Page 47

CHAPTER 47

HOPE

M y health really takes a nosedive in the thirty-some hours after the incident. There was little sleep last night—for my roomies, for Cade and for me. I hate that instead of getting proper rest after finishing Spring Training, Cade spent so many hours on FaceTime with us while we plotted how to solve this. Unfortunately he was a key component and the only reason why a panel was assembled to discuss the matter just a day later. Otherwise I could’ve been suspended for a month or more, who knows.

It was near two in the morning when the plan was finished, all related parties were asked for help, and everyone departed for bed. Except I couldn’t sleep at all.

I kept tossing and turning, uncomfortable in my soft bed that normally sucks me into its embrace without trouble. Which I guess is what happens when you’re too pissed off to relax into sleep.

As the morning rolls in, the sun rays feel extra offensive on my dry eyes. I lay face up on my hot bed and kick the sheets away from me. There’s some noise outside the door, which means the girls must be getting ready for work. I shouldn’t be surprised that they immediately jumped on the cause and moved mountains in the course of a few hours to come up with ways to help me, but I really don’t have the strength to see them off to work while I have to stay home all day.

So I wait locked up in my room, staring at the beams of light that filter through the blinds behind me, painting the darkened ceiling like a zebra. When the front door has been closed twice is when I finally allow myself to sit up. I rub my face but that doesn’t get rid of the cocktail of acid emotions in my belly.

After five minutes in the bathroom, I return to my bedroom to put on some training clothes and literally the only thing I take with me is my house key. I want to go on a run so punishing that I forget about everything but the pain in my legs, the burning in my lungs, and the sweat dripping down my face. Maybe then I’ll be able to at least nap.

I run around my neighborhood and into a nearby park only being used by young moms with baby strollers and people walking dogs. A few heads turn my way because in comparison, it’s like I’m training for a marathon. Eventually, I circle my way back home when the sun is bright enough to make the skin of my shoulders itch.

I stop in the townhouse’s foyer for a moment, leaning a hand against the wall as I fight to recover my breath. My eyes slide to the couch and I can see my name written all over it. That’s where I’ll dwell the rest of the day. But first, a protein shake and a shower.

Call me Speedy Gonzalez because I do all these things quickly, they’re part of my routine. I towel dry my hair and apply some product the girls recommended a while ago, after they discovered I didn’t use to put on anything. Marching back to my room, I select my comfiest training bra and boy shorts, and put on my rattiest T-shirt from one of the amusement parks.

As I tidy my bed up, I spot my phone on the bedside table and pick it up. Maybe I have texts from Cade or the girls. The screen doesn’t light up, though, and pressing on the buttons does nothing. The battery must be kaput. It makes sense though, what with the late night FaceTiming and all. I pick up the charging cable from the floor and plug it in before heading out.

My stomach makes a gurgling noise and instead of veering right to the living room, I turn left to the kitchen to fix myself a plate with chopped fruit, nuts, chia seeds and a healthy dollop of honey that borders on unhealthy. I don’t care.

The nuts provide some stress relief with the crunch. Grabbing the remote, I flip on the TV and change channels from HGTV to ESPN. They’re talking about professional women’s basketball and even though I’m not super versed in the sport, it’s enough to suck my attention in and make me forget my bearings. Soon the food is nice and safe in my belly and the focus has shifted to professional hockey. I probably know even less about it but the compilation of the week’s best fights sure is damn cathartic.

The clock on the wall tells me it’s about time for the audience with Cade to start. I can’t fool myself into thinking that my body temperature is dropping due to my damp hair. In truth I’m terrified.

I know Cade will do everything in his power to clarify the situation, but who knows what will happen in the end? The signs haven’t been in my favor, even if I’m not in breach of contract.

I reach for the fluffy blanket that matches the cream color decorations in the living room, and wrap myself with it. The only thing that pokes out is my hand to grab the remote and crank up the volume. Every few minutes my eyes drift from the screen to the clock, and after a while of doing this, my eyelids start growing heavy.

I don’t fight it too hard. In fact, I’d rather put off knowing what my sentence is for a bit longer. Tumbling on the couch, I turn the TV off and drop the remote where it falls. Snuggling against the cushions, I fully close my eyes and drift off.

*

The sound of keys at the door snaps me awake.

I only have enough time to sit up before my roomies burst into the door.

“Hope! You’re alive!”

