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“Can’t have you embarrassing the team with food on your face,” she said, brushing off his thanks much easier than she had the food.
“The press and my teammates would have a field day with pictures of me losing with egg on my face, not to mention all the news outlets and trolls.”
“Technically, it wasn’t egg.”
“But it was a sincere thank you.” The warm air swirled around them, and the crowd faded away as Penny felt his energy shift from anxious to calm-anxious? Is that a thing?
“I’d better let you get ready.” She stepped back from him as the news crew, Cal, and Lucas moved closer.
“So we can be best losers?” Bash laughed, but he didn’t seem happy about their predicament. To do well, but not well enough. Beat the defense and win the pool, but don’t beat Maggie. She and Maggie always shared secrets and dreams, and it stung that Maggie wasn’t sharing why she needed to win the baking contest.
“There’s nothing wrong with second place. Sometimes the best reward is participating.” All three men burst out laughing, including the news crew.
“Thanks for the sound bite, lady,” the reporter called as Penny walked away, feeling as though her world had shifted. Mr. The-Movie’s-Always-Better might be a decent person. He may be reserved, like Cal said, and not the egomaniac she thought he was.
But her first impressions of someone were rarely wrong, and she wasn’t ready to change her opinion. A person’s energy said a lot about them, and Bash’s always read toward what she considered the negative—edgy, nervous, anxious. He wasn’t angry, bitter, or resentful, but he wasn’t at peace with himself. The man needs intensive therapy. Penny chuckled as she sat between her mom and Nanna.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just thinking about the new puppies at the shelter and wondering if we could use them as intensive therapy.” The women looked at her with mixed expressions.
Alison patted her knee, saying, “Honey, I think that’s a great idea and it would be a wonderful fund-raiser.”
“Well, studies show that dogs reduce stress and anxiety and can help ease loneliness. And with enough interaction, our feel-good hormone oxytocin increases,” Nanna added, sitting taller. Although Nanna had sold her veterinary practice, she filled in for the new owners when they needed her, but she missed it. The animals on the farm and her bees filled the void, but she’d confessed to Penny that she missed having something that was all hers, and grandad didn’t count. “Let me know if you need a hand. Your mom’s right, though. It could be a great fit for the shelter and Cascade City. Think about it, employees could send their boss to cuddle puppies; a parent could send their teen before a test or big event; someone grieving could get the wiggly warmth and love of a puppy or dog. And all that socialization would make it easier to find forever homes for the dogs. I think you’re on to something.”
Penny nodded. They were right. She was onto something, but all she could think about was a certain handsome quarterback surrounded by enthusiastic puppies.
Bash poked at the corn husks in the hot water, wondering why he was there. Lucas creamed the lard and vegetable broth with the hand mixer and Cal interacted with the crowd. It was obvious they didn’t need him today. He’d thought he’d made strides with them, that they liked him, but maybe they were only tolerating him. I sound like a moody teenager, he thought, fishing out a husk to see if it had softened.
“Stop watching Maggie,” Cal said to Lucas. “She’s fine. We need to win, remember?”
“Shouldn’t be too difficult,” Bash said. “Not with the way the defense is arguing.” All three men turned their heads to the end trailer.
“Looks like they’ve got more flour on them than in the bowl,” Lucas said.
“Do we know what they’re making?”
“No, and when I walked by during setup, it sounded like they were still deciding,” Cal said.
“Looks like the library will get a big donation,” Bash said, smiling. He’d visited the library earlier in the week. The head librarian handed him a donation form and their wish list, including money for the book fund, computers, and furniture for the teen room, which was slated for an upgrade in the spring.
“Food bank,” Lucas said, scraping the beaters. Both men looked at Cal, just as they had every other time they’d discussed where to donate the money. The players and staff had raised a little over five thousand dollars, and the Tetons’ owner and tech mogul was matching it.
“Don’t look at me. I think we should split it between them. And stop looking at Maggie. Eyes on the prize.” Cal said.
“They are,” Lucas said, dragging his eyes away. “I’m just making sure she’s doing okay. It’s weird. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation where I needed to do well, but not well enough to win.”
Bash snorted. “Second place has never been my goal.”
“But yet, here we are,” Cal said, elbowing Bash out of the way and pulling berries from the fridge. The mini-kitchens weren’t built for three large men.
“Stuck in a cooking contest.” Bash frowned as he checked another corn husk, wondering if they’d ever soften enough to roll.
“What’s wrong? You’re looking at the husk like it offended you, or are you pissed you’re not the one calling the plays today?” Lucas joked, grabbing the tongs from Bash and stirring the husks. Cal chuckled.
“Why didn’t you tell me there was food on my face?”
“There was? I didn’t see it,” Cal said, before turning to Lucas. “Did you?”
