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the work out he’d been treated to that morning.
    When they walked into the crowded
restaurant, Colin scanned the room for signs of Briana. He knew
she’d more than likely be in the back, but he still hoped for a
glimpse. He hadn’t seen her in a few days, and he’d missed the
sight of her.
    He realized that he wasn’t going to get to
see her yet, so he walked up to where Rich was chatting up the
hostess.
    “ C’mon, sweet Nicole. I’m
sure you can find us a table somewhere in this place. There are
just two of us.”
    The blonde hostess turned red at Rich’s
flirting and said that she’d see what she could do to find them a
table right away.
    “ Leave that poor girl
alone, Rich,” Colin said as Nicole scurried off in search of a
table. “She looks pretty sweet. I don’t think she knows how to
handle the likes of you.”
    “ No harm,” Rich smiled.
“And see? It worked. She’s fixin’ something up for us right
now.”
    Colin couldn’t help but chuckle softly as
they were led to their seats. Rich could charm the pants off
anyone, and very nearly had.
    They thanked Nicole, and she flushed again,
murmuring, “You’re welcome,” as she walked back to her post.
    They didn’t need to look at the menu. It was
Wednesday after all, so wings were pretty much a given.
    “ Well, lucky me. Two of the
most eligible bachelors in town, sitting at my table,” Kara drawled
with a sexy grin.
    “ Hey, Kara,” Colin said.
“How you doin’?”
    “ Can’t complain,” she
replied. “Can I start ya’ll off with a beer?”
    “ Yes, ma’am.” This was
delivered by Rich, with a sexy grin of his own.
    “ Comin’ right up, Sugar.”
They both took a moment to watch Kara sashay to the bar. “She’s the
female version of you,” Colin said shaking his head and turning
back to Rich.
    Rich just leaned back and grinned. “Ain’t
that the truth.”
    They got their beer and watched the game for
a bit, drinking and talking. While they waited for their wings to
come out, Rich asked Colin if he felt better about working at The
General Store.
    “ No, man,” Colin said with
a frown. “I love my parents and this town and everything, but I
can’t help but resent the fact that I’m here doing the one thing I
swore I’d never do.”
    “ Then why are
you?”
    “ Everything just went to
hell when I got hurt. I focused on finishing school, but then I
just had to get out of there. I couldn’t stand to face the team and
my coaches, knowing that I wasn’t a part of the game
anymore.”
    “ It’s not like coming here
and running the store is your only option. If you hate it so much,
look for something else,” Rich offered.
    Colin took a long drink, then replied,
“Nothing means as much to me as football, so I might as well be
miserable here, where I know people.”
    “ That’s a shitty way to
look at it,” Rich argued. “Dude, I know you’re pissed, I would be
too, but playing football isn’t the only way to be involved in the
game.”
    “ Yeah, I guess you’re
right.” Colin said thoughtfully. “I could look into coaching or
something; I just don’t know where to start.”
    “ Well, you’re gonna start
at the bottom, but at least you’ll be happy,” Rich replied. Then he
looked up at someone approaching their table.
    Figuring it was Kara, Colin didn’t look up.
Then he heard Kent’s voice.
    “ Hey, guys. How’s it
goin’?” he said when he got to the table. He had his arm slung
around a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and amazing gray
eyes. She smiled and Colin noticed she had a dimple on the left
side of her face. “This is my sister, Roni. She’s staying with me
for a while and I wanted to introduce her around, make her feel
welcome.”
    Colin and Rich stood up and shook her hand.
Rich held on long enough for Kent to narrow his eyes at him.
    Rich just smiled and said, “It’s nice to
meet you, Roni. You need anything, you just look for me.”
    Kent bent down to say something to Roni and
she