“We thought something happened to you. Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

“Ngh.” I rub my eyes and check the clock. It’s past noon but I feel like I could’ve slept well into dinner if I wasn’t interrupted.

“You look pretty bad, are you okay?” Rose lifts up my feet so she can take a seat at the end of the couch. Meanwhile, Audrey takes her armchair facing me.

“What are you guys doing here?” I squint at them.

“I got suspended too.” Rose shrugs.

I sit upright. “What?”

“I didn’t,” Audrey clarifies. “But I’m protesting.”

“Wha—” I shake my head.

“Apparently posting an unapproved video to the team’s social media merits a suspension,” Rose explains with a pensive expression on her face. “I mean, I can see why. Someone untrustworthy could post something that tarnishes the team’s brand. But if they didn’t want something like this to happen, maybe they should’ve put it in my contract, huh?” She smirks.

“Besides, it’s been great for the team from a PR perspective,” Audrey adds, reclining back. “That’s why I’m protesting. A video that has accrued one million views in the course of a single morning, with overwhelmingly positive comments, and that is being shared all across other social media platforms, shouldn’t merit a suspension. That’s just my opinion as a PR specialist.”

Shaking my head, I’m about to ask what video they’re even talking about until it finally clicks. It was part of the master plan we orchestrated as a group last night.

“Oh.” I gape at them. “So people are taking it well?”

“Don’t get me wrong, there’s some griping that the hottest baseball player of Spring Training has found his lady and it’s none of the singles online, but it’s a smashing success.” Rose pats my leg over the fluffy blanket.

“In fact, everyone online is asking who this woman who keeps it real is that managed to capture Cade Starr’s heart.” Audrey leans forward again. “Would you be open to revealing your identity? I’m sure we can make you a celebrity of your own, and maybe that confers you an extra layer of protection.”

“Or brings out the stalkers, no thanks.” I wrinkle my nose.

“Okay, fair.”

“Anyway, now that we’re gonna have some free time in our hands, should we book a trip to the beach or something?” Rose asks, glancing at us in turns.

I’m about to remind her that I have a brand new boyfriend who isn’t suspended and has a pool in his house, when the doorbell goes off and makes us jump.

“Um, is anyone waiting for someone?”

“No?”

“What if it’s Cade?” I ask, making a move to pull off the blanket.

Audrey raises a hand. “You stay comfy. I’ll get it.” She leaves her chair and marches on her socks toward the door.

“Pizza delivery,” a familiar voice says, just not the one I’m really waiting for.

Rose jerks in surprise even before our other roommate at the door asks, “Logan?”

“And me,” someone else says, and Rose’s frame relaxes at Lucky Rivera’s voice.

“Plus me.”

That’s when I spring from the couch. My legs tangle with the fluffy blanket and I almost crash on the hardwood floor, but I manage not to break my face on athleticism alone. My bare feet give me enough purchase not to skid as I rush to the front door.

“Excuse me,” I declare and Audrey has enough wit to step aside quickly. Logan takes one look at the bull charging toward him, he raises pizza boxes above his head and also moves aside. Rivera yelps as he tosses himself out of the way.

But Cade doesn’t move an inch. Or I guess he does, but it’s only to spread his arms wide.

I barrel into him at top speed. His arms close around me and lift me off the ground. With my arms over his shoulders and around his neck working as a pillow for his head, I crash my mouth on his for a kiss I mean to convey all my gratitude with, no matter what happened.

Except someone clears their throat behind me, and when that doesn’t work in making us put some distance between us, Logan Kim says, “Hey, no one here has any issues with your PDA and all that, but you may want to do that inside the house where the neighbors can’t see Hope’s underwear.”

Squeaking, I release Cade’s mouth and watch his eyebrows rise. “What is he talking about?” he asks softly.

“I might not be wearing any pants.”

“Ah.” Slowly, Cade sets me back on my feet and leans back to look. I try pulling the hem of my T-Shirt lower but unfortunately it’s a short one and there’s nothing that can be done. Amusement lights up my boyfriend’s eyes. “And no shoes either.”

“Yeah, kinda didn’t think about putting any on the way.”

He snorts, but next thing, he’s bending lower to slide his arms under me. The whole world tilts and I grab onto his neck.

“Cade! What if you get hurt?”

“If the cowboy gets hurt from just that, I’d be real shocked,” Rivera says as we pass him by.

Cade crosses the threshold into the house and still doesn’t set me down. “Everyone look away from my girl,” he commands.

