4. Cord

Chapter 4

Cord

I slip into an empty booth with Smithy and smile when one of the servers comes to the table. She's a cute blonde who works here a lot. She always flirts with us, but I think it's because she wants a bigger tip. If it were something more, I think she'd be offering to meet us after her shift. Either way, she's nice and always makes sure our table is taken care of.

"Thanks, Anna." I smile as she walks away after taking our order.

"Man, I think Anna likes you," Smithy groans. "I think something is wrong with me. In the past week, I've been ignored by almost every woman I've come in contact with while they fawn all over any of you assholes."

"Anna likes tips, Smithy. Nothing more." I chuckle and shake my head. "I think you're letting your loss of Charlie get to you."

"Seriously though, that woman is amazing," he says softly. My attention snaps to him and he holds up his hands in defense. "I' m not going to try anything with her so don't punch me! I'm just saying, she's awesome. Does she have a sister?"

"Yes."

"What the hell? You've been holding out on this information! What kind of friend are you?"

"A good one who's protecting Sophia." I smirk, earning myself a glare.

"How do you know I'm not the love of Sohpia's life? What if I'm the one for her?"

"She's nineteen and her dad would murder you. Her sixteen uncles would help hide your body and her brothers would give outstanding alibis for all of them. Do you want her number now or later?"

Anna drops off our drinks and tells us she'll be back soon to check on us.

"Alright, I get it. Hands off when it comes to the Robinson girls." He rolls his eyes.

"Honestly, it should be hands off on any of the Mulberry Lane girls, Cici, and Macy," I offer with a shrug.

"Well, that's just not fair!" He slams his hand down on the table, being more dramatic than ever. Our beers slosh over the sides of the glasses, but he doesn't care.

"Where's Liliana? I wanted to ask her out on a date, but I haven't seen her recently." I glance around like I'm actually looking for her.

Smithy narrows his eyes on me and shakes his head. "That's a low blow and you know it. Stay away from Liliana and I'll stay away from your girls, deal?"

"Deal." I smirk over the rim of my beer.

Slowly but surely, the guys arrive and slip into the booth with Smithy and me. When Cici gets here, I wrap her in a big hug and talk to her quietly for a few minutes.

It's weird not seeing my twin every day. We turn to each other whenever we need anything, but not physically being with her is odd. I don't like it one bit, and haven't since I got my own place. We're both getting older and we can't live together forever, but I miss her more than I'm willing to admit.

When I take my seat again, I realize Macy silently joined us at some point. Which is strange for her. I didn't know she knew how to be quiet.

A few minutes later, Wyatt and Charlie show up. Macy practically leaps into Wyatt's arms and whispers something in his ear. They talk for a few seconds before she disappears in the direction of the bathroom.

"Seriously? You big burly men took up the whole freaking booth!" Macy folds her arms over her chest and glares at us when she gets back to the table .

"I'm sure Cord will let you sit on his lap if you ask nicely." Leo lifts his beer to his lips to hide the smile spreading over his face. He's an asshole and he knows it.

I punch him in the arm and flip him off. I'd absolutely love to have Macy sit on my lap, but she'd never allow that. Not anymore.

"Nah, I don't need his tiny tic tac poking my ass all night." She waves off Leo's comment. "What's your name again?" She turns her attention to Schmidt.

"Uh… Schmidt?" He clears his throat and tries again, this time his voice comes out strong, deep, and confident. "Schmidt."

"Is that your first name or last name?" She tilts her head to the side and examines him.

"Last. I don't go by my first name."

"Hmm, that makes me interested… How can I find out your first name?" Macy sways her hips as she walks to his side and plops down on his lap. She wraps her arm around his neck and toys with his hair that's curling up at the ends under his ball cap.

Schmidt and I are close, but I've never wanted to break his nose as badly as I do right now. He's playing right into her hands and he doesn't even realize it.

"I mean any google search will bring up anything you want to know about any of us," Smithy speaks up.

"What about the size of your-"

"Macy," I growl, warning her to stop before she takes this too far .

"What? If they don't have that information on you, I would happily supply it for them." She bats her eyes innocently at me.

But Macy Hayes is anything but innocent. She's fire and sass. Stubbornness and determination. If you tell her she can't do something, she'll do it just because you don't want her to. She's the boss of her own life and she isn't going to let anyone push her around.

"Mace, don't torture him," Charlie says quietly.

I smile sadly at Charlie. She's always been a good friend and I appreciate her effort in trying to calm things between Macy and I, but it's not going to work. Macy's dead set on making things miserable.

