Free End Zone: Texas Titans 2 by Cheryl Douglas

fortitude to get back up
when life tried to knock him down.
    “So wanting to date me has nothing to do
with—”
    “No.” Matt didn’t need to hear it again. He
knew what she was going to say. “I want to go out with you because you’re fun
and sweet and sexy and I love the way I feel when I’m with you.” Matt’s buddies
would rake him over the coals if they could hear him. Kristen’s opinion was the
only one that mattered though. “So what do you say? Will you have dinner with
me at High Rollers tomorrow night? It’ll give you a chance to check the place
out. Maybe you’ll decide to take that job after all.”
    “Let me think about it.” She took his hand
and led him around the front of the small stone building.
    “You’re not saying no. I’ll take it.”
     
    ***
     
    Kristen wandered around the small gallery.
Matt had claimed his mother kept her favorite pieces at home, but to Kristen’s
untrained eye, every piece looked more beautiful than the last.
    “Your name sounds so familiar to me,” Nancy
Hudson said, falling into step behind Kristen as she moved from one piece to
the next. “Are you sure we haven’t met before?”
    “I don’t think so, Mrs. Hudson,” Kristen
said, smiling.
    As soon as she’d met Matt’s mother, she was
struck by her warmth and friendliness. Nancy welcomed them into her “‘humble’
home away from home,” with a hug for each of them, treating Kristen as though
she was a long-lost friend instead of the woman who’d intruded on her quiet
night at home with her husband.
    “You recognize the name because we went to
high school together,” Matt said, leaning against the antique reception desk.
“I used to tutor Kris in math.”
    Kristen wrinkled her nose. “Math was never
my strong suit. In fact, it still isn’t.”
    Nancy laughed and patted Kristen’s forearm.
“I could say the same, my dear. It’s that right brain/left brain thing. My
husband and son are the business gurus. My youngest and I are the
free-spirited, creative ones.”
    Matt rolled his eyes. “That’s what Paul
keeps telling people so he won’t have to get a real job. I’m still waiting to
see some evidence of his creativity.”
    Nancy waved her hand dismissively. “Your
brother’s still young. He’ll find his way. Look at me. I was thirty-seven
before I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew up.” Nancy asked
Kristen, “What do you do, dear?”
    “I’m an event planner.”
    “She’s being modest, Ma. Her company is the
most sought after in town. That’s why I’m trying to talk her into planning High
Rollers’ anniversary party.”
    “You know I’d love to, but with my
assistant out of town—”
    “Would it help if you had an extra pair of
hands to lighten your load?” Nancy asked, spreading her arms.
    Kristen gave Nancy a quick once-over,
trying to decide if she was serious. With her long flowing skirt, colorful
hand-painted jewelry, and chic silver bob, she looked like the quintessential
artist. Kristen didn’t know if she had any experience with event planning and
couldn’t ask without sounding ungrateful. She’d learned long ago an
inexperienced assistant was often worse than no assistant at all.
    “Um, that’s very sweet of you to offer,
Mrs. Hudson, but I—”
    “Please call me Nancy,” she said. Her
bright blue eyes shone with amusement. “I know you must be asking yourself
whether I’m up to the challenge.”
    “No, I—”
    “It’s okay.” Nancy laughed. “I’d feel the
same way if someone walked in off the street and asked to apprentice with me.”
    “You won’t find a more capable wing woman
than my mother,” Matt said, tongue in cheek. “You wouldn’t know it to look at
her, but her family’s so firmly planted in high society, most of them have
grown roots.”
    “Oh behave yourself.” Nancy waved a
dismissive hand in Matt’s direction. “My family has a bit of a reputation in
this town, but…” She ignored Matt’s cough,