French Fries with a Side of Guys

by Rebekah L. Purdy

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Copyright © 2016 by Rebekah L. Purdy

  FRENCH FRIES WITH A SIDE OF GUYS by Rebekah L. Purdy

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Swoon Romance. Swoon Romance and its related logo are registered trademarks of Georgia McBride Media Group, LLC.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  EPub ISBN 978-1-944816-82-7 Mobi ISBN: 978-1-944816-81-0

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-944816-91-9

  Published by Swoon Romance, Raleigh, NC 27609

  Cover design by Danielle Doolittle of DoElle Designs

  To my brother Phil and dad Chuck, thanks for instilling me with the love for football.

  “Blue forty-two, blue forty-two,” Payton called, eyeing her brothers, who were lined up facing one another in a friendly game of Carter-family football. She stomped her foot, signaling her brother, Bradshaw, to set into motion.

  “Hut, hut.” Payton fell back into a four-step drop, watching as Bradshaw broke free from Montana, who was covering him. With a smile, she let a nice spiral go. Bradshaw easily caught it and dove into their makeshift end-zone, sending them up by six.

  “Yeah, that’s my baby sister.” Elway gave her a high five, before their other brother joined them. “Looks like we beat the star quarterback.” He grinned at Marino, who gave them a lazy smile.

  Payton was the only girl out of six kids. To top it off, her dad was a major football fanatic, which was how they all got named after famous football players. There was Marino, the oldest, the twins, Bradshaw and Montana, then Elway. After them came Payton, and lastly, Rice.

  There was about one year between each of the kids, which made the Carters the highest contributing family to the high school and middle school football teams. With the exception of Payton.

  Marino was the star quarterback for the Tigers’ Varsity team in Aller Falls, while Bradshaw was a receiver and Montana a tight end and safety. Elway played running back on the JV team, and Rice, who was in eighth grade, got slotted as a cornerback as well as kick returner. Needless to say there was no lack of talent in the Carter household.

  Still trying to catch her breath after the last play, Payton glanced at her watch. Oh, shit. “We need to go, now! Dad’s expecting us for the lunch-hour rush.” She blew a strand of sweaty hair from her face. “We’re so gonna be late … ” Payton grabbed her bandana from the ground, wondering how much trouble they’d be in.

  Their dad owned a popular sports restaurant called Carter’s Sports House, which was one of the busiest places in Aller Falls, attracting everyone from beer drinking men, who came to watch the games on TV, to the families enjoying one of the infamous Carter triple-decker banana splits.

  They worked hard to help their dad out, especially after their mom passed away from leukemia. She used to do most of the waitressing and decorating at the restaurant—but now that she was gone they towed a lot of the weight.

  It had been a long couple of years for all of them. Especially Payton. Because with her mom gone, it meant she was the only female in the house with a bunch of guys who were clueless when it came to stuff like periods, dating, and loads of other girly things. Not to mention how overprotective her brothers could be. Payton doubted she’d ever get asked on a date.

  Payton followed her siblings back into the house, trying to avoid the pushing and shoving matches at the door. She barely made it down to her room as the boys wrestled to claim one of the three bathrooms in the house—lucky for her she had her own; sometimes being the only girl had its advantages.

  She quickly kicked off her dirty clothes and searched for her uniform. At last she found it under her schoolbag and pile of textbooks. With a sigh, she tugged on her khaki pants then pulled on the dark-green rugby shirt that read “Carter’s Sports House.” She washed her face and hands, before running a brush through her long, blond hair and pulling it up into a ponytail.

  Of course, that’s when she noticed the grass stain on her elbow. “Damn it.” She didn’t have time for this. Jaw clenched, she grabbed a hand towel and got the end wet enough to try and scrub off the dirt.

  “Come on,” Marino hollered down to her bedroom. “We don’t have time for you to be primping.”

  “I’m not primping, jerk. Just give me a minute. I’m trying to finish getting ready,” she said, eyeing her arm once more. She hoped she’d gotten everything off. Not wanting to miss her ride, she jerked on a baseball cap with a large football and “Carter’s” spelled out on it, then raced to the car.

  “Why does it take you so long to get ready?” Rice glared at her as she climbed over him and plopped in the middle seat between him and Bradshaw.

  “In case you didn’t notice, I’m a girl. Which means I sometimes don’t want to smell like a sweaty asshole.” She punched him in the arm.

  “Language,” Marino said, glancing at her in the mirror. “If Dad hears you talk like that, he’s gonna ground my ass.”

  Her dad believed that her unladylike qualities came from hanging out with her older brothers. Which was good news for her. But totally sucked for them when he decided to hand out punishments.

  “Yeah, too bad you’re a chick. The freshman team could really use you this year.” Bradshaw caught her eye.

  Payton grinned back. She was closest to Marino and Bradshaw, partially because the two oldest had coddled her after her mom died. They’d become kind of a crutch for her, at times taking the “big brother” role a bit too far.

