Page 117 of Racing Heat

“Thanks. I’d love to get her playing again, but I’m not sure if August would go for it. I’ve been having my agent put some feelers out there to see if she could be picked up by another team. So far, though, that’s not bringing a lot of results.”

“Does she know you’re doing that?” Mac asks.

I shake my head. “I didn’t want to give her hope if there wasn’t going to be any.”

“Good plan,” she replies. “What if she gets picked up by a team in like, San Diego or something? Then what will you do? It’ll be a long-distance thing. Do you really want that?”

“I don’t.” I scoff. “But I’m not sure what else to do here.”

“That’s why we have to talk to August,” Hendrix insists. “Will you come with me when I talk to him?”

“Me?” I ask. “I don’t think I’m the best person to talk to him. I was the one who got her fired. I’m on thin ice with the organization. I don’t think going in and calling August a hypocrite is the best move here.”

The table falls silent while we all consider our options. I love that they’re trying to find a way to get her back on the field. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. I’ve invited her to my pickup game on Sunday so that she can still play soccer. I’m hoping it’s something that helps brighten her mood. Something other than sex. Because that sure seems to make her smile too.

“What are you thinking about?” Danny asks me.

I raise my eyebrows. “Who, me?”

“Yes, you, Jase. What has you smiling so big over there?”

“I’m not sure you want to know.” I chuckle.

“Oh geez,” Mac says. “I don’t want to hear about all the weird sexual things you do to my best friend.”

“Sure, you do. I’ve had to hear a tale or two from all your exploits with Danny. I feel like this is only fair,” I tease her.

“What do you tell him?” Mac asks, smacking him.

“Ouch. Why am I getting hit? I don’t tell him jack shit. He’s messing with you, Mac.” Danny shakes his head. “Come on, man, don’t get me into trouble.”

“So, what are we going to do?” Mac asks, changing the subject back to Cassie.

Hendrix bites her lip. I can tell there’s something on the tip of her tongue, but she seems hesitant to say it.

“Do you want me to ask August to trade my life for hers?” I ask her. “Is what you’re thinking about over there?”

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think he’d do that. Plus, you said he talked to your agent, which probably helped you keep your job.” She runs a hand through her hair. “If I tell you guys something, can it just remain between us?”

“Absolutely,” Mac replies. “Everything okay?”

“I might have something that could help us. But you can’t tell anyone, okay? This information cannot leave this table,” Hendrix stresses.

“What’s going on, Hen?” I ask her.

Danny and Mac are staring at her intently.

She sighs and begins. “August and I went to the same college. We both went to UNC. And while we were at UNC, we kind of, sort of…”

Mac reaches out and squeezes her hand. “You don’t have to tell us if it’s causing this much stress.”

“Did you two fuck?” Danny asks.

Hendrix’s face goes bright red. “As a matter of fact, we did. We actually dated for a year. I met him when I was a freshman. We saw each other at the same parties for most of the year, and then when I got back to UNC during my sophomore year, we hooked up at a party one night. It didn’t stop there, though.” She takes a big sip of her beer and continues on. “August andI hooked up a lot, and eventually we started hanging out and didn’t stop for that whole year.”

“Wow!” Mac cries. “You hooked up with August! I can’t believe this never came up before.”

“Damn, now it makes sense why you two are always so weird around each other,” I add.