“Cat! Oh my God, she’s choking!” Lacey screamed.
Shane was on his feet in an instant and behind her in less, with his firm thigh planted between her legs. His strong arms wrapped around her without hesitation, his cupped fist just above her belly.
“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured, his voice almost unnaturally calm. “Ready? Here we go.” He thrust up and in once, hard, sending the cashew along with some other nutty shrapnel flying out of out of her mouth at breakneck speeds.
She gulped at the air, desperate for oxygen like she’d never known it, despite having only been without for a short time. She’d held her breath under water far longer, but the forced deprivation had made even these twenty seconds feel like an eternity.
“Are you okay? Should we call 911?” Galen asked, his eyes on Shane.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. Give her a minute, and I think she’ll be fine.” Shane turned her to face him, his perceptive eyes searching her face. “You good?”
She nodded, swiping a trembling hand over her mouth. “Scared the shit out of me, but I’m okay.”
The eerie calm seemed to falter as fear flickered in his eyes and his jaw tensed. “Maybe try chewing those next time.”
Charming. Before she could shoot off a response, Lacey had grabbed her and was shaking her by the shoulders. “Oh my God, Cat. That was awful. Are you sure you shouldn’t go to the ER?”
Cat managed a weak laugh and shook her head. “I’m just a little freaked out. Let me sit for a minute and I’ll be like new.”
She sank back into the recliner and closed her eyes for a second. Shane was right. Aside from the jittery adrenaline dump and a bit of an ache where Shane had Heimlich-ed her, she felt like nothing had happened. She tuned back into the conversation and caught the tail end of Lacey and Galen praising Shane on his quick response. She hadn’t even thanked him.
“You were great,” Cat chimed in. “Thanks for…uh…” What? Saving my ass? Bailing me out of trouble, just like old times? Instead she waved her hands around in the general direction of where they’d been standing, “You know, that. I really appreciate it.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Lacey insisted on getting Cat a bottle of water and taking the cashews from her, which was fine by Cat. Cashews were officially right up there with sushi and liver now. Never to pass her lips again.
A few minutes later, everyone had settled back in and Cat’s hopes for a reprieve started to build when Galen turned to Shane.
“So before Cat decided to steal your thunder, you were about to tell us something.”
It wasn’t a question.
Cat’s throat closed up again, but this time there was no nut to blame. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb and let out a sigh. “Look, this isn’t really anyone else’s business. We—”
“I guess you heard it from my mother, then?” Shane cut in smoothly, attention still locked on Galen.
Jesus Christ on a stick, he told his mom? That was just wrong. “Listen, I—”
“It wasn’t official until today,” Shane continued, sending her a quick, pointed glance, “but I guess I should’ve known the second I let the town crier in on it, word would get out. I put in a transfer request last month and it was approved. So, you heard right. I’m moving.”
For the second time in the past hour, Cat nearly wept with relief. So Galen didn’t know about her and Shane. She took a steadying breath and stepped away from the mental ledge. Shane’s mother was a love, but she did have an ear—and mouth—for gossip. Not the venomous kind, but she always seemed to be the first to know if someone’s kid was going to medical school or about a new beau.
“Where you headed?” Cat waited, the curiosity making her stomach dip, and not in a pleasant way. When he’d been on the West Coast, it had been perfect because it made anything more than an annual trip difficult. Still, as long as he wasn’t too close, she’d manage. She even conjured up an interested smile for him.
“Headed?” Galen said, a huge grin splitting his face. “He’s not headed anywhere. He’s coming home.”
Cat’s stomach nose-dived, landing somewhere in the vicinity of her feet, and her head began to swim. Shane. Home for good. What had she done to deserve this?
“How exciting!” Lacey squealed and leapt to her feet. “This calls for a celebration.”
“It’s going to be great to have you back,” Galen said.
Cat barely registered the hubbub over Shane’s imminent return because for her, it meant nothing but trouble…
Run away, kitten.
“To Shane.” Lacey said, holding up her pint glass.
Cat’s hand shook as she held up her water bottle to join the toast. She could feel Lacey’s gaze drilling into her. She’d given her friend a pile of excuses for why she shouldn’t date Shane and already the whole long-distance one was shot to hell. If the rest didn’t hold, soon she would be faced with a very unpleasant truth. A truth she wasn’t about to trot out for show-and-tell right now because it had already been a long and confusing couple of days. She chugged the rest of her water and set the bottle on the table.
“Anyone need anything while I’m up?” Galen asked, heading for the kitchen.
“I’ll take a Winterfest, if you’re buying,” Shane said.
Mind still reeling, Cat was tempted to add a snifter of cyanide to the list of requested refreshments when Lacey pointed to the TV. “Oh, that’s the site Rafe just joined.”
Rafe was a longtime friend. He and Galen had boxed together in high school, and they’d been tight ever since. Shorter and leaner than Galen, he’d been a middleweight, fast as lightning, but not quite crisp enough to make a living at it. He’d moved on to MMA and was still fighting semipro, but he was also a detective in the Crimes Against Persons Unit at the Wesley Police Department.