From the living room, with his back to us, Logan waves a hand and says, “Trust me, I’m far more interested on this pizza.” He turns to Rose. “Should we get plates or go rogue?”

“Always rogue,” she responds while making space on the coffee table for him to set down the boxes.

“Any fun drinks around here?” Rivera’s in the kitchen, opening the fridge like it’s his house. “Ew, protein shakes? Gross.”

Behind us, Audrey closes the front door. “Put her on the couch, there’s a blanket there.”

Turning my head to glance back, I ask, “Can you please find me some leggings?” She salutes and keeps going to my bedroom.

Cade maneuvers to the living room—narrowly avoiding maiming Logan with my legs—but instead of setting me down on the couch, he sits down on it with me on his lap. At least he sets the blanket on my legs so I can stop flashing other people. But he keeps a hand casually under the blanket.

I cock an eyebrow at him and he just smirks.

From the corner of my eye I catch Audrey emerging from the hallway, a pair of rolled up leggings in her hand. I have no doubt that she’s the smartest cookie in the room because she takes one look at Cade’s and my positions, and chucks my leggings at a random shelf.

“Anyway.” I clear my throat. “Why are you all here? Not that I’m complaining.” Especially not about using Cade as my personal chair. He pushes me against his chest and even though his body’s like marble, we mold together so perfectly that I could nap here.

Well, in theory. I’m certainly not sleepy with his hand on my bare thigh.

“Your phone was off,” he says, his voice rumbling in his chest and against me.

“Plus, I owed a certain annoying pitcher his damn pizza.” Logan looks huge in our living room even as he sits on the floor across from the couch. He has a pepperoni slice in his hand and tucks in before everyone else, as if he too wanted some pie.

I lean back to use Cade’s shoulder as a pillow and also slide my hand under the blanket to stop his. It’d be too weird to feel all bothered for whatever news they have for me.

As if reading my mind, Rose asks, “So, Cowboy, what’s the verdict? Do we have to sue the Orlando Wild for wrongful termination or not?”

Rivera returns with a tower of glasses on one hand, and a two-liter bottle of soda that lives in Audrey’s shelf in the fridge. She frowns a little but lets it go, preferring to sit at her armchair instead.

Cade turns his head and places a kiss on my temple and I look up at him. “Well…”

I bite my lip. “Well?”

“Sorry, what was the question?” Cade shakes his head.

Sighing, Logan says, “Put your hands where we can see them so you can focus.”

“Stop sounding so jealous, Kim.” Rivera chuckles as he sits on the floor at one end of the coffee table.

“Let them be, they’re still on the honeymoon phase,” Rose says as she puts one pizza box aside to explore the others.

It’s funny how I can start making out the smell of bread and tomato sauce much better when Cade complies and puts his hands visibly around me instead.

“Right.” He clears his throat and then speaks in a deadpan so sharp it could cut steel. “So, a panel of six men basically were responsible for deciding your fate.”

Rose hisses.

Audrey expels a sharp breath like she’s doing breathing exercises.

“Fortunately,” Cade continues, looking down at me. “Four ended up being on your side.”

My jaw slacks.

Rose freezes halfway to pulling a cheese slice from the pie. “Does that mean…”

“Two of them were my agent and I,” Cade explains, his eyes softening. “Plus Beau.” Someone gasps. “And your own boss.”

“What?” I shriek.

“Yeah, he was pretty reasonable. Just wants us to keep professional boundaries at work.”

“Who were the two against?” Audrey asks sharply.

“Watson from HR.” Cade stops to roll his eyes and Logan drops an of course with a harsh word in between. “And the owner. Although he wasn’t so much against it, as he didn’t want any bad publicity.”

Audrey sneers and leans back on her chair, saying nothing further.

“Let me get this straight.” I grab Cade’s chin and turn his head to me. “I can keep my job?”

His cheek pushes against my hand as he smiles. “Yeah, you get to keep what was rightfully yours all along.”

“Woohoo! The job and the man!” Rose pumps the air with, er, a pizza slice.

“Salud!” Rivera lifts a glass of Coke. “To love’s victory!”

Audrey scoots toward the coffee table and grabs one of the soda glasses that Rivera poured. She lifts it up ceremoniously. “Cheers to any future such panels having women in them.”

“I can toast to that.” Rose clinks her glass with Audrey’s.

Kim adds nothing verbally but lifts his nearly finished slice as toast.

And Cade and I? We celebrate with a kiss.