Schooling the Jock (Nerds Vs Jocks #1) - - Eli Easton Page 0,27
asked me. “And do you want salad and chips?”
“What you gave your dad looks fine.”
He nodded. “Water or milk? It’s our own milk. From the farm.”
It was? I’d never had milk right off the farm. Was it safe?
Jesse raised his eyebrows waiting for me to answer.
“I’ll try the milk. Thanks.”
Jesse walked away. His dad put salt on his salad and glanced at me. “Jesse said you’re working on a project together. You guys been friends long?”
It didn’t feel like a casual question, or maybe that was my imagination. And I wasn’t sure what to say since we weren’t friends at all. “Um…we just started working on Quiz Bowl together. But we’ve got some quick deadlines coming up.”
He nodded. “Well, Jesse’s a hard worker.”
“He is,” I agreed and was surprised to realize that I meant it. I wouldn’t have thought that about any A-hoe a week ago. But knowing Jesse was in the BSN program, quizzing him in the car, and seeing the way he acted with his family had shifted my idea of him. Apparently.
Mr. Knox gave me an assessing once-over, looking me up and down, before seeming to dismiss me. He picked up his glass of milk and drank half of it in one go.
I ran a hand through my hair, pushed up my glasses, and glanced down at the navy-blue-and-gold argyle sweater I wore. I probably wasn’t the sort of friend Mr. Knox expected Jesse to have. Did he not approve?
Or maybe Jesse got his resting-stuck-up face from his dad.
Then again, maybe I just expected too much from handsome Knox men. Like a smile or two. But Mr. Knox had a complicated life, from all accounts. Why would he fuss over a stranger?
Neither of the Knox men owed me smiles. I tucked that away and vowed to remember it.
Jesse called Eli to the table. About five times. Finally, he came, and we were all seated. Jesse was between his mom and dad, and the three of them took hands while Mr. Knox said a brief prayer. They didn’t attempt to hold hands with Eli—or me.
During lunch, Mr. Knox talked with Jesse about Badgers football, digging for details. I was surprised to learn that the Badgers football players continued to train even though the season was over. With his class load, Jesse really was stupidly busy.
Oh well. He was committed to Quiz Bowl, and I was going to make sure he carried his weight.
“These sloppy joes are excellent,” I told Mrs. Knox.
“Thanks.” She gave me a weary smile. “It’s just simple food, but I like meals I can freeze and reheat for busy days. Like today.”
I wondered how often one of the boys was in the hospital. Hopefully, not often. “I heard a rumor that Eli’s going to introduce me to a cow after lunch.” I looked at Eli, but he had his sandwich in both hands and was chewing it very slowly, looking down at his plate. He didn’t seem to have heard me.
“You should have Jesse give you a tour of the whole farm. We have chickens too. And a pig. We raise a lot of our own food here,” Mrs. Knox said.
I took a drink of my milk. It was definitely full of fat. “The milk’s crazy good. I can feel my cells plumping up and my skin glow.”
Eli glanced up at me, his lips quirking. “Skin doesn’t glow!”
I put a hand to my cheek. “I’d swear, mine is. That’s some magic milk.”
This made Eli extremely interested in his milk. He picked up his glass and took a long drink, gazing on my face and then picked up one of the banana slices in his fingers and put it in his mouth.
Jesse’s mom gave me a little smile.
“We have a small herd,” Mr. Knox said. “Only thirty head. But we get top-quality milk. Sell to a local organic dairy.”
“Oh, cool,” I said. “What brand? So I can look for it?”
“Not a national chain. They sell at farmers markets ’round here.”
He was polite about it, but I still felt like a dumbass. “Oh,” I said.
“You need any help this weekend, Dad?” Jesse asked. “Want me to run the evening milking?”
Mr. Knox gave an approving nod at his son. “I can do that before I go to the hospital, but you could take the morning shift, if you don’t mind. I’ll be with Micah late tonight. Would be nice not to have to get up early.”