Cat turned her attention to the advertisement for a dating site, featuring several satisfied customers extolling the virtues of finding love online.
“Fun, right? Rafe said that when he gets some hits, he’s going to have me come over and help him pick his dates.” Lacey waggled her brows suggestively. “I think online dating seems like a great way to meet people. Especially for someone as busy as Rafe.” She turned to face Shane, eyeing him speculatively. “Hey, you’re coming home soon. You should join, too.”
Wait, did that mean she was going to get off her jock about this Shane thing, or was Little Miss Innocent trying to be slick somehow? Cat eyed her friend hard but saw nothing but sincerity shining back. Okay, so maybe she really was trying to help. Finding Shane the kind of girl who wanted to settle down would be awesome. Maybe then he wouldn’t be such a temptation.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Cat said, with what she hoped passed for an encouraging grin.
Shane met her gaze, eyes glittering with something that had her cheeks going all hot. “Do you?” he asked softly.
She took a gulp from the dregs of her warm, pre-choking beer and swallowed hard before responding. “I do. And you’ve been gone so long, it will get you meeting some new people in the area and whatnot. Plus, if your quarterback can’t score, at least maybe you’ll get a chance to.”
Galen let out a low whistle. “Dang, them’s fighting words.”
When Shane’s lips split into a challenging smile, a shiver went through her. “You’re very confident for only being up seven points. Care to make a wager?” he asked.
She didn’t answer right away, a sudden, jittery feeling making it hard to resist the urge to see if her nostrils were quivering like a bunny downwind of a fox.
“What’s the matter? You don’t have faith in your team? Up by seven and there’s less than four minutes to go. Either you believe in your team and will make a wager, or you won’t.”
Lacey and Galen were hanging on their every word now, wanting to get in on the fun. Far be it from her to disappoint them or back down. He’d run her off earlier that weekend, and she wasn’t about to let it happen twice. She was nobody’s chicken.
“Bet your ass I will. Let’s hear it.”
“If the Pats win, I’ll join your dating site. If they lose,” his voice dropped, and his eyes went dark, “you go on a date with me.”
Either the room went silent or the blood suddenly buzzing in her ears had rendered her deaf, because for a few seconds, she couldn’t hear shit. She could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on her, though. She shifted in her seat, and opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. What the hell was going on here? One minute he was acting like he was cool with them keeping everything on the down low and moving on like it never happened, the next he was asking her out in front of everyone.
“A date? What kind of date?” Galen asked, but they were saved from answering when Lacey elbowed him in the stomach.
“Shh, mind your own business. This is getting interesting.”
Cat ignored them, wholly focused on Shane now. “How do I know you’ll go out with anyone? Just joining the site isn’t really a big deal. Anyone can do that part.”
He shrugged. “You can do for me what Rafe is letting Lacey do for him. Help me choose. Be my wingman, so to speak.”
“Seriously?”
Shane didn’t answer. Instead he kept his intense gaze trained on her. Clearly, he was dead serious. Everyone knew she was reckless, and backing away from a challenge went against the grain. The longer she stalled, the more awkward this was going to get.
And the more obvious that something deeper was at play here.
“Fine. Whatever.” She shrugged and swiped at some imaginary crumbs on her sweater. “On the off chance that the Pats blow this game, I guess I can stay awake through a meal with you. But you have to promise to go on at least five dates if you lose. If you’re not going to give it a real chance, it’s not worth it.”
“Done.”
With the bet set, everyone turned attention back to the game, although she could sense Galen’s sidelong glances flicking between her and Shane. No time to worry about it now, though. The Giants were marching steadily down the field, and Cat watched the action with bated breath, noting that everyone else seemed just as invested. Even Galen was up and pacing, and Lacey had taken to covering her eyes during key plays. Cat turned her attention back to the TV set just in time to see Eli flat on his back. Again.
It was looking good for her and the Pats. Soon, she’d get to help find Shane a girlfriend. Hell, he could be happy and settled by spring.
Exactly what she’d wanted, right?
So why did the prospect of winning the bet suddenly feel a little like losing?
…
Shane sat back and watched the rest of the game, entirely unconcerned about the outcome.
Of concern, though, were the dark, searching looks Galen was giving him. The opportunity had opened up and he’d taken it, but he’d also given his buddy a bead on his feelings for Cat, and he needed to prepare himself for the confrontation. If he knew his friend the way he thought he did, once Galen realized that he was as serious as a terrorist threat about his sister, he’d be okay with it. Cat’s carousel of a love life had been tough for her big brother to watch, and as long as he knew Shane wasn’t just trying to hop on for a quick ride, he’d give his blessing.
If only convincing Cat would be that easy.
She was a tough one. Although right now, she was looking anything but tough. She was a wreck. The Giants were at fourth and goal, and if they made it into the end zone, the game would go into overtime, giving them a chance to win.
A minute later, the room erupted into boos and cheers simultaneously when Eli threw an incomplete pass, locking up the win for the Patriots and for Cat. He tried not to let her whooping and whistling bruise his ego.