Fourth and Goal Read Free Page A

beers—an expensive microbrew for him, and a can of the cheap crap for his best buddy.
    Derek took the beer offered to him and studied the label. He scowled. “You're really getting on my nerves."
    "Like I give a shit?"
    "You should."
    "Whatever. You still have a thing for her."
    "Fuck you. I never had a thing for her. We were buddies. That's it,” Derek shot back much too quickly.
    A shrewd smile crept across Tyler's face. Derek's rat-bastard cousin smelled blood and moved in for the kill. “Then what are you so damn upset about?"
    "I was stupid to let you talk me into this.” Derek glared at Tyler. “Anyway, it's not me I'm worried about."
    "Really?” Tyler didn't look convinced, not one bit.
    "Yeah, really. I treated Rachel like crap, and I feel like an ass about it.” Derek looked away, not wanting Tyler's knowing gaze to see the depth of his guilt.
    "You were an ass. You should feel like one."
    "This coming from the king of asses?"
    Tyler didn't have the decency to look hurt. “All in a day's work.” He grinned. “You, my friend, are an idiot. I'm just an ass. You turned a lifelong friendship into a weekend of sex and fucked the whole thing up."
    "I thought she was okay with therapy sex. How the hell was I to know she'd do something stupid like fall in love with me?"
    "She's a woman. How could you not know that? Get over it. It seems she has."
    Derek conceded that point. “I can't read her anymore. She's changed."
    "Yeah, so? We all have."
    "Ty, she doesn't look like Rachel. You should've seen her in her business suit, all cold and professional."
    Tyler sat up straighter and frowned. “No way."
    Derek nodded and read the label on his can of cheap beer. “You brought this crap last time you were here.” Resigned, he popped open the top and took a long swallow. At least it was cold.
    Tyler quirked an eyebrow and raised the bottle to his mouth. He took a long pull and licked his lips in satisfaction.
    "She was working in management for the Everett Blockbusters?"
    Tyler nodded. “After all the shit surrounding her dad shaving points, the Blocks let her go."
    "That's got nothing to do with her, and nothing was ever proven."
    "Tell that to the Blocks. Of course, they gave her some lame-assed excuse, but no way did they want scandal tainting them."
    "This sucks.” He leveled a murderous gaze at Tyler for putting him in this position.
    The ass grinned, obviously enjoying his cousin's dilemma. “Too bad you're such a nice guy."
    "Being rude, obnoxious, and dumb isn't in my nature like it is yours."
    "No need to get insulting. You're no different than me."
    "No different than you?” That almost made him laugh. “I don't party all night long—well, not anymore. I don't date bleached blondes with a bust size bigger than their IQ or switch girlfriends faster than channels on a remote. I don't feel entitled just because I have more athletic ability in my little finger than most men have in their entire bodies."
    "You can be humble and boring if you want. I'd rather be an obnoxious braggart."
    "Yeah, well, remember this, Ty: any day it could be over. And any second our charmed lives, which are already damn tarnished, could come crashing down around us."
    "Then let's party while we can.” Tyler grinned. Nothing fazed him.
    "You know what? I like myself most of the time. Can you say that?"
    "I love myself, and I love being an asshole. But you, my cuz, are in deep shit. Being a nice guy with a guilty conscience only digs you in deeper."
    "No shit."
    "If I was in your shoes, I'd capitalize on Rachel's uncanny ability to analyze your game performance. After which I'd kick her cute little ass to the curb and never think another thing about it. But you, my dumb-shit friend—"
    "I know.” Derek sighed and stared down the hill. “I'm screwed."
    The next morning Rachel drained her bank account and paid a locksmith to make a new key for her truck. Derek had offered, but she turned him down.
    Call it stupid pride or