Rules of Contact

by Jaci Burton

  "Hard. How was your meeting today?"

  "Productive."

  "Are you intending to tell Grant about what's going on?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want to tell too many more family members before I tell Mom and Dad, ya know?"

  "I understand. I won't say anything to Grant."

  "I appreciate it."

  He saw Grant walk in so he waved to him. Since it was near the end of the lunch shift, there were hardly any people in the restaurant. Grant spotted them right away and headed over.

  Flynn stood and hugged his brother. "Hey," he said.

  "Hey," Grant said, then hugged Mia.

  "I'm so glad I'm here at the right time to see both of you," Mia said. "You're not going to hurt each other this weekend, are you?"

  Grant looked over at Flynn and cracked a smile. "Of course not."

  Flynn grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

  Mia scanned both of them and then frowned. "You're both lying. You guys suck."

  Grant laughed. "Come on, Mia. You know how it goes. We're going to play each other like we play any team. Tough, and to win."

  "Exactly," Flynn said. "If I break through Grant's offensive line--and I will--I'm not going to pull up just because he's my brother. I'm going to lay him flat."

  "Just as I'd expect from you. Not that it's going to happen, because I have the toughest offensive line in the league, and you aren't going to get anywhere close to me."

  "Uh-huh. We'll see, Little Brother."

  "Yeah, we'll see your defense huffing and puffing as they run after my receivers all the way into the end zone."

  Mia rolled her eyes. "It's going to be like this all through lunch, isn't it?"

  Grant's lips lifted. "Most likely."

  "I should have grabbed a burger at In-N-Out."

  Grant slanted a glance at Flynn. "That does sound good. Should we leave now?"

  "It shouldn't be crowded this time of day."

  Mia sighed. "You're both assholes."

  Flynn laughed. "Don't worry. I'm on board for eating here."

  "But we don't promise to behave ourselves," Grant added.

  Mia picked up her menu. "I don't know why I agreed to have lunch with you two."

  Flynn knew why. She was hungry. Plus, she loved both of them as much as they loved her, and with all of the siblings spread around the country, they didn't see each other much. Flynn was more than happy to have his brother and sister in town this week.

  Mia ordered pho, Grant ordered the duck and Flynn decided on the sea bass. For appetizers, they went with shrimp spring rolls and lettuce cups.

  He was suddenly starving. Then again, a hard practice always worked up his appetite.

  "Will Katrina and the kids be joining you this weekend?" Mia asked.

  Grant shook his head. "Katrina's in Singapore this week on a photo shoot, and both Anya and Leo have tests so we didn't want to pull them out of school. Plus, Thanksgiving break will be coming up soon and everyone will get together then."

  "Oh, good," Mia said. "I haven't seen Katrina or the kids in a while. I'll be happy to see them at the ranch in a few weeks."

  Grant looked over at Flynn. "You'll be there?"

  "For at least a couple of days."

  Mia took a sip of her water, then smiled. "He's bringing his girlfriend, too."

  Grant's brows popped up. "You have a girlfriend? One you've managed to keep for more than a week?"

  Flynn glared at Grant. "Screw you. And she's not my girlfriend. Or I don't know. Maybe she is. We're kind of seeing each other."

  Grant slid a confused glance over at Mia. "What the hell does that even mean?"

  Mia shrugged. "I have no idea. She's the head chef at Ninety-Two. She's smart and gorgeous and a lot of fun. Her name is Amelia. She'll be at the game this Sunday."

  "Oh. Great," Grant said. "After my team wins, maybe I'll get a chance to meet her."

  "After my team wins, I might introduce her to you. Loser."

  "Don't make me go sit at another table." Mia shot both of them warning glances.

  Flynn laughed. "Now you sound like Mom."

  "I could get her on the phone, ya know."

  "I think even she'd laugh at you if you tried that," Grant said.

  Fortunately for Mia, appetizers arrived and Flynn and Grant both shut up long enough to shove food in their mouths. And when conversation started up again, it was fairly benign. They talked about Mia's trip to Stanford, and it was obvious she had decided not to tell Grant about her potential business venture, which meant he'd have to keep quiet about it. He made a mental note to mention that to Amelia as well, though he doubted she'd bring it up in conversation unless Mia was the one to initiate it.