  For instance, the time Sammy Walker, who used to be their neighbor, had come over to play catch with her. She’d been in sixth grade then, and Sammy had tackled her, no big deal. But while down for the count, he’d said he liked her and wondered if she liked him too. And that’s when her brothers bounded out of nowhere and told him to get lost and never come back in their yard again. It was seriously one of the single most embarrassing moments of her life. Needless to say Sammy didn’t come back, and then his family had moved from Aller Falls. She wasn’t sure if one had to do with the other, but still.

  Times like that caused Payton to miss her mom so much, and even more so now that she was going into her freshman year of high school. Her mom died when Payton was eight going on nine. And now, at fourteen, she had no idea about makeup, or clothes, or any of that type of stuff. It wasn’t as if she minded hanging out with her brothers and Dad, but with a house full of males who thought only of, in no particular order, food, football, and farts, it was kind of tough to get in touch with her feminine side.

  “Yeah, you’re ruining family tradition. I mean, how can you break the record of having a Carter on every team for the last four years?” Brad grabbed her ponytail and tugged, while trying to squish her into Rice.

  “Oh, and I had a lot of choice in the chromosomes department, didn’t I?” She rolled her eyes, watching the scenery pass by while her brother sped into town. “Besides, what would you do without me? Certainly not win a football game or make it to work on time.”

  “Yeah, because we’re so on time right now.” Marino laughed as they whipped into a parking spot outside the employee entrance. “I’m not playing dishwasher tonight,” he called out as soon as he cut the engin
e, which was followed by a chorus of “not me”s.

  Payton turned to Rice. “Looks like you’re last to call.”

  He reached to slap her in the leg, but she slid across the seat to get away from him. They jumped out of the Lumina and bolted through the door. Payton spotted their frowning dad, who waited by the cash registers.

  “I hope you guys have a good excuse for being late. Lenny had to work over because of you.” Her dad glowered.

  “Carter family football game, Pops.” Marino patted their dad on the shoulder before grabbing the order pad and hurrying to start waiting on tables.

  “I should’ve guessed.” Dad reached over and pulled a strand of grass out of Payton’s long hair. “Next time, try to end the game a little earlier, huh?”

  “Your little girl threw the game-winning touchdown.” Bradshaw squeezed past them and took out his key for the register.

  “Is that so?” Payton’s dad gave her a wink then handed her some menus to take to one of the tables. “It’s good that you beat them every now and then. Reminds them they’re not as tough as they think.”

  The customers began rolling in, and Payton found herself bustling back and forth with orders. She’d served so many fries today, she was beginning to smile like one. Most of the customers had come in to watch the big game between Michigan and Ohio State, the number one and two ranked teams in the nation, not to mention rivals in the Big Ten.

  Payton loved the atmosphere, the scent of steaks and burgers on the grill coupled with the rowdy fans shouting for their teams. She actually felt at home here, even when it was busy or she was having to deal with all the girls who stopped in to flirt with her brothers.

  This place brought back so many memories of her mom as well. Back when Payton used to come and sit in a booth while her mom waitressed. On her breaks she’d sit with Payton and do her hair, or even allow her to help clear some of the tables. Payton smiled to herself, nearly colliding with Marino who’d just come around the corner.

  “Hey, would you mind taking that back table for me?” Marino gestured to two teenage guys in a booth.

  “Uhh … sure.” She shrugged, grabbing a stack of menus and some clean silverware. But as she got closer, Payton nearly stopped in place, recognizing the familiar faces of the star quarterbacks from Lawson High’s JV and freshman teams. Their rival school. Her breath caught in her throat. There, no more than five feet in front of her, was Chance Montgomery. Her pulse pounded like horse hooves on cement. The Chance Montgomery—who’d filled every fantasy vision she’d ever had—was sitting in her dad’s restaurant, looking gorgeous. He was the same age she was and had been in the newspaper a couple times as an upcoming star. In eighth grade he’d already had the high school coaches scouting him, dreaming of the day he’d step up and lead their teams to victory. Chance Montgomery was the only boy she’d ever considered as full-on dating material. Not that she thought for one second he’d go for her. But hey, a girl could dream. And if you were gonna dream, you might as well go all out.

  Payton tried not to stare at his ivy-colored eyes, or the way his brown hair curled up at the nape of his neck. She even attempted not to follow the line of his arm muscles to what looked like strong hands. Payton sucked in a deep breath. Okay. She could totally do this. Just smile. Nervousness took over, and her legs felt as if they were locking. Her mouth suddenly seemed dry, like she had a wad of cotton balls stuffed in her cheeks.

  “Hi, welcome to Carter’s Sports House—can I start you off with a drink?” she rattled off, barely remembering to smile, while her hands quaked with the simple effort of holding a pen. She was holding a pen, wasn’t she? She peered down to make sure.

  “Lemonade,” Chance answered, giving her one of his winning, knock-’em-dead grins.

  It was like a powerful punch to the gut, and she wanted to fall over from the impact. Damn. Someone should put a warning label on this boy’s mouth. God. She needed to quit staring at his lips. Which, from where she was standing, looked pretty kissable. Not that she had any experience in that area, but she sure wouldn’t mind getting some if it involved him. After taking his brother’s drink order, too, she went off to fill them.

  “Do you guys know who that is?” She glared at Bradshaw, trying to fathom how her brothers could possibly make her wait on them.

