“Please don’t tell me they took your money?” Pearce may have been a kick-ass basketball player, but his pool skills needed some work.
“Not at pool, but the assholes are aiming to make bank on a killer pot, apparently.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
Pearce stayed quiet for a beat before clearing his throat. “Uhm, nothing. Don’