She finished the story, and he bounced Ronnie up and down, trying not to grin at Tessa’s frown. The last time he’d bounced her hard, Ronnie threw up all over Tessa’s white outfit.
“Stop bouncing her,” she snapped, closing the book. “I don’t want to clean up any vomit tonight.”
“You’re a good reader.”
She stared at him in surprise. Her tone was grudging. “Thanks.”
“Ever want to be an actress?”
That got her to laugh. “Why would you ask me that?”
“You’re good at voices and expressions. Figured you’d love the spotlight, too.”
“Hell no. I despise being the center of attention.” She scooped the baby up and gracefully got to her feet. Ronnie grabbed at those curls and tugged. “Let’s get you changed and see if you’ll go down with your binky.”
Her response confused him. Tessa never shrank from boldly declaring what she wanted and deserved. He figured she’d been a show-off most of her life, but the flash of distaste in her gaze at his assumption was clear.
Interesting.
He got up and followed her into the nursery. Ford liked the pale yellow walls and brightly colored art. The rug was soft under his feet, and a sense of joy and comfort seemed to permeate the air. A few seconds later, he began to gag, because a different smell hit him. “Uh, that’s awful. Did she have a burrito for lunch or something?”
Tessa grinned, capably cleaning Ronnie’s squirmy butt without a wince. “Chiara said once they begin solid foods, it keeps getting worse. Here, catch.” She made a motion to throw the toxic diaper at him, and he fumbled in a panic. Her hearty laughter made him shake his head in both exasperation and appreciation at the joke. “Can you get her night mobile set up?” she asked.
A contraption by the crib had a few buttons and switches, but he figured it out, and soon, stars and moons began to softly flicker on the ceiling. Gentle, soothing sounds of waves washed through the air. Ford bet he’d be asleep in seconds if he had such a cushy setup at home.
He couldn’t help but be impressed by the easy way Tessa handled Ronnie, as if she was born to be a mother. Weird, because he always thought of her as the least maternal of her friend group.
The baby went happily into her crib, hands locked in a death grip around the pacifier, and after kissing her night night, they headed into the living room.
“Well, that was easy,” Tessa said, grabbing her wineglass again.
“It was definitely the dancing.” He got her to laugh, which he admitted was a nice sound. If only she were able to relax a bit more, maybe she wouldn’t be too bad to hang out with.
“You can take off now if you want. She’ll probably sleep the whole time.”
Ford grabbed his beer and settled into the comfy leather sectional. “Nope, I’m staying. I promised Ryder.”
Tessa didn’t look too thrilled, but it only amused him. “Fine. But I don’t know what we’re both supposed to do for the next few hours.”
“Watch the football game? Giants may be playing.”
“I have a better idea. How about we watch some Christmas Hallmark movies?”
He couldn’t help the actual shudder that shook his body. “Fine, I get your point.” A strange impulse struck him. “Let’s get to know each other better. We’ll play a game.”
Suspicion laced her tone. “Why?”
“Don’t you think it’s time? I mean, we’ve known each other for years, yet I have no clue about who you are, T.”
“Tessa. I’m a full person, not an initial.”
He gave a suffering sigh. “You’re not gonna give me a fair shot here, are you.”
She gave a humph, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You never cared before. What changed?”
“Ronnie.”
“Veronica.”
He grinned. “We’ll be seeing each other a lot more. Wouldn’t it be nice not to snap at each other during family functions? It would make Chiara and Ryder happy.”
She seemed to consider it, her head tilting to the side, a tiny clucking of her tongue. Her glittery T-shirt pulled tight over her ripe breasts, so he quickly lifted his gaze, not wanting to get in trouble for his appreciation. Hell, with Tessa, she’d just coldcock him first, ask questions later.
“Good point. How do we start?”
“We’ll need more alcohol.” He retrieved another beer and the rest of the wine, setting them on the coffee table. “I propose we ask each other questions and agree to tell the truth.”
She plopped into the easy chair, rocking a bit back and forth, as if her body just couldn’t contain too much stillness for long. “What if we don’t like the question?”
“We get one veto where we don’t have to answer.”
Tessa nodded. Her nails gleamed with pearl polish as she tapped her faux-leather-clad knee. “No asking about sex stuff.”
He rolled his eyes. “As if I’d want to know.”
Another husky laugh. “Oh, you would.”
Heat punched his gut, taking him off guard. He’d never been attracted to Tessa, not because she wasn’t gorgeous but more that she wasn’t his type and was a pain in the ass. But the casual, flirty retort stirred something inside. He doused the flicker immediately.
That was the last thing he needed.
“Ladies first,” he said, propping his feet up on the coffee table.
“How’d you get into sports radio?”
Ford liked that she was going slow and easy. “Loved sports my whole life. I happen to also have a photographic memory. Served me well in school, especially because I was a piss-poor student and hated studying. My main goal was to play professionally, but I wasn’t good enough at baseball or basketball. So I decided instead of chasing something I couldn’t get, I’d use my memory for stats and figures to get into broadcasting.” He thought back on his journey, a familiar comfort to discover he was able to work in the world he loved. “I had a distinctive voice that got me in the door at a sports station and I slowly learned the business. Now, I have a well-known morning show where I interview guests and talk with callers.” A touch of embarrassment swept through him. “Sorry—you probably wanted a one-sentence answer.”
She shook her head. All those toffee curls bounced, then settled. He wondered briefly what the strands would feel like. “Not at all. I didn’t know that. I’d assumed you were just born a beer-drinking, ranting, obsessive sports fan. Was it hard finding a niche in radio?”
“Yeah, but I got lucky because the people were good to me. Genuinely liked me. To be honest, it’s been rough to see how hard women have fought for their place in sports. Rachel Nichols was told consistently she only got her gig because her husband was famous, which is ridiculous. The woman has extreme talent. And look at Michele Tafoya getting moved because she talked about Kaepernick and gave an honest opinion.”
Tessa wrinkled her nose. “Now you lost me. Don’t know who those people are.”
“You should. Their stories are important.”
“I know Simone Biles and Maria Sharapova.”
“That’s because they’re superstars at the biggest competition in the world. Their stories are everywhere. What about the other lesser-known athletes? There are so many stories out there to tell and ways to feature women in sports that Quench is ignoring. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten blowback from your readership about it yet.”