Hope for Us (Hope Series Book #3) Read Online Free Page B

still together? He didn’t wait for me to answer.
    “I have a great idea. Let me take you out to dinner and we can discuss … boundaries.”
    “Boundaries?”
    “Yeah, I mean, I’m not looking to turn your life upside down. I have a lot to deal with this year, and I promise I’m not looking for any distractions. I need to concentrate one hundred percent on football.”
    He smiled and my insides warmed from the power of his smile. If he didn’t want to turn my life upside down then, he needed to stop smiling at me like that?
    “With that being said, don’t you have to get ready for camp?”
    “Well, I’m already packed and I have to eat.”
    He laced his fingers together and it hid his face.
    I reached out to pull his hands down and the contact sent a subtle shock down my arm. I pulled away.
    I studied his face to see if he felt it, too, but he made no indication. He sat and waited for my response. 
    “Okay. Let’s go eat.”
    Jackson and I walked side-by-side back to the lobby. We found Cameron sitting on the reception desk on his phone. He hung up as we approached.
    “Hey, so we all set?”
    “Yeah. Carrington and I are going to grab a bit to eat. So, I guess I’ll see you at camp tomorrow.”
    “Well, I’m supposed to show you to the hotel.” He said confused and disappointed.
    “I’m a grown up. I can find my way around.” Jackson turned to me. “You want to leave your car here?”
    “Uh, depends. What do you feel like?”
    “A steak.”
    “I’ll get my car, and you can follow me.”
    I headed across the parking lot and shivered as I felt both their eyes on my backside.
     
    We both arrived at Maestro’s, the famous steakhouse, and valeted our cars. I called ahead and used my own Cardinals connections to make sure we got in right away. The valet and the host recognized Jackson and greeted him, welcomed him to Arizona, and wished him luck with the season.
    The waitress giggled after every sentence as she recited the specials and ignored me. When she took our drink order and disappeared, Jackson relaxed.
    We sat back in the black leather booth near the back of the restaurant. The noise level from the bar didn’t spill over to the dining room. I turned to Jackson and watched him survey the restaurant waiting for the next assault of adoration. 
    “I figured you would be used to it by know,” I said.
    “Used to what?”
    “Being recognized and admired by the world.”
    “Yeah, no,” he said as he took a sip of water. “It still freaks me out.”
    “Well, you do it well.”
    “Thank you. Wait. Did you just compliment me? No, it’s not possible.”
    “Shut up.” I laughed and turned my attention to the menu.
    “Could it be that Carrington Olivia Butler no longer hates me?”
    I sat the menu down and frowned. “I never hated you.”
    “Okay, but you’ve been mad at me for five years.”
    “Not all five years. Two years ago when you broke your leg, I wasn’t mad at you that day.”
    “Oh, yeah. Feeling sorry for me doesn’t count.”
    “Well, take what you can get, okay?”
    “Okay.”
    The waitress returned with our drinks. I order a Patron Silver and Jackson drank an expensive sounding whiskey on the rocks. We were a long way from the cheap vodka and beer kegs of our college days. We ordered and sat in silence for a minute sipping our drinks.
    “You excited about the trade?” I asked.
    “I haven’t really had a chance to process it, yet.”
    “It will be good for you. Good for your career to have a fresh start.”
    “Yeah, maybe, but I’ve never been in this position before.”
    “What position?”
    “Fighting for a starting job. I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve always been the best player on the team.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah. When I was a kid, my dad told me that if you worked harder than anyone else in the room, things would work out eventually. So, that’s what I did. You know my reputation. I work hard at my job. I study, strategize, and prepare. I think