him because of it—and letting it go on any longer didn’t feel right.
But neither did her attempt to explain their accidental run-in. They could have parted ways at any time. She could have grabbed her pretzel and gone on her merry little way to freeze her tits off alone.
But she hadn’t.
Alice looked between them before finally settling on Devon. “Still. You need to be more prepared.”
Devon chuckled at his mother’s gentle reprimand. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I mean it.” She finally settled into her seat, tucking her Mary Poppins b ag into the enclosed area at her feet. “Maybe if you got that front closet a little more organized, you’d be able to find all your stadium blankets.”
“Actually,” Devon’s face split into a smug grin, “the front closet is very organized.”
Janie found herself smiling along with him. He looked proud of the fact his closet was back in shape, and it made her a little proud since she was the one who facilitated it.
Alice’s brows lifted. “Really.” She dragged the word out as her eyes slid Janie’s way. “You wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would you?”
Janie shook her head, deciding to pass the credit off. “Not me. I think the girls did it.”
She knew for a fact the girls did it because she’s the one who told them to, but that could be their little secret. Devon’s daughters had been working hard to help get their house back in order and they deserved recognition for it.
Alice’s expression warmed. “They are such good girls.” She turned to where the cheerleaders were still stretching and warming up. “They all work so hard.”
“That they do.” Devon shifted in his seat, bringing the bulk of his body closer to hers. “Riley’s working and going to school and Gwen is pushing to graduate a year early. She’s already thinking about the ACT and researching scholarships.”
Devon’s mother clasped her gloved hands in front of her chest. “We’re so proud of th em.” She turned to where her husband sat beside her. “Aren’t we, Frank?”
Frank’s thick brows pinched together. “What?”
Alice patted his knee. “Never mind, dear.” She turned to Janie, animatedly mouthing the words, he can’t hear a thing .
The speakers above and behind them crackled to life and the announcer’s booming voice filled the stadium, cutting off any further conversation as he introduced the players. Once everyone was on the field, the teams wasted no time getting to the line of scrimmage. She kept track of what was going on, but mostly kept her eyes on Olivia, not wanting to miss her backflip.
“Does this take you back?” Devon’s voice was low in her ear. His breath warm against her skin. The combination sent a shiver racing down her spine.
His full lips pressed into the frown he’d inherited from his mother. The one she initially read as disapproving, but now knew was concern. “Are you cold?”
She pushed on a smile, a little too affected by the way his question rumbled through her insides. “I’m fine.”
“Liar.” Devon straightened, shucking off his coat. “Here.” He draped it across her legs, the heat of his body sinking straight through her jeans, soothing the goosebumps across her skin.
“Now you’re going to be cold.” She moved to give him his coat back, but he shook his head.
“You need it more than I do.” His lips twitched. “What with your freakishly low body fat and all.”
Jani e let her jaw fall open in false outrage. “She didn’t say freakishly . You just added that on yourself.” She wiggled one finger out from under the warmth of the blanket keeping her upper half toasty warm and poked it against his pec. “Not all of us have the time to grow a layer of freakishly big muscles.”
Devon angled a brow at her. “It sounds like you’ve been looking at me a little more than I realized.”
Her face heated in spite of the chilly air. “What? No.”
The denial was weak at best. Especially since her eyes accidentally dipped down his coatless frame, pausing a little too long on the way his henley clung to the width of his shoulders and chest. Her only hope was to redirect. “And stop acting like you’re not cold. I can see your nipples trying to stab through your shirt. They look ready to cut glass.” She loosened her hold on the blanket Alice gave her, stretching it out so she could sling one end across Devon’s shoulders. “Here.”
Devon was still for a minute as she fed him more of the blanket. Then he slowly worked it around his big body. “Thank you.”
She tried to cuddle back into the warmth, but there wasn’t quite enough fleece to go around. Not with the way they were sitting now. Her eyes dipped to the slight gap between them. If she scooted closer, not only could they share the blanket better, they could also share body heat. They’d been that close on Devon’s couch the other night, and that was with no one else around. Here they were surrounded by people. If anything, it would be less weird.
“T his will probably work better if we’re a little closer.” Janie scooted her butt toward him, bringing her body right to his.
But there still wasn’t quite enough blanket to make it work. She huffed out a frustrated breath, the air fogging around her.
“Here.” Devon shifted, angling his body toward her in a move that brought her right against his side. The weight of his arm curled around her back, tugging her so close she was plastered against him. “How’s that?”
That was a really good question.
On one hand, the blanket was now wrapped around them both and she was once again toasty warm. On the other, she was enveloped in Devon’s heat and that mysterious scent she still couldn’t put her finger on, being held close by a man she disliked less and less every damn day.
It made her want to wonder what would happen if she hadn’t decided to swear off relationships. If she wasn’t sure they would all take the same path to destruction. If she let herself hope, for just a second, things might finally start to be different.
If she might finally start to be different.