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if your brother wants to go with you,” Dad said as I was leaving the office.
    I frowned, not sure why the idea of Luca tagging along bothered me so much. Usually I didn’t mind him hanging around. He went places with Grace and I all the time. “Um…yeah. Okay,” I said, knowing I couldn’t say no. Besides, it would be rude to leave Luca home if Dad’s working all day.
    Heading back into the family room, I stood behind the couch while Luca kept playing his game.
    “Hey, bud. I’m going to play soccer with Austin today. Do you want to come?”
    The game paused on the screen. He whipped around, his hair sticking out all over his head. That’s when I noticed he was still in his PJs. Glancing at the clock, my heart picked up speed. If he came he’d have to get dressed quickly.
    “That guy you met yesterday at the beach?”
    I nodded.
    He smiled and started chanting, “Mina’s got a boyfriend. Mina’s got a boyfriend.”
    Reaching forward, I smothered his mouth with my hand. “Stop. I do not.”
    Luca laughed.
    “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend,” I said emphatically. “And he’s going to be here any minute, so if you’re coming you need to get ready.”
    “Nah.” Luca waved away my offer. “I want to stay home today.”
    Home. It was weird to hear Luca refer to this place as home, and I wondered if I would ever feel like that here. Sometimes I could pretend that this was just a vacation. That Mom was down the hall and later we’d all hit the beach. But then reality would hit. This was Dad’s house, and Mom would never be here.
    A knock on the door startled me. “Okay. I’ll see ya later then,” I said to Luca, but I doubted he even heard me. He was already lost in that game again. I’d never been into video games, so I didn’t understand the way he could get sucked into them like that.
    My soccer ball was still in the entryway where Dad had left it after we got home from the beach yesterday. I scooped it up before answering the door.
    Austin wore long shorts and a t-shirt with the picture of a basketball on it. The sun was already beating down with warmth, a slight breeze cooling the air.
    “So, I’m guessing basketball is your sport?” I asked after stepping outside and closing the door behind me. A boy rode his bike past, his wheels whirring. In the distance, a seagull squawked.
    “Yeah, but I pretty much dominate at all of them.” I was grateful for the smirk on his face that told me he was kidding.
    Chuckling, I walked forward, Austin by my side. I held the soccer ball firmly under my left arm. His proximity was making me all shaky again, and I was a little afraid I might drop it. I had no desire to give him any more ammunition against me. 
    “Do you play basketball on your high school team?” I asked, if for no other reason than to avoid an awkward silence.
    His cocky grin slipped down a notch. “Um… I used to.”
    It was clear there was more to this story, but I let it drop. The finality in his tone didn’t invite further questions. Besides, I knew what it was like to give up on a sport for a reason you didn’t feel like talking about.
    “Well, maybe we can play sometime. I mean, once I beat you in soccer, you might need to beat me in basketball in order to mend your shattered ego.”
    “I sure hope you have the skills to back up all this smack talk, summer girl.” He grinned, and it caused me to grin too.
    My palms moistened, my insides quivering. I had always felt confident when it came to soccer, but playing one-on-one with this guy would be a challenge. Mostly because I seemed to lose my head when he was around. Even now I was struggling to walk in a straight line and keep a grip on the soccer ball at the same time. I almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all, and I tried to imagine what Grace’s reaction would’ve been if she could’ve seen me at that moment.
    Not that she would’ve been much better. Neither of us were smooth around boys. Grace