  After lunch, which was amazing, they went outside.

  "What are you doing tonight?" Flynn asked Grant.

  Grant shrugged. "Nothing. I have to be at practice in the morning pretty early."

  "Yeah, here, too. Why don't you come to the house? We can go to the restaurant tonight if you want. Or I can fix dinner."

  Grant slanted him a suspicious look. "I don't know about having dinner with you. You might be trying to give me food poisoning and knock me out of the game."

  "You're both stupid," Mia said, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you at the house."

  Flynn laughed after Mia left. "She's so serious all the time."

  Grant grinned. "Too grown up for my liking. Maybe she needs a boyfriend."

  Flynn shook his head. "No, she doesn't. In fact, that's the last thing she needs right now. She's got her head on straight and she's focused. She doesn't need some asshole derailing all of that."

  Grant shoved him as they made their way to the parking lot. "Now you sound like Dad."

  "Fuck off."

  Grant laughed. "I'll follow you to your place."

  SEVENTEEN

  Amelia jotted down notes as she worked through a particularly complex stir-fry recipe.

  Her kitchen was a wreck, but she was happy about the way this braised eggplant with chilis and garlic had turned out. Though she loved meats and cooked with them often, she wanted to include a vegetarian and vegan section in her cookbook.

  She took a taste of the finished product.

  "Mmm, that's good." She picked up her phone to check the time. Just enough time to put the food away in her freezer and clean up the mess she'd made before she had to get ready for work.

  She'd spent the majority of her day cooking, cleaning pots and pans and then cooking again, but today was the day she'd set aside for trying recipes for her cookbook. She'd ended up creating three dishes. Two worked out well. One was a throwaway. All in all, not too bad.

  Once she'd done all the dishes, she dashed upstairs and into the shower, dried her hair and tossed it into a high ponytail. She got dressed, put her regular clothes into a bag and drove to the restaurant.

  She liked to get there about an hour before they opened so she could get a feel for the menu items on tap for the day, plus check in on her staff, who would prep the night's meals.

  Her new prep cook, Eugene, was working out well--and he was always on time, which was a bonus. If his probationary month worked out well, he would be getting a raise.

  She went over tonight's menu. They didn't have enough stock of the giant prawns, so she crossed those off the menu and replaced them with a new scallop and pasta dish she'd wanted to introduce.

  Once the menu for tonight was finalized, she set her staff to work.

  "Can I see you for a minute, Amelia?" Ken asked.

  "Of course."

  She stepped out of the kitchen and into the main dining room.

  "What's up?"

  He pulled up his phone and handed it to her, a grin on his face. "It's a boy."

  She looked at a photo of a red-faced newborn. Her eyes widened. "He's here? I thought your surrogate wasn't due until around Thanksgiving."

  "He came a little early. Like early this morning, as a matter of fact. But he's perfectly
healthy. He weighs six pounds, ten ounces and is nineteen and a half inches long. And he's gorgeous."

  She heard the pride in Ken's voice and she couldn't blame him. His son was beautiful.

  "He definitely is. But what are you doing here? Get yourself home and to your new baby."

  Ken laughed. "Adam's with him now. I just dashed in to check on things and to ask if you wouldn't mind pulling some double duty tonight. The other manager couldn't make it in tonight, but I'm working with her to cover my other shifts for the next couple of days since George made an early arrival. The temporary manager I hired will be able to start on Sunday."

  "Of course I can handle things. I'll make sure the assistant chef handles the kitchen. Let me run home and change into something more managerial." She couldn't hold back the tears that pricked her eyes. "And you named him George--after your dad."

  Ken smiled. "Yeah. George Louis after my dad and Adam's."

  She squeezed his arm. "That's so sweet. Now, you--go home. I'm so happy for you and Adam."

  Ken couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Me, too."

  She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "I can't wait to come by and see him."

  "We can't wait to show him off. But give us some time to get used to being parents."

