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Zack jerks his head over his shoulder to the double doors that lead out onto the back deck "Outside, playing with Andre and Mely’s kids We took hi about Mickey I think he has the other kids riled up now"

Laughing, I clap hi so to take their kids next summer"

"Exactly," Gina says ienially I have the dirtiest joke I just heard last night--compliments of Donna or Debbie, not sure which--and I have to tell Alex And it has to be done in front of Sutton, so I can watch her blush prettily, then snarl at ot here not long ago They’re out back, I think," Zack says as he leans in to kiss Gina on the head They are always touching and kissing, which is an intimate concept I don’t understand outside of the confines of oodbyes and step out onto the deck The North Carolina air is wary, and fireflies float all around in the early-evening dusk Suzie has strung brightly colored lanterns all around the deck, where a fewout I call out hellos and trot down the steps into the backyard

I head directly to the open-walled tent that houses a keg of beer set up beside a table, which is laden with evenhirab a cup and hold it out for hiives rin as he tops off his own cup and takes mine "Good summer?"

"The best Carolina beaches and hot women," I tell him as I look around for Alex and Sutton

"If Karen weren’t standing just five feet away," he says in a whisper as he leans toward ot your own hot woman," I tell him as I accept the beer he poured "You don’t need h," he says, and then walks off to join his wife

I take a sip and glance around the backyard Many people I recognize, as I’ve gotten to know my teammates’ fanize, and I’anization I haven’t uests

My eyes scan around, looking for Alex and Sutton, et out

And that’s when I see her

Holy fuck, is she gorgeous

Tall and ith long hair in the most unusual shade of caramel I’ve ever seen I can’t tell what color her eyes are fro a glass of wine, and before I know it…, in her direction