Two of his brothers—Grant and Tucker—were getting married next year. Which made his mom very happy.

   “And how’s that going?”

   “It’s going well, but of course there’s a lot to do as you can imagine.”

   “Yeah, I can imagine.”

   “And how are you? How’s the new restaurant coming along?”

   “It’s good. I’m glad you and Dad were able to make it out for opening night.”

   “We had a wonderful time. It’s a lovely restaurant, Flynn. We’re so proud of you.”

   He smiled. His parents had always been supportive of his career and everything he’d accomplished. Raising five kids hadn’t been easy, and a lot of that burden had fallen on his mother when they were all younger, because at the time his father had still been playing football. He had a lot of admiration for his mom. She’d been a full-time lawyer until she’d retired, and had managed to wrangle four unruly boys and one daughter.

   “Thanks, Mom.”

   “Anything new on the dating front?”

   He expected the question. “Not at the moment. I’m . . . freelancing.”

   “Which means you haven’t met anyone special yet. Don’t worry. It’ll happen for you.”

   “I’m in no hurry.”

   “Well, when it does, you let me know, okay?”

   It would suit his mother to have all her kids coupled up. “You know I will.”

   “Oh, and Mia will be out there soon. Did she tell you about visiting Stanford?”

   “Yeah, she told me. She’s going to bunk in the guesthouse.”

   “All right. You keep an eye on her while she’s there. I know she talks an independent game, but she’s still my little girl.”

   He smiled. His sister was an adult now, but to their mother, Mia would always be the baby of the family. “I’ll keep her imprisoned in the house and take away all communication devices.”

   His mother laughed. “I don’t think we have to go that far. Just make sure she stays safe while she’s there, Flynn.”

   “That I can do.”

   “Thank you. I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”

   “I love you, too, Mom. Bye.”

   He’d avoided telling his mom about the fix-up date tonight. Mainly because he figured nothing would come of it. He rarely discussed his romantic life with his mother—or any other member of his family. They all had a tendency to butt in and offer unsolicited advice, which he neither needed nor wanted. Everyone except his mom, who never offered advice. She just got her hopes up, and he didn’t want her to be disappointed.

   He went to his desk and did some work on his computer for an hour or so, then kicked back and watched sports on TV until it was time to get ready. He chose a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved button-down shirt. Mick had told him it was casual, but since he was going to have a date, he made sure to choose a new pair of jeans and a nice shirt. After putting on his shoes, he slid his watch on, then climbed into his SUV and headed over to Mick and Tara’s house.

   They had a nice place over in Half Moon Bay, on the golf course because Mick liked to play golf. And since Tara wasn’t often with him, it gave Mick something to do in his downtime. Flynn would sometimes go over there and play a round with him.

   It was a great golf course, and Mick’s house sat on the fifteenth fairway. Pretty sweet.

   Flynn parked in the oversized driveway, then went to the front door and rang the bell.

   Mick opened the door. He had a bottle of beer in his hand and offered up a wide smile.

   “Hey, Flynn. Come on in.”

   “Thanks.” Flynn walked inside and followed Mick to the expansive living area, where a crowd had already formed. He made a beeline for the Sabers players, since those were guys he knew and liked.

   Even if they were offensive players.

   “Hey, Flynn.”

   “Hey, Randy.” Randy LaSalle was the star wide receiver for the Sabers. He’d come to the team right out of college and had done great with them.

   “Where’s your wife?”

   “One of the kids has the flu so she couldn’t make it. She’s not too damn happy about it, either. Almost made me stay home so she could come. You know how she feels about Tara.”

   Flynn laughed. “Yeah, I know.” Everyone on the team loved Tara. She was sweet and generous and truly supportive of Mick and his career. Hell, she supported all of the players.

   Flynn would be lucky to find a woman like that.

   Tara came over. “Hello, Flynn. I’m so glad you’re here. I want to introduce you to Skylar. If you’ll excuse us, Randy.”

   “Sure,” Randy said. “Later, Flynn.”

   She took him by the arm and led him over to the fireplace. There was a beautiful, auburn-haired woman sitting there sipping a glass of wine and talking to, of all people, Amelia, who looked stunning in a long skirt and long-sleeved sweater.

   For some reason his eyes gravitated toward Amelia, who met his gaze with interest.

   “Hey, Amelia.”

   “Hi, Flynn.”

   “Flynn, this is Skylar Wilson. Skylar, I’d like you to meet Flynn Cassidy.”

   He held out his hand to shake hers. “Nice to meet you, Skylar.”

   “Nice to meet you, too, Flynn.”

   “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go refill my glass,” Amelia said.

   “Me, too.” Tara and Amelia left the two of them alone, so Flynn motioned to the fireplace.

   “You found the warm spot.”

   She laughed. “Yes, I tend to be cold, and I forgot my sweater.”

   “I have a jacket in my car. Would you like me to get it for you?”

   “That’s very nice of you to offer, but I’m fine right now. Tara tells me you play football, like Mick.”

   “Yes, I do. Do you like football?”

   “I do. I’m a fan of the Sabers, though I guess I don’t know all the individual players. Sorry.”

   He gave her a smile. “It’s not necessary. I’m glad you enjoy the game. What do you do, Skylar?”

   “I’m an artist. I both paint and sculpt. I have a little gallery here in Half Moon Bay. That’s where I met Tara.”

   “Sounds great. It must be amazing to have artistic ability. Mine doesn’t go much beyond the stick figure variety.”