She turned quickly away from the table. She honestly didn't know what was wrong. Human food never bothered her before; now it suddenly made her nauseous. She decided that was his fault too. If she wasn't feeling so awful and grouchy, and if she could get one decent night of sleep, it wouldn't be bothering her at all.
She scanned the people gathered around. Kathleen, Delia, Jess, Abby, and Vicky were sitting in lawn chairs with sunglasses on as they absorbed the sun and watched the people around them. Aiden and his friends were tossing horseshoes, laughing happily. Ethan, Ian, Stefan, her father, and The Stooges were standing by the keg. Her gaze lingered on Stefan, her pulse instantly picking up at the sight of him.
The black T-shirt he wore showed off his amazing biceps and forearms while emphasizing the muscles of his broad chest. His snug jeans clung to his muscular thighs. To her utter dismay, she felt the familiar anticipation she’d experienced in her dreams take hold.
"He is good-looking," her mother commented.
Isabelle groaned inwardly. She’d been staring at him, and of course, her mother would notice. She turned her gaze away from him as she remarked, "He's an ass."
"He seems very nice to me. Just look at what he did for Aiden today."
"You don't know him very well. He is an arrogant, insensitive ass!"
Her mother's eyes twinkled as she looked at the group by the keg. "Maybe, but so are your brothers, your father, and The Stooges."
"No one is as bad as him," she grated.
"So, you like him then?"
Isabelle grit her jaw as her frustration simmered to a boiling point. "I can't stand him!"
Her mother smiled as she patted her arm. Isabelle stood seething, feeling like a child. She hated it. She turned away from her mother, scowling angrily, as she moved swiftly over to the empty chair near Vicky and Abby.
She didn't want to be near Jess, but she didn't know where else to go. She couldn't hide in the house all day. It would only draw more questions she couldn't answer. She didn't want to let him know how much he’d gotten to her. However, she was sure he already knew, and he was reveling in the fact while secretly laughing at her.
"Hey, Issy," Abby greeted as Isabelle settled in the chair, propped her feet up, and laid back.
"Hmm," she mumbled by way of greeting.
"Aiden's friends are cute," Vicky gushed. "I especially like the redhead; do you think I should go talk to him?"
Isabelle looked at the redhead playing horseshoes. His girlfriend, a small, petite brunette hung on his arm. "I don't think his girlfriend would like that."
"Oh, who cares about her?"
Isabelle ground her teeth as she closed her eyes. Why couldn't she be more like her sisters? They liked every boy who crossed their paths. They flirted outrageously, kissed them, and threw themselves at the boys. Isabelle had never even kissed someone before the ass walked into her life, nor had she ever wanted to.
"We haven't seen much of you lately."
Isabelle chose to ignore the hostility in Jess's tone. In fact, she chose to ignore her completely. "Isabelle's been helping mom," Abby answered for her.
Isabelle didn't speak at all for a long time. The day passed in a torrent of games Isabelle steadfastly avoided. It wasn't until late afternoon, when her mother and father reappeared, that her father announced the one thing she’d been dreading all day.
"Time for football."
Abby and Vicky groaned; Jess paused in the middle of applying her suntan lotion, while Delia frowned thoughtfully. Her mom smiled as she slid into the chair next to Kathleen.
"You two are unbelievable," Kathleen said to her. "It's like you're still in college."
"Yep," her mom said.
"Isabelle, come on!" Ethan yelled.
Isabelle closed her eyes. She didn't want to go anywhere near that game or Stefan.
"Come on, Isabelle," Aiden said.
She opened her eyes to look up at him. He grinned at her and held his hand out. "I don't want to play," she said.
He blinked at her in surprise. "You have to play; it's my last game."
Isabelle frowned at him as she shook her head. "You'll be back."
"But it won't be the same. Come on, Isabelle, you love playing, and I want you to."
She couldn't refuse the pleading look in his eyes and the fake pout on his face. She sighed and slipped her hand into his. He hauled her up. She followed him out to where everyone was gathered in the middle of the backyard. Mike and David were always team captains, and the assigned teams they usually played with already stood in their positions.
Jack, Ethan, and Julian stood by Mike, and she walked over to join them. David, her father, Ian, Aiden, and Doug stood opposite them, smiling as David picked Stefan for his side. Mike immediately chose Kyle, who was being allowed to play for the first time. They divided the remaining four humans between them.
She felt wooden as she walked to her side of the field. Their football games could get rough and rowdy. Her brothers had no problem slamming her into the ground, and neither did The Stooges. That's why she loved to play, but now...
Isabelle nervously bit her bottom lip as she glanced at Stefan. Would he tackle her? Would he touch her? She found herself shuddering with dread, and anticipation, at the thought. She listened half-heartedly while Mike outlined their first play. Mike hoped Aiden's friends wouldn't want to tackle her, so the ball was coming to her.
They lined up, and her eyes instantly went to Stefan. He was standing next to her father and across from Ethan. She sighed in relief as she realized he wouldn't be anywhere near her. She turned her attention back to Aiden, who was grinning as he walked over to stand before her. Isabelle forced herself to smile back.
"My friends refuse to tackle you,"