Macy stares at me for a few seconds before she turns her attention back to Schmidt. She speaks to him quietly and I swear he's completely engrossed with her and isn't paying attention to the world around him.

I get it, man. She knows how to captivate your attention and make you feel like you're the only man in the world.

My attention zeros in on Macy's fingers toying with Schmidt's hair and how her other hand is on his chest. She's smiling at him and clearly flirting.

It feels like a knife is being driven through my chest and straight into my heart. Every time she smiles or laughs, I can feel another part of me dying. It hurts so much to watch her with another man. I don't want to witness this at all.

"Holy shit. I think Everson beat you, Smithy." Wheeler smirks and shakes his head. I barely glance away from Macy to find Wyatt's arm draped around Charlie.

Good for him. One of us deserves to be happy.

"Hey, Wheeler?" Charlie says sweetly.

"Yeah?" He perks up with the attention of a pretty girl being on him.

"Shut the fuck up and mind your own business. Ok? Thanks." She winks at him and blows him a kiss.

"Wow, ok… Cici, wanna help me nurse the wounds Charlie just gave me?"

"Stay away from my sister, Wheeler," I groan. "Do you seriously think going after her is a smart idea? Her dad is your boss."

"Yeah, but if we got married, it would all play out in my favor." Wheeler sucks his bottom lip between his teeth and bites down. He's trying to get Cici's attention, but she doesn't like him as more than a friend. I already know that.

"Charlie, Cici, and I are going to the bathroom," Macy announces as she stands from Schmidt's lap. The two of them have been cozied up all night, ignoring the rest of the group.

"We are?" Cici frowns at Macy. She's been talking to Covey most of the night and I've allowed it. Out of all the players Cici could be interested in, Covey's one of the few I'd allow near her. He's a good guy, but I'll never tell him I approve of him dating my sister. He has to have the balls to ask.

"Yeah, didn't you know Macy doesn't know how to piss without an audience?" I fold my thick arms across the table and narrow my eyes on Macy.

She's spent the entire night trying to piss me off. Mission accomplished, sweetheart. I'm pissed and ready to fight.

Not only is she starting shit, but with a friend and teammate. We're going to have words about this. There's no way to avoid it and I'm not sure Schmidt realizes that.

"Nah, I really just wanted to brag to the girls about how much sexier Schmidt is than you. And I'm fairly certain he's hung like a horse, but I thought that would be unlady like for me to say in front of the whole group." She plants her hand on her hip and raises a brow at me. She's daring me to fight back, I will and she knows it.

Schmidt sprays his mouthful of beer all over everyone as he chokes on the drink he just took. He sucks in a loud breath and coughs a few times.

"Aw, what the hell, man!" Wheeler glares down at his shirt that's now covered in beer.

"Are you ok, handsome? We don't need you dying on us before I get to confirm my suspicions." Macy pats Schmidt on the back .

"Macy, stop," Schmidt says softly. He's not someone who likes to be the center of attention and she's forcing him into the spotlight.

Schmidt might seem like a pushover, but he isn't. Not really. He'll go along with the flow until he gets pissed, then he'll stand up for himself and put people into their place. Most of the time he surprises the hell out of people when he does eventually speak up.

"Excuse me?" She takes a step back and blinks down at him. She's not used to people calling her out on her shit. I'm one of the few people who consistently do it.

"I'd really rather not be the center of attention and you're making that impossible. We can go out to only a few places without getting bombarded by fans and cleat chasers, I'd rather not draw any curious looks because you're yelling about the size of my cock. And to be honest, you can say whatever you want about Cord, but we've all seen each other naked. Every player at this table knows what their teammates are working with. You're just embarrassing yourself." He gives her a soft smile full of pity.

I hold my breath, waiting to see how she's going to respond. My girl has three choices. She's going to cause a huge scene and embarrass everyone here, stomp out of here and refuse to talk to anyone, or she's going to cry.

Macy stares at him for a full ten seconds before she lets out a huff and spins on her heels. She marches straight to the door and pushes her way out into the cold night air. I figured that would be her reaction of choice.

Causing a scene would make Schmidt annoyed and make her look bitchy. Crying would make her look weak. Stomping away makes her look childish, but she'll blame it on the alcohol. It's the easiest option for her, and honestly, she still might cry and just doesn't want an audience. Macy isn't going to let herself look weak in front of anyone.

"Ugh, can I get out so I can go talk to her?" Charlie tries to push Wyatt out of the way.

"Nah, I'll deal with her. We both know this isn't going to stop until we have it out with each other." I sigh as I climb over the guys and follow Macy outside.