Page 38 of Only Between Us

“Done.” There’s no way I’m skipping my morning run, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“You’re full of shit and I’m not stupid. I know you’re not skipping your run.”

Parker looks to our left, where Summer strides across the field from the entrance to the training facilities. Pieces of hair have unraveled from the two French braids she always wears for her sunrise surf session, and they flutter back with the force of her annoyed pace. When she’s within range, she tosses me my phone.

“Your dickhead agent has been blowing up your phone for the past half hour.”

My phone must be connected to one such call, because even over the activity on the field we hear Josh’s distinct voice through speakerphone. “I heard that.”

“Meant you to,” she calls at the phone before turning to Parker. “Donut break?”

Parker nods once. “Donut break.”

I lay my palm over my phone’s microphone. “Save me one?”

Muffled under my hand, I vaguely hear Josh’s protests ofnutritionanddiet. It only makes me laugh because half my diet comprises of candy that I offset in the gym.

“We’ll save you ten,” Parker calls over his shoulder as they walk off toward the inner facility. Just loud enough to set Josh off on another dickish tirade.

“I thought you said this was working.”

Josh’s voice is muffled on the other end of the phone, like he actually had the gall to cover the mic and conduct a side conversation with whoever he’s with.

And then I hear the wordsgrandeandcappuccinoand I fume. “I’m shaving one percent off your cut for every second you ignore me the moment I sign a goddamn contract—”

“I’m here, I’m here,” he yelps into the phone. “What were you saying?”

I take the edge of the bench below me in a tight grip. “I thought you said this dating thing was working. A week ago, you were telling me the Rebels wanted to meet, and now… what? They lose interest all over again? There are pictures of me kissing my pretend girlfriend all over the internet, for fuck’s sake. You’re telling me it was all for nothing?”

“It wasn’t all for nothing. The kissing thing is phenomenal. So was the bit with the kid cheerleaders. That video’s up to nine hundred thousand views.”

I’m so startled, I pull the phone from my ear. That wasn’t a goddamnbit. The kid cheerleaders were cute.

“Then why haven’t I been invited to their training camp?”

His heavy sigh assaults my eardrum. “I need you to swear you’ll take this in stride, all right? When I tell you, there’ll be no going off the rails. You’ll stay focused on your training.”

“Spit it out, Josh.”

“The door is still open to you, but as of this morning, DougMcDaniels is an unrestricted free agent and I’m hearing the Rebels are interested in having him back, too.”

The pit in my stomach is painful, visceral at the mention of his name.

Doug McDaniels. Also a former wide receiver for the Rebels, who got traded shortly after I announced my retirement. Our stories with the Rebels are eerily similar. Including the fact that we’ve both dated Naomi Ward.

Except his dating of Naomi Ward happened to overlap with our eight-year relationship.

“I can feel your frustration—”

“I’m not frustrated,” I bark. I clear my throat, willing myself to calm the fuck down. “Why would I be frustrated? He’s got a fraction of the receiving yards from my last season.”

“Which was two seasons ago. McDaniels is an active player—it’s a less risky investment.”

Fuck.

It wasn’t bad enough to find out on the day of my retirement that my teammate had been screwing my girlfriend. Not enough that Naomi up and left me for him, or that they’re still happily together, as far as I know.

Now this guy is what’s standing in the way of my signing with the only team I’m interested in?