Page 25

Me

How about a coffee somewhere?

I think back to the place I ran into Jack and smile at the way I fucking loved that scone—with or without the jam on top.

Me

There’s a café not far from your place, called Rise Up. I’ll meet you there at one, if that works.

Dots appear and disappear over and over again, and I’m ready to give up on waiting and head for the coffee maker when my cell finally buzzes.

Tyler

Well, it’s nowhere near your place, but if you’re set on meeting me somewhere and not having me pick you up, then I guess that’s okay.

I’m poised and ready to shoot Tyler a reply whenOllielights up my screen.

Making my way over to the kitchen, I flick on the coffee maker and hit Accept.

“What time do you call this?” I ask.

“Noon,” my brother replies with a single word.

Ollie is four years older than me, but didn’t go to college since he got signed by a top Spanish team at eighteen, and he has been playing in Europe ever since.

And it shows; his accent is sometimes confused—a bit like Jack’s. I can still detect Ollie’s strong heritage, but occaisonally, a twang of the place where he’s spent years living creeps in.

“And only six here,” I complain.

“Yeah, well, I figured you’d be up and busy training, like the pro you are. Or if you weren’t and you were wallowing instead, then I’d stop you from being a lazy brat.”

As I pour myself a black coffee, my mind circles back to his wallowing reference.

“Why would I be feeling sorry for myself?”

Since it’s only ever been me and my brother, we’ve always been close. Although I can’t deny the envy I’ve had over the ease he experiences in his career as opposed to mine. I rememberhim complaining one Thanksgiving a couple of years back that his team in Madrid hadn’t paid a higher performance bonus. It’d been frozen at a casual seven hundred thousand euros. I wanted to slap him for that. Instead, I threw a green bean at him.

“Well, I was hoping you’d tell me that, Kend. You know, since you’re my sister and everything.” The background noise behind him disappears, and I realize he’s just climbed into his car when I hear the door shut.

Still no wiser, I take a sip of coffee and pull back when I burn my lips, remembering Jack’s coffee maker is way more efficient than mine when it comes to actually serving a drink hot.

“I’m sorry, but I’m lost.”

He blows out a breath. “Tyler, Kend. Your now ex-boyfriend, allegedly. I thought you’d be crying over him, but apparently, you’ve forgotten.” He chuckles. “Now, him calling me kind of makes sense, come to think of it.”

My brows knit together. “What?”

Ollie exhales again. “Yeah, you know how I barely even spoke to the guy since he was a huge douche? Well, he called me out of the blue last night, asking me to talk with you. Sounded kind of angry more than upset though. He was fed up with you ignoring him or something.”

With my elbows braced on the kitchen island, I switch the call to hands-free and set my phone down in front of me, resting a cheek in my left palm. The second I do, I remember Jack sitting on the opposite side with his cocky grin as we discussed grocery shopping.

“I ended it a couple of weeks ago,” I say. “I’ve kind of been ghosting him, but it’s not been deliberate. I just haven’t had a lot to say. He wants his stuff back, and I literally just agreed to meet him on Friday, so he shouldn’t bother you again.”

There’s a long pause before Ollie replies.

“I thought you were in love with the guy?”

I shake my head to no one. “I think I got over the breakup way before I actually ended it, Ol.”