  "Of course. You just call or text me and let me know when you're ready to have people come by."

  Ken's eyes glittered with tears. "I'll do that. Thanks, Amelia."

  She squeezed his hands, her own eyes welling with happiness. "You're welcome. Give Adam my best. And give that baby a kiss for me."

  "I will."

  Ken left. Amelia ran into the kitchen to let Stefanie know she'd have to take over management of the kitchen tonight. Then she drove home and changed out of her work uniform and into a skirt, blouse and heels, fixed her makeup, pulled her ponytail out and flat ironed her hair. Now she looked more presentable. She finished off with some jewelry to complete the look.

  By the time she hurried back to the restaurant it was nearly time to open. Fortunately, she'd made it in time. She stepped into the kitchen to check on things and found that Stefanie had it all under control, just as Amelia knew she would. Amelia only hired assistants who could do her job as well as she could. Stefanie was a couple of years younger than Amelia and might not have Amelia's level of experience, but she was a damn good cook and an exceptionally strong manager. Amelia had every confidence in her abilities. Plus, she'd still be right there at the restaurant to oversee things.

  She checked on the bar and waitstaff, went to the front reception area to make sure the reservations and greeting area was prepared, and checked on tonight's reservations. By then people had started filing in, so she got out of the way and let the more than competent staff do their jobs.

  It was hectic, but manageable. She managed to dash into the kitchen a few times to check on things, but Stefanie was managing fine despite being one person down, which allowed her to deal with the overall managerial duties of the restaurant.

  "Amelia, Flynn's on the phone for you."

  She nodded and went to grab the phone.

  "Hi, Flynn."

  "Ken called me. Is everything all right there?"

  "Everything's perfect. I have Stefanie taking over head chef duties in the kitchen and I'll be managing tonight."

  "Okay, thanks. My brother's at the house with my sister and me. We were going to come in for dinner, but if you think all of us being there will be a hassle for you, we can go somewhere else."

  Her lips curved. "Flynn, this is your restaurant. Of course you should come."

  "How full up are we tonight?"

  "About as busy as we typically are for a Friday night."

  He cleared his throat. "Can we get a reservation for eight, then?"

  She shook her head. "You come in whenever you want. I'll make sure there's a table for you."

  He laughed. "Okay. See you then."

  She hung up, smiling as she made her way back to the dining area. It was sweet of him to call, but ridiculous that he'd even consider not coming to his own restaurant. Then again, that was Flynn--always concerned about how things affected her or other people.

  He was actually a really nice guy. And she wasn't going to think too much about that because there was work to be done, and that's where her mind should be.

  They were at least three hours into the dinner hour when Flynn came in, accompanied by Mia and a striking-looking man who looked remarkably like Flynn. That had to be Grant, because the resemblance was close. Same dark hair, same intense look. They were roughly the same height except Flynn was more muscular.

  Flynn came over to her right away. "How's it going?"

  "It's all going fine. Stefanie's doing a great job in the kitchen. I've tasted everything and it's perfect. We've had a packed house tonight but service has been smooth."

  "Great."

  She motioned for one of the hostesses, who brought over the menus. "And we have a nice table set aside for you and your brother and sister."

  "Thanks." Flynn turned and motioned to the dark-haired man standing next to him. "Amelia, this is my brother Grant. Grant, this is Amelia Lawrence."

  Grant smiled, and the effect was devastating. "Nice to meet you, Amelia."

  "You, too, Grant. And hi again, Mia."

  "Hi, Amelia," Mia said.

  One of the hostesses motioned to her. "I'd love to stay and talk, but I have to run. Carol will take you to your table. I hope you have a wonderful dinner."

  She ran off and attended to a mixed-up reservation, but kept her eye on Flynn and the others while they were seated. Hopefully everything would go smoothly for them. In fact, she'd make sure of it.

  "So that's Amelia, huh?" Grant asked after they put in their dinner orders.

  Flynn watched Amelia handle something one of the waiters asked her. She motioned with her head, then was immediately off in the opposite direction. She looked beautiful in her gray skirt and white blouse. And those heels defined her legs in ways he shouldn't be imagining while in the company of his brother and sister.

