Damn, her words get me all spun up. She does crazy things to me, this woman. But I need to step away if I wanna get through this date without getting a fucking hard-on in public.

She laughs, knowing she’s making me the right kind of crazy, and we head back to her siblings who are entering our food order into the touchscreen on our table.

An hour later we’re finishing off a pepperoni pizza while playing the ugliest game of bowling in history. My parents would be slightly worried if they saw how bad we were doing.

“I thought you said you grew up in a bowling alley?” Tahlia asks, pouring herself a glass of root beer from the pitcher on the Formica table.

“I did, but it’s been long ass time since I played. I hardly ever go to Thatcher Lanes these days. It’s in town, and I live in the sticks now.”

“Where’s that? The sticks?” Matty asks as Mia takes her ball and haphazardly tosses it down the gutter. Again.

“I live up in the mountains,” I tell him.

He nods, considering this. “All alone?”

I nod. “Yeah. I have my studio up there and usually, I just chill out, relax, and work on a piece.”

“Sounds like paradise,” Mia says, walking back to us. “I can’t even imagine calling work relaxing.”

“Maybe you’re in the wrong line of work,” Tallie says. “You’re always tense and stressed.”

“Not always,” Mia says defensively. But I notice the look Matty and Tahlia share. Clearly, they think otherwise.

“Yeah, but the reason you wanted to do this job wasn’t that you are in love with hotel management. It’s just what you knew, what was easy.”

“Wow, okay. Good to know your thoughts on the matter,” Mia says shaking her head. “And for the record, I love the idea of finding new things and helping guests have a great experience.”

“Let’s not argue, okay?” Mathias says reaching for his ball. “We are supposed to be having fun tonight. For once.”

Now it’s Tallie and Mia’s turns to share a look. Shit, this family is under some serious stress right now. You can sense it in everyone.

Matty throws his ball and he manages to kick down half the pins and then he finishes off with a spare. I clap, stepping away from the sisters. He gives a fist pump and I love seeing the sense of pride on his face.

“Nice work, man.”

“Whatever,” he says, brushing me off. “You’re just being nice.”

“You see my score?” I ask, pointing to the screen above us. “It’s pretty ugly.”

“True,” Matty says laughing. “I’ve never been bowling before. And you’ve been lots, growing up, so I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad.”

I balk, playfully. “You saying I should be embarrassed?”

He shrugs, cracking up. “Your words, not mine.”

Back with the ladies, we see they are embroiled in some heavy discussion regarding Tallie’s plans for next year and Mia’s opinions on the matter. Matty’s face instantly falls, realizing they didn’t see him make the first strike of the night.

We leave the girls and head over to the arcade where we play Street Fighter and some Star Wars game until our fingers hurt. Every time I look over at him, he’s grinning ear to ear.

My chest tightens, watching him, looking so damn happy. Memories of the past float to the surface and I can’t help thinking about the what-ifs in life.

What if I had saved him? What if he was still here? What if I hadn’t closed myself off afterward?

“Wanna play something else?” Matty asks. I nod, handing him the rest of my quarters.

“You pick.”

“Thanks,” he says. “My sisters would never have time for this kind of thing, so this is really fun.” He smiles so sincerely it practically chokes me up. “It’s the most fun I’ve had all summer.”

I ruffle his hair, feeling sorry for the kid, knowing he’s had a hell of a year. Mia is doing everything she can for her family, but Matty’s clearly hurting. Not that I could mention that without upsetting Mia though, and knowing it’s not really my place to say anything anyhow.

No strings, right?

“When do you go back to Colorado?” Matty asks, feeding a pinball machine.

“Three weeks,” I tell him.

“That sucks,” he says in that matter-of-fact way kids have.

“I know, but the job will be over, and my life is there.”

He nods, pulling back the plunger and forcing the metal ball to fly across the playfield.

“You’re lucky,” Matty says, using the flippers to bounce his ball around.

“Oh, yeah?” I ask, watching his ball roll down colorful ramps and past lighted gates. “How so?”

“You have a whole mountain. I don’t even have a yard to play in with my Nerf guns.”

“You’d like that? A yard?”

“Right now,” he says, twisting his lips as his last ball rolls to the drain. “I’m more worried about having a place to live than a place to play.”

A half hour later, we’re out of quarters and so we return to the ladies. They seem to have called a truce of some sort because no one is arguing.

“Having fun?” Mia asks Matty. “We thought we’d lost you.”

“I love this place,” he beams. “Ford’s the best.”

I swallow, knowing Mia isn’t going to like the fact that her brother is getting attached.

And I’m standing here, feeling a little worried for Matty myself.

Truth is, he thinks I’m the best right now because I was spending time with him, uninterrupted. The bar is pretty low.

And even more worrisome, is the fact it’s not just Mia I’m getting attached to. It’s her brother too.

He reminds me of the past. Of what I lost. I’ve been stuck in a holding pattern for years but meeting Matty makes me think that maybe there’s more for me.

It’s the surprise of my fucking life; one I didn’t see coming.

This city may not be home, but damn, the people here have begun to edge their way into my heart.