Off the Mark

by Kathryn Nolan

“You’re not the blushing-over-a-boyfriend type. I kind of assumed you, I don’t know, devoured men for sport.” I hid a smile. “Hey, hey. Don’t buy into all that Bad Girl of MX hype. I have a heart, you know.”

“You just hanging out, thinking about your wife?” “No. Yes. Maybe. Shut up.”

“Penny’s out back in the garden. Did I tell you she’s growing watermelons?” I laughed, shaking my head. “Does she know it’s your favorite food?” In the background, I heard a door bang, and then my father’s girlfriend yelled, “’Course I knew, he only mentions it eighteen fucking times a day.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “Guess she knew after all.”

“Alice,” he said, with mock sternness, “you promised you’d keep the pictures of me and Rowan as babies to a minimum tonight.” My grandmother sniffed indignantly. “I promised no such thing. Please don’t repeat malicious lies in my kitchen. This is a holy, God-fearing household.”

Though when I realized Charlie Maddox, of all people, was standing on the sidewalk, waiting to see me, I did get that weird chest thing I always got around her. It was like my body had to alert my brain that it was about to get stupider.

I brought over the tea on a tray, happy to see my grandmother peering out the front windows with a smile back on her face. “Don’t spy on people. It’s rude,” I teased. “I can’t spy if people aren’t out, doing things, and no one is doing anything.” “Drink your tea.” I nudged it her way. “Someone will come out soon with all the best gossip.”

I would smile. Nod. Try not to say something like you’re the coolest person I know, and I think about you, like, a hundred times a day. Is that normal?

“I’ve had…some boyfriends.” “Some? What, like…two? Seven? Twenty?”

“I can tell people that I pined too. A teeny, tiny, little bit.” I pressed a hand to my heart. “I should be so fucking lucky to deserve your minuscule affection, Charlie Maddox.”

There was a legitimate reason that I’d been here for two hours, grinding my way through a grueling workout. The authorized account was something like I’ve got an important race in two weeks, so I better focus up and hit the gym since I’ve been sucking on the track, big-time. The unauthorized account was I’m unbelievably horny, and it’s all Rowan’s fault.

I forced back the plaintive whimper on the tip of my tongue. It was a hug, for fuck’s sake. I didn’t need to shatter every inch of my cool because he inhaled me like a wild animal.

My phone buzzed with an all-caps text message from my grandmother that read ARE YOU COMING TO FAMILY DINNER OR HAVE YOU ABANDONED ME FOR GOOD?

“What do you think? Do these say something like hey, Charlie, I’m happy to cheer you on at your race in a normal way?” He was silent, studying both with his usual seriousness. Maybe it was the sun, but I swore he was fighting a smile. “I don’t know. Is that amount of glitter…normal?” I stared down at the pile of signs which were covered in so much glitter it was gonna be a problem. “I, uh…might have gone a little overboard.” “How many signs did you bring today?” “Fifteen. But that extra thirteen is backup.” He arched a brow. “And how many did you make last night?” I peered out over the crowd, avoiding his smirk. “I don’t know…thirty?”

“I saw you less than thirty-six hours ago,” I said with a grin. “Complete and total abandonment.” She sighed. “I always knew it would come to this.” “Did you ever think these guilt trips are the reason I’m tossing and turning all night?” “I should hope so. I know how you tomcat around.”

“Okay. We’re stopping,” she breathed. “Definitely not kissing anymore.” “Who wants to kiss? Not us.” “Never been a fan myself,” I said mildly.

I’d casually changed outfits ten times, and on the eleventh video-called my dad so that he and Penny could tell me if I looked okay. To my non-surprise, my dad told me that if Rowan’s family didn’t like what I was wearing, that was their own fault. Meanwhile, Penny had pulled a face in the background and told me to ditch the hot pink lipstick and go with a blood red instead. It had been the opposite of helpful.

it scared me a little. I’d always known it, hadn’t I? Why I’d said no to him all those years. Rowan thought I was behind that bar, playing it cool. When I’d only ever been playing it safe.

“I can’t imagine why the dumpster fires you dated in the past never brought you around to meet people,” he said. I tossed him an exasperated look. “They weren’t all dumpster fires, Rowan. Some of them were straight-up garbage.”

A burst of music came from the sidewalk outside. Dean pulled the door open, grinning at whatever he saw there. “Yo, Eddie, did you get a cat-sized chair for Pam and Tiffany?” A gruff voice yelled, “Yeah, and what’s it to ya? They can’t fucking sit?”

“For the record, any reporter who says mean things about you should be illegal,” she continued. “Any mother who would leave you is a fool.”

“Pitchers are famous for a lot of things, gorgeous.” I arched an eyebrow. “Having a biteable ass?” “I won’t lie to you.” He paused, gaze full of mischief. “It’s where all our power comes from.” “You tasted delicious.” “All those years of squats have led me here. To this moment.” He pulled a mock-serious expression. “The bad girl of motocross, sinking her teeth into my butt. What a time to be alive.”

“So let me be very clear. I am in this for real. I am in this for you. And I’m not running this time.”

“The lesson here is that when you’re confronted with two choices and one is working with a stodgy corporation and the other is a team of fearless, bloodthirsty women…” “Go with the fearless, bloodthirsty women every single time,”