Page 49

Maybe I should just live in a hotel until my house is ready.

Or maybe I could stay with Kaylee.

But moving out now would just look suspicious, and that’s the opposite of what I’m trying to do here.

I’ve never felt more stuck in my life.

I could stay away—could hang out somewhere else, but I’m new to town. There’s always action in Vegas, but the people I trust around these parts consist of Kaylee and Ben, who are busy with babies and the start of a football season; Danny, who I spend most of my time with except when he’s busy banging somebody; and Troy, who I can’t exactly confess my most recent heartbreak to given the fact that he’s the one person I’m trying to hide it from.

I could go out, sure. I could meet people. I could make new friends pretty easily.

But it’s hard when you’re almost thirty-three and you own a status as a celebrity. I guess I could head to Troy’s club to meet people in situations similar to mine, but I don’t really want to. There’s a stigma with a place like that, and even if I want to stay on the first floor, that doesn’t mean everyone else will want to.

The season will start soon enough, and since Troy has unofficially named me team captain, I’ve started spending time sketching out details for building brotherhood through teamwork. He gave me an office near his where I can work, and I’ve gone in early every morning this week to work out and then to sit in my office watching film, strategizing, and getting to know the strengths of the players already assembled on the team as I do some research onto the short list of players Troy thinks we’ll be acquiring in the expansion draft in a couple months.

Gabby doesn’t have classes Thursday or Friday, so she’s at the stadium bright and early, and I just finished my workout and a quick shower on Friday morning when Troy told me to pay a visit to Joanie’s office.

The interns are all sitting at the round table, and Gabby is talking. I watch for a beat while she finishes what she says.

“I think StrongFitKids would best fit under Fan Experience if you’d like me to focus on that department next week.” Her eyes drift to me at the conclusion of her sentence. Joanie turns around to see who Gabby is looking at, too.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I say, stepping into the office, “but Troy said your team got back to you with the blueprints?”

“Right,” she says. She turns to the interns. “I love that idea, Gabby. I’d like to put you and Chloe on that for next week along with Corporate Sponsorships because I think SFK really fits both. Justin and Brian in Broadcast, Chase and Mackenzie in…” She pauses as she runs down a list. “How about Game Operations? Excuse me for one minute.” She turns back to me as I wonder what other departments the interns work in, but then I realize it doesn’t matter. The fact is that she’ll be working with Chloe on something and not Spongebob, so that’s something.

Joanie pats Gabby’s shoulder as she stands, and I see a bond between the two. Troy has confirmed that he’s dating Joanie, and from over here, it looks like Gabby approves and accepts that relationship.

I’m happy for her. I know how her relationship is with her mother based on the things she confessed to me, so to see her have a positive female authority in her life can only be a good thing. I think of my own mother and what an impact she’s had on my life, and I can’t imagine not talking to her nearly every day. But Gabby seemed almost happy not to be talking to her mom—like the very thought of it stresses her out.

There’s still a lot of mystery where all that is concerned, I guess.

“Come on over,” Joanie says to me, and I meet her at her desk. She hands me a portfolio, and I take a look at the preliminary sketches of the kids’ play area. “No ball pit, as requested, and an entire trampoline area with bouncy platforms between each station of the circuit.”

I’m sure Gabby is gloating from her chair over at the round table with the other interns, but I force my focus on the paper in Joanie’s hands. “This is incredible, Joanie. Thank you.” I study it for a few beats.

“Can I see?” Gabby asks, standing from her chair.

Joanie nods. “I think it’s important to get your feedback, too.”

Gabby moves in beside me, and I can smell the vanilla in her hair.

My dick wakes up this close to her. He strains against my zipper.

Goddamn, I miss her.

“Looks good to me,” she says softly. “I love the trampolines.”

She walks away and sits beside that jackass once again, and I suck in a breath and snap a photo of the blueprints. “I’ll send these to Kaylee and Carla for any last-minute feedback but I think it’s going to be a green light from SFK.”

“Excellent,” she says with a nod. “I’ll wait to hear from you before sending it up to the next level. Is there anything else?”

I glance over at Gabby, and she’s got her head bent toward Spongebob in conversation.

I clear my throat. “No, that’s all. Thanks again.” I’m not sure if Gabby is supposed to shadow me for the rest of the day, but I take the opportunity while she’s busy in a meeting to head back to my office to get a little more work done.

And then I bolt the fuck out of the stadium before she gets the chance to come find me.

Troy was still at the stadium when I left, working away at all things baseball management, and I’m sure he would’ve liked me to stop in and touch base regarding teambuilding, but we have time.

It may be a big stadium, but today it felt like it wasn’t quite big enough for both Gabby and me.

Troy wasn’t home this morning when I woke up, and I’ve started to notice he rarely spends the night at the house. He’s around here and there, but he must either be sleeping at Joanie’s place or at the club—either that or he’s out late, comes home for a few hours, and leaves again before the rest of the house is awake.

I talk to my mom once I’m back in the car. I keep it quick and leave out the details about how I’m feeling, but it always helps to hear her voice even if it’s just for a quick check in.

I call Kaylee next.

“Did you look at the blueprints?” I ask when she answers. My ulterior motive is to get her to invite me over. I’d invite myself, but that’s not really my style.

“I glanced real quick but Ellie’s nanny is sick today so we’re all just winging it and Hailey won’t stop climbing the goddamn couch and I just got them down for naps and I’m about to take one myself.”

“Sorry for bothering you,” I say.

“Why would this be different than any other time? You’re always bothering me,” she teases, and I laugh.

“Right back at you, kid.”

“You doing okay, Coopster?” she asks.

“I’m okay,” I lie. She’s got enough going on. She doesn’t need me droning on about how heartsick I am over Gabby.

“You call me if you need anything,” she says.

“I will,” I assure her, but the truth is I did call her because I needed something but she’s busy with twin babies and caught up in her own shit and I’m not going to burden her with my shit, too.

I swing by my house to check the progress, and there are two trucks in the street in front of the place, signaling that somebody’s there working. I hang out in my car for a while as I dream up all the things I can do once I’m not fighting against myself every goddamn day.

I feel like I don’t have anywhere else to go, so eventually I head back to Troy’s place.

And when I pull into the driveway, I spot a car I haven’t seen before…but the woman leaning up against it sure looks familiar.

“Stacy,” I mutter as I pull in behind the white Lexus and put my car in park.

What the fuck is she doing here?