  "Beautiful, isn't she?" Mia asked. "And she's smart and accomplished and she's funny. I don't know why she likes Flynn."

  Flynn managed to hear the last part enough to pull his gaze away from Amelia and center it on his sister. "Hey."

  Mia laughed. "I was wondering if you were even listening to me, since you couldn't seem to take your eyes off Amelia."

  "She is beautiful," Grant said. "She seems out of your league, though."

  "Like Katrina is out of yours?"

  Grant smiled. "Yeah, like that."

  Dammit. Hard to insult his brother if he wouldn't take the bait. Their drinks arrived and Flynn took a long swallow of iced tea.

  "How'd your practice go today?" he asked Grant.

  "Perfect. We're prepared to kill you on the field on Sunday."

  Flynn knew better than that, but since Mia was there, he decided not to argue the point.

  "Did you know that Mom and Dad are looking to buy the two hundred acres of property adjacent to theirs?" Mia asked.

  Flynn frowned. "No, I didn't. Which one? The one to the north?"

  Mia shook her head. "No. East. The ones the Clearmonts owned. They've decided to retire and move to South Carolina to live near their son and daughter-in-law and grandkids."

  "That's some prime grazing pasture. Is Dad looking to get more cattle?" Grant asked.

  "I have no idea," Mia said. "Mom mentioned it in passing when I talked to her on the phone last night. Bud Clearmont talked to Dad last month about the whole thing, and Mom and Dad discussed it and I guess they're in negotiations now."

  Grant looked at Flynn, who shrugged. "I'm surprised he didn't mention it to any of us."

  "He didn't say anything to me, for sure," Grant said. "Then again, maybe they were waiting for the sale to be finalized, just in case it didn't go through. Either way, it's a big addition to the land."

  "Yes," Mia said. "And if he's adding more ca
ttle, he'll need more hands. Leave it to Dad to be a big cattle mogul."

  Flynn laughed. "Yeah, but he loves it. Now I can't wait to get out there this month and find out what's going on."

  If there's one thing his father never did after retiring from playing football all those years ago, it was settle down. He'd made a go of his ranch and both he and Flynn's mother loved working the land. His dad had loved playing football. He loved being a rancher just as much. Now that Dad could spend all his time with Mom, he might love the ranching part even more.

  Flynn hoped to do the same someday. He wanted to buy land, definitely, but he wasn't sure about becoming a rancher. He just hoped he'd find something to be as passionate about as his father was.

  It was something he thought about after their dinner arrived and the table quieted while they ate.

  "You know, we can only play football so long," he said to Grant. "At some point we'll have to live the next stage of our lives."

  "Yeah," Grant said. "I think we all ponder what that'll be. I imagine yours will involve food."

  Flynn tilted his head. "You think so?"

  Grant looked around. "I don't see why not. This place looks pretty good and you seem to have a passion for it."

  Grant was right about that, but Flynn wasn't near retiring yet. He honestly never thought past the current season. He invested the lion's share of his income, knowing that someday he wouldn't be playing football. Beyond that? It wasn't time to think about it yet.

  "How are we all doing?"

  Flynn looked up to see Amelia standing at their table.

  "Great," Mia said. "The food is amazing, of course."

  "I'm so glad to hear that. I hope you enjoy the rest of your meal."

  She turned to walk away, but Flynn grasped her wrist. "Don't leave. Have you eaten yet?"

  "No. I'll grab something later."

  "How about now? It doesn't seem busy."

  "Yeah, stay and eat with us," Grant said.

  Amelia hesitated. Flynn was right in that it wasn't busy, but her job didn't include sitting and eating. Still, she was absolutely starving. Normally she never worried about grabbing a meal because she tasted everything in the kitchen when she cooked and she always ended up perfectly full.

  She looked around to make sure no one needed her for anything. It seemed they didn't, so she nodded. "All right."

  Flynn motioned for their waitress, who dashed over. "What can I get for you?"

  He looked to Amelia, who ordered a salad and scallops, along with a glass of water.

  "I'll have those right up for you," the waitress said, then left.