“Ooh, it’s Jason,” Julie said, her chipper tone over seeing his teammate’s name on the screen making him less appreciative. “Should I answer it for you?”
Gavin gritted his teeth to avoid giving away the inexplicable grumpiness he wished he didn’t feel. “I guess.”
Julie tapped the screen to answer. “Hey, Jason.”
“My, my, my,” Holt replied. “Your voice is higher and sexier than I remember, Frost.”
Julie giggled, and Gavin told himself this was a good thing. That a guy who’d flatter her and boost her self-esteem was just what she needed before her date with Kory.
“The better to lure in guys,” she said, and judging by the way she slapped a hand over her mouth, she’d surprised herself with that flirty gem.
Jason’s chuckle carried over the line, and a request to add video popped onscreen.
As Julie reached for the button that’d allow it, Gavin said, “No, don’t—”
“Sorry, too late,” Julie whispered in his direction. Then she turned that killer smile, dimples and all, toward Jason and waved. “Hey. I have you on speaker, and Gavin’s in the truck with me. If you need to have a private convo, though, just let me know.”
“Oh, I’d rather have a private chat with you by far.”
“Thanks, jackass,” Gavin said, and Jason laughed.
“Don’t act like you wouldn’t feel the same in my place. I mean, look at her.” Jason whistled. “Julie, babe, what are you all dolled up for?”
She fiddled with the end of her dangly earring. “I have a date.”
“Ah, so you two are finally going out. Guess I’ll hold back the rest of what I was gonna say so Gavin won’t reach through the phone and strangle me.”
“Not a date with Gavin,” she said, as if the very idea were absurd. “My parents set me up with the single son of one of their couple friends. It’s a thing my mother likes to do.”
“Sounds like I need her number. That way, I can be next on your list.” Out of the corner of his eye, Gavin caught Jason’s eyebrow waggle. Seriously, the guy was so over-the-top. Usually, he found it more amusing. Right now, not so much.
Julie gently patted his shoulder over the brace—he’d left his sling at home, mostly due to vanity reasons, but it made it easier to drive as well. “I roped Gavin into helping me out so I don’t put my foot in my mouth.”
“What I’m hearing is you’re flexible.”
Another titter, and what the hell?
“What I’m hearing is you’re shameless,” Julie fired back, the sassy side formerly reserved just for Gavin coming out.
“It’s one of my best attributes.”
Gavin slowed for an ice patch that had the potential to shoot them right on through the intersection, brakes notwithstanding. “Did you have a point, Holt? We don’t have long.”
“I was gonna update you on a few things that happened at practice, but it sounds like you’ve got a stick up your ass, so maybe I’ll continue my chat with Julie now and call you later.”
Gavin steadied the wheel with his right elbow in order to reach toward the end-call button with his left pointer finger, but Julie aimed a scowl his way before he could tap it. “What?” he asked.
“Jason and I are talking, and you need to use your non-injured arm to steer.” She leaned closer to the phone, and while Gavin had originally thought the phone holster—as Julie called it—was convenient, now he wanted to rip it off the dash. “FYI, I offered to drive so he could rest his shoulder, but he’s being stubborn. He plays football for a living. As if anyone’s going to say he’s not macho enough.”
“I say that very thing to him all the time,” Holt said with a laugh that was definitely at his expense.
Gavin flipped off his teammate, putting his finger nice and close to the screen so Jason wouldn’t miss the message. Then he had an idea, and as much as he hated to give Holt free rein, this night was about Julie and boosting her confidence.
“Here’s the deal. Julie’s a bit nervous, so I’m going to allow you to give her three”—Gavin held up his fingers to the camera, as if Holt were a kindergartener, and sometimes his maturity level landed about there—“genuine compliments. But not about her body. Her face is okay.”
“Wow, what a compliment,” Julie deadpanned.
“I didn’t mean your face is only okay. I meant it’s okay to compliment it.”
“Bro, just let me handle this,” Jason said. “You’re botching it all to hell, and suddenly I’m seeing why you never have a woman on the sidelines waiting for you. Julie, scoot closer to the camera so I can get a better look at you.”
As she started to comply, Gavin stuck out his arm, stopping her progress. It caused a wrenching pinch in his shoulder that had him gritting his teeth, but he’d done it without thinking. “No chance in hell will there be any moving closer. Jules, he’s just trying to peek down your dress.”
“Dude, you’re the one with your hand on her chest.”
At the realization that Holt had a point, Gavin quickly dropped his hand. Not that he’d been copping a feel. It was more of a protective-soccer-mom move. He gestured between Julie and Jason. “This can’t happen.”
Julie twisted to face him, her ruby red lips pursed in challenge. “Oh, now you’re telling me who I can or can’t…do stuff with.”
Gavin pulled into the parking lot, but the quick glance at his phone showed far too much interest over the “do stuff” in Jason’s expression. “I meant you two can’t team up to mock me. I can only deal with one of you at a time.”
“Sorry, his ego’s feeling a bit fragile.” Julie ran her fingers through the ends of his hair, and despite his annoyance over how the situation was going down, he practically purred, just like her cat. “Maybe you should give him the compliments.”
“This conversation proves that you’re actually the worst,” Gavin said, softening his voice so she’d know he was kidding.
“This conversation is just revenge for eating my M&M.”
“How about I buy you a whole giant bag? Then will you be nice?”
Julie batted her eyes and twisted one of her long curls around her finger. “No promises, but it’s worth a try.”
Gavin bit back his grin.
Jason cleared his throat. “Still here, and now I’m starting to feel like a voyeur.”
Across the cab of the truck, they shared a smile. Gavin’s hand twitched with the foolish urge to settle on her knee as he asked if she’d rather get out of there for a while.