  “Yep, the Montgomery brothers. Wonder if they’re trying to scout out the competition?” he teased. “Try and find out, would ya?”

  “Sure, and why don’t I get you their autographs while I’m at it too?” Payton rolled her eyes. “You know, you could be a nice brother and trade me tables,” she said. Because she certainly had no idea whether or not her brain would function around Chance.

  “What would be the fun in that?” He walked off, leaving her cursing him under her breath.

  “Here you go. Have you decided what you want to eat yet?” She pulled out her pad of paper, fighting back the urge to puke or run and hide in the bathroom until Chance left. Yeah, that would definitely win him over. Okay, one, two, three, breathe … Don’t puke. Don’t puke. Don’t puke, she repeated over and over in her mind.

  “No, we might need a couple more minutes, unless you’ve got a suggestion?” Chance’s older brother, Kyle, winked.

  Payton’s face warmed. She’d need a fire extinguisher if they kept this up.

  “Our burgers are pretty good.” She cleared her throat then decided it was time to be brave. Or at least pretend to be. “Hey, aren’t you the Montgomery brothers?”

  “Yeah.” Chance quirked an eyebrow at her. “You’ve heard of us?”

  Had she heard of them? Seriously? That was like asking if the sun came up every morning. Payton giggled, almost hysterically. Ah. What was wrong with her? If she kept this up they’d think she needed to be institutionalized.

  “You’re all my brother was talking about last season when Aller Falls lost to Lawson in the final game.”

  “Who’s your brother?” Kyle glanced up at her.

  “Elway Carter. He’s one of my five brothers.” She nodded to the boys running things back and forth between the dining room and kitchen.

  “Ahh … the infamous Carters.” Kyle tilted back with his hands behind his head. “That’s really nice to know, because our family just moved here to Aller Falls. Dad thought there’d be better opportunities for my brother and me on your football team.”

  Payton’s mouth dropped open. Whoa. Hold on. They were moving here? Chance Montgomery, king of the dazzling—heart-stopping—panic-inducing smiles was gonna go to school at Aller Falls? Yes. Her prayers had been answered, and more amazing was the fact that she’d proven Kelly’s Magic 8 Ball wrong.

  Just a month ago, she’d asked the stupid ball if she and Chance Montgomery would ever talk and it’d said “not a chance”—no pun intended. Then, right after that, she’d asked if they’d ever bump into each other, and again, it’d said not a chance! Ha—stupid ball, she’d so proved it wrong.

  “Well, welcome. So you guys know football conditioning and tryouts begin next week, right?” Her gaze drifted to Chance. To her surprise, she found him staring back.

  “Yeah, my dad made sure to have us here just in time for them.” He smiled once more.

  Could there be no end to that dazzling beacon of white teeth?

  She glanced up to see another set of customers coming in. “I suppose I should get your orders.”

  “Since you suggested the burgers and fries I guess we’ll go with that.” Chance handed his menu back to her, his hand brushing hers in the process.

  For mere seconds, she was frozen in place. Could someone become paralyzed by love? She stood there staring at him like a stalker, until he gave her an odd look, sending her scurrying away and right into Lily, one of the other waitresses.

  “You’re blushing.” Lily leaned over with a grin. “Better not let those brothers of yours see.”

  “See what?” Marino and Bradshaw said in unison.

  “Nothing.” Payton ducked her head, hoping th
ey wouldn’t see how red her face was. They were like piranhas in a river of blood—once they got the scent, they wouldn’t leave you alone.

  “Oh, the Montgomery brothers.” Brad waggled his eyebrows up and down.

  She slugged him in the arm. “Shh … They’ll hear you.”

  “That’s kind of the point.” He grinned at her.

  “Please don’t embarrass me. I mean, I’ll have to see them again at school because apparently they’ve moved here, to Aller Falls. And they’ll be trying out for the football teams next week.”

  “And this has you blushing why?” Marino shot her a knowing look.

  Of course he’d ask her that. Gah. Did she really want her brothers in her business? Well, the easy answer to that was hell no. But she knew they weren’t dumb and would figure things out soon enough.

  “I think Chance is kind of cute.” She turned to Lily, trying to avoid eye contact with Marino and Bradshaw. “But I haven’t the slightest clue how to talk to him or get his attention,” she whispered in despair. One would think that with all the brothers she had, she’d be a pro at talking to guys, but she wasn’t even close.

  “Order up,” the cook yelled, which took Marino away to fetch his food.

  “Just be yourself, honey, that’s the best advice I can give you,” Lily said, with her typical grown-up opinion, before loading up her own orders.

  “Easy for you to say,” Payton mumbled as she grabbed the tray of burgers and fries for the Montgomerys. She set down Kyle’s plate first, then moved to set down Chance’s, when—whether by an act of God, or gravity—the French fries slid from the plate and into his lap.

  “Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry.” Payton felt the blood rush to her face. If there was ever a moment she wished the floor would just swallow her whole, it was right now. “I’ve never done that before.” She hurried to set down the burger and began to wipe the fries off of him. “I won’t charge you guys for this meal,” she said, apologizing over and over again.