“I am not.” Elliot stared at him like he’d gone nuts.
“We’re just gonna have to turn you into a football fan. I’ll consider that my personal quest. I’ll get you to some games.” Bruiser leaned toward the kid, still smiling, daring Elliot to smile back.
Elliot’s mouth turned down into a bigger frown. “I can’t go to a game. Not like this. My face scares people.”
“I think you’re unique.” Bruiser sobered and put on his serious face. “It’s what’s inside that matters, Elliot. Don’t ever forget that.”
Elliot swallowed and stared at his hands gripping the sheets.
Needing to lighten the mood, Bruiser spotted a checkers game sitting on a chair. “How about a game?”
Elliot perked up. Kids were like that, incredibly resilient. “I’m pretty awesome at checkers.”
“More awesome than me? I’m the awesomest checker player around.”
“Awesomest is not a word.” Elliot stared at him through those thick glasses, so very serious. Too serious for an eleven-year-old.
“According to who?” Bruiser challenged, playing the dumb blond jock to the hilt.
“Merriam-Webster,” Elliot shot right back. The kid had spunk after all he’d been through.
“Never met the guy.”
“What do I get if I win?”
“What do you want?”
“To watch all the old Star Trek reruns, like a marathon.” Elliot almost appeared excited.
Bruiser gagged as if the thought were making him sick. “Ah, man, anything but Star Trek. How about Star Wars or Robocop?” He actually liked Star Trek, but the kid seemed to be enjoying their banter.
“Star Trek was ahead of its time. Did you know that space warp is possible?”
“Uh, no, actually I never thought about it. Sure I can’t talk you into a classic like Planet of the Apes?”
Elliot shook his head pretty vigorously. “Nope, that’s my prize. I won’t settle for less than Kirk and Spock. You’d like it. The women have really short, tight uniforms.” Elliot actually laughed. A rusty, hoarse sound as if it’d been a long time since he’d used it.
“Well, now that you mention that, you’re on, because I never lose a bet.” Bruiser grinned and got a smile in return.
“Neither do I, not at checkers,” Elliot shot back. “Don’t you want something if you win?” Elliot scooted his little body higher up in the bed.
“Uh, sure, you have to watch a football game with me.”
“Only one quarter. I’m too young for more with that level of violence.” Elliot stared at him with no expression on his face.
It took Bruiser a full minute to realize the kid was jerking his chain. “A full half.”
Elliot shook his head. “One quarter. That’s my final offer.”
“Okay, fine, but I get to call you buddy. Deal?”
“Deal—buddy.” Elliot smiled at him, really smiled this time. Bruiser grinned back.
They set up the board game on Elliot’s lap tray, and the kid thoroughly enjoyed kicking Bruiser’s ass. Bruiser promised to come back over the weekend with a full DVD set of the original Star Trek series. Elliot gave him a hug when he left, as witnessed by a grateful set of nurses.
For all his Super Bowl rings and awards, nothing beat the satisfaction Bruiser got out of seeing these kids smile and hearing them laugh, ass-whooping or not.
Chapter 4—Sisters in Crime
Mac sat on a stool positioned in the middle of Zach and Kelsie’s huge kitchen while three women circled her like she-wolves prowling around a wounded fawn. Kelsie Murphy rubbed her chin and stood back, as if she were a painter studying a blank canvas.
Lavender, Tyler’s girlfriend, took a sip of her wine and hiccupped. Rachel, Derek’s wife and an assistant football scout for the Steelheads, grabbed the counter to steady her very unsteady feet. She had a hard enough time with gravity without adding alcohol to the equation.
Mac was putting her future in the she-wolves’ hands, and she was still sober. What did that say about her?
“Where do we start?” Lavender hiccupped again and topped off her glass, tossing the empty wine bottle in the garbage. With a clink, it nestled among the other wine bottles.
“Bruiser’s sister volunteered to do her hair, add some highlights, take the dirty out of the dirty blonde. I’ll teach her to do makeup.” Kelsie wobbled around her, taking a big gulp from her wineglass.
Mac marveled at how someone could be so drunk and so graceful at the same time. When Mac drank too much, she got loud and lurched about like a three-legged hound dog.
Lavender leaned against the counter. “I have just the dress. I suspect we’re about the same size. It’s sexy as hell.”
“She needs sexy. Who would have guessed you were hiding that figure under all those baggy clothes?” Kelsie said.
Rachel dropped into a chair. “I’ve worked quite a bit with Veronica. I’ll give you the scoop on her so you can make small talk and impress her with your knowledge of things not related to plants.”
“I don’t have any knowledge other than plants and sports.”
“You will,” Rachel cackled with an evil laugh, and her sisters in crime joined in.
“So”—Kelsie ticked off on her ruby-red fingertips—“clothes, hair, makeup, small talk. What else? What are we missing?”
“Wine. We’re missing wine.” Lavender snapped her fingers. “More wine, garçon.”
The other two draped themselves across the stools and poured another drink. This time, they coerced Mac into joining them. A few hours and way too many wineglasses and tequila shots later, Mac was certifiably drunk, having a great time, and refusing to be the first of the group to end the night, probably a bad move on her part.
Lavender leaned her elbows on the counter and grinned a wicked grin, obviously up to no fucking good. “Okay, ladies, truth or dare. If you were single, and you could sleep with any man in the world, who would it be?”
Mac rolled her eyes. Couldn’t they just enjoy a good drunk without playing stupid games?
“Zach.” Kelsie hiccupped and giggled.
“Derek.” Rachel grinned, her eyes all glassy and unfocused.
“No, no, no,” Lavender groaned and pounded her forehead with her fist. “Pretend Derek, Tyler, and Zach are out of the picture.
