Page 23 of Penalty Kick

“Still summer break, so not technically a school night. It still feels weird, but Mya’s family apparently insists on celebrating birthdays on the actual day, and that’s today. I didn’t have the heart to tell Aspen no, especially after Mya’s mom said I didn’t need to worry about collecting her until after classes tomorrow. It also freed me to pick up a shift, so, win-win.”

“Aspen?” Dash asked, inserting himself into the conversation. He wanted to know who the fuck this was and why his hands were still resting on Talia’s shoulders. The urge to punch this guy still raced through him. That wasn’t going to impress Talia though.

“Oh, sorry! Dash, this is Axel Evers. He’s one of the servers here. I babysit his sister, Aspen. Axel, this is Dash, from the Rising,” Talia answered, gesturing between the two of them.

“Oh, hey, nice to meet you.” Axel extended a hand. Dash let himself relax slightly before extending his in return and shaking.

Coworkers. They were just coworkers. Talia had talked about Aspen a lot—enough so that he felt like he knew the little girl. From her bright-red curly hair to the trouble she has saying her Ss and Rs, Talia seemed to be able to talk for hours about her. Dash just hadn’t been expecting the older brother who was raising her to be so good-looking. Or for Talia to react to him with such excitement.

“Same. I have heard a lot about your sister.”

“Good things, I hope.”

“Of course,” Talia said.

“She’s really excited for the game in a couple of weeks. She keeps talking about how you’re coaching kids like her and how she can’t wait to cheer them on.”

“I did not realize she was…” Dash trailed off. He wasn’t sure what the proper term was in English, and this was not the time to get it wrong.

“No, no,” Axel answered quickly, saving him from embarrassment. “She doesn’t have the same kind of intellectual disabilities as Tanner or the rest of the team. She just has a bit of a speech impediment, which Talia has been working with her on. But, she gets made fun of a lot at school, so she feels very different, like the Unified kids.”

Dash’s jaw tensed all over again at the mention of Aspen being teased. He didn’t even know the girl, but the thought of her being treated that way was upsetting. He knew firsthand just how much it sucked to be different and just how mean kids could be. No one should ever have to deal with that.

“Well, my sister will be in town and at the game as well, so if Aspen needs a friend to hang out with, we can introduce her to Maria. It would also help Maria with her English, so, how did you put it, a win-win?”

“Your sister is coming from Argentina?” Talia asked, her voice full of excitement. The same excitement she’d had a moment ago when Axel arrived. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I did not realize you would be interested.”

“Ax, drinks!” Saxony shouted from the other end of the bar.

Making his excuses, Axel slipped away. Despite having realized he wasn’t actually a threat, Dash couldn’t say that he was sad to see him go. He wanted as much of Talia’s attention as he could get.

“Tell me about Maria's visit!” Talia said, her focus back solely on him.

So, he did just that. Orders started picking up again, but in between soda refills and popping off bottle caps, he told her all about the surprise he’d planned for Maria. First class tickets, plus a fancy hotel where she could order room service. The one-bedroom apartment he lived in was small, and while they could have made it work for Mamá and Maria to stay there, he also wasn’t hurting for the funds to give them the royal treatment either. He wanted to make this an experience for them—one they would never forget. Talia hung on every word, asking questions along the way, her interest growing the more he told her. His heart squeezed, loving that she was so interested in this side of him.

The real him.

As the night wound down, the crowd thinning out and the buzz that had filled the restaurant all night disappearing, Dash found himself thinking about how this had been one of the best nights he’d had in a long time. Sure, his arms and shoulders hurt, and no doubt he was exhausted, but there was more to it than that. He’d made Talia happy. He still longed to hold her, to show her just how interested he was in her. However, knowing that the reason behind her giggle and that insanely bright grin she was sporting was him…that was a reward all in itself.

“How are you getting home?” he asked, pulling his T-shirt back over his head as they slowly exited Bunz. Talia moved pretty fast for being on crutches, but it was still a fraction of her normal speed.

“I have a Lyft on the way.”

“Can I accompany you?”

“I’m fine. It’s a short ride, and I do it all the time.”

“I would still feel better knowing that I saw you to your door.”

Talia nodded, her eyes sparking with something he didn’t recognize. Gratitude? Affection? Whatever it was, he liked it. Slipping his hand into hers, they waited for the car to arrive. As the SUV pulled up, Dash said a silent thank you to the universe that she’d let him stay. The idea of her trying to navigate her way in and out of this thing on her own with that clunky boot on made him nervous.

“Dash, I know how to get out of a car,” she said, her voice a mix of teasing and scolding. The ride to her place had been short, just as she said. Popping out of the car ahead of her, he’d rushed to her side, opening her door and holding out his hands, trying to make it easier for her. “I won’t break, promise.”

“It is un cortesía, Bonita,” he replied.

“Cortesía?”