“Poor Liv.” Henry grinned and we watched as she kept yelling at the two men to pass her the ball.

“I know.” I laughed. “Do you think we should run down there and try and grab the flags?”

“Nah, not yet.” He shook his head. “Our teammates can handle the defense for now. Seems like you still need to catch your breath.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, not feeling embarrassed that he’d noticed what bad shape I was in. “I guess that’s what I get for working in an office.”

“What do you do?” he asked curiously.

“Nothing fun.” I laughed. “I’m an assistant, secretary, receptionist for a real estate company.” I made a face. “It’s boring, but it pays the bills until I can do what I want to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’d love to be an actress.” I smiled at him. “Isn’t that what everyone says that works as an assistant?”

“No, I think that’s what baristas normally say.”

“True,” I agreed and sighed. “Okay, that was a bit of a lie. I don’t really want to be an actress.”

“Oh?” He looked confused. “That’s a weird lie.”

“I know.” I shook my head. “I’m an idiot. It just sounded more glorious than what I really want to do.”

“What’s that, then?” He scratched his forehead. “Let me guess.”

“Okay, then, guess.” I smiled.

“You want to be a preservationist and preserve insects?”

“Eww, no.” I giggled.

“Okay, let me guess again.” He pursed his lips and looked thoughtful, his green eyes alive with humor as he gazed at me. “You want to model lingerie at Victoria’s Secret?”

“No!” I said emphatically, and he laughed.

“A man can hope.” He winked at me and I could feel myself blushing. Was he flirting with me?

“That’s never going to happen. That would be my worst nightmare.”

“What would be your worst nightmare?” Liv came running towards me, her face a deep red and her eyes looking crazy and wild from all the exercise.

“Me being a lingerie model.”

“What?” She stopped dead in her tracks and started laughing. “Who’s gone and offered you that job, then?”

“No one offered me that job.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Henry was just saying that—”

“Liv!” Aiden ran up to us and shouted at his sister. “Stop bloody talking.” He glared at her and blew his whistle. “Everyone stop!”

“What’s up with the whistle?” Liv looked confused as all the players came to a halt. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I want to know.” Aiden frowned and gazed at me for a second before looking away. “Alice and Henry aren’t doing anything, and now you’re just standing there talking as well. Are you guys sure you want to be a part of these games?”

“I was playing!” Liv shouted. “I just stopped because Alice was telling me about her offer to be a lingerie model.”

“I didn’t say I was offered that job.” I groaned.

“I think there has been some confusion,” Henry spoke up. “Alice hasn’t been offered that as a job yet, it’s just her dream job to be a lingerie model at Victoria’s Secret.”

“No, it’s not!” I screeched and looked at Aiden beseechingly. “Henry asked me if I wanted to model lingerie, and I said no.”

“I don’t care what the two of you talk about.” Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at me and shook his head. “Save your personal talk for after the game is done.”

“I … ugh.” I closed my mouth in frustration. “I am playing. I was just trying to catch my breath because I was feeling a little tired from all the running back and forth.”

“Maybe you can take her to your gym and help her work out,” Liv suggested. “What do you say, Aiden?”

“I guess.” He frowned, and my heart thudded at the thought of some one-on-one time with Aiden.

“You can come to my gym if you want.” Henry grinned at me. “I make a great personal trainer.”

“Oh, thanks.” I looked at him with wide eyes. This wasn’t part of the plan. I’d thought that Henry was just being nice to me, but now I wasn’t so sure. Was he flirting with me for real?

“I think it would be fun.” He winked at me. “Plus, then we can finish this conversation without having a whistle blown at us.”

“Finish what conversation?” Aiden’s eyes narrowed and he took a step towards us.

“Alice was telling me what she wants to be when she grows up.” Henry smiled, seemingly unaware of the fact that Aiden wasn’t looking very happy.

“She wants to be a casting agent for reality show TV stars.” Aiden glanced at me as he spoke. “Though it kills me to call anyone who goes on a reality TV show a star.”

“How did you know that?” I asked him in surprise.

“How could I not know that?” He shrugged. “You’ve mentioned it a billion times.”

“I didn’t know you ever bothered listening to me,” I said softly.

“I always listen to you, Alice,” he said, his eyes boring into mine intensely. However, I couldn’t figure out what his gaze was telling me. Did he listen to me because he liked me or because I just talked too much?

“So that’s why you said actress?” Henry put his arm around my shoulder, and I wanted to groan as Aiden pursed his lips and took a step back. I could see Liv’s eyes gleaming at me with joy and excitement. She seemed to be the only one loving this little chat.

“Yeah, actress seemed a more dignified answer than casting for The Bachelor.” I smiled at him, my face reddening as he rubbed the top of my shoulders innocently. Or at least, I thought he was rubbing them innocently.

“I don’t know.” He laughed. “Both seem to be pretty naughty professions.”

“Naughty?” I looked at him with a curious expression. “Why naughty?”

“Are you two ready to play?” Xander interrupted this time, his green eyes looking at me with disapproval.

“I’ve been ready,” I said in reply. “It wasn’t me who stopped the game, it was Aiden.”

“Yeah, Xander. It was Aiden who blew his whistle, like some sort of trumped-up referee.” Liv glared at Xander. “This is just meant to be a friendly game. This isn’t the NFL.”

“They don’t play flag football in the NFL,” Xander replied to her with an amused smile.

“Exactly,” she said with an annoyed expression. “This isn’t the NFL.”

“Liv, if you and Alice don’t want to play flag football, then you can both just leave.” Aiden spoke up this time and my heart stopped. “When we’re playing the game, we should be playing the game. We aren’t here to hear about your sex lives or the sexy lingerie you’re buying. Or how much you need to work out because you can’t keep up with the rest of us.”

I gasped at his words and my mouth fell open. My face was hot with humiliation, and I glared at his smug and superior expression. Was he calling me a fat ass?

“Aiden, you’re such a pompous jerk.” Liv just shook her head and then looked at Xander. “And you’re an asshole.”

“I’m an asshole?” He put his hands up in the air. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“Exactly. How could you let Aiden speak to us like that?”

“What?” Xander sounded frustrated. I was about to cut in and say something when Henry cleared his throat loudly.

“Look, guys, this is my fault,” he said smoothly. “I was the one talking to Alice and monopolizing her time. I won’t do it on the field anymore. I’ll just wait until we go out for drinks later.”

“Whatever,” Aiden said and then blew his whistle again. “If everyone is ready to begin playing again, maybe we can get back to the game.”

“We were playing the game before you stopped us, Aiden,” Liv said loudly. “I think we’re all ready to get back to something other than you trying to boss us around.”

“Grow up, Liv.” Aiden rolled his eyes. “I thought you’d start acting your age now that you have a boyfriend.”

“Excuse me?” Liv walked over to him, and I watched as Xander grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him and whispered something in her ear. She turned to me then and gave me an exasperated look as if to say, “Why do you want to date my brother again? He’s a big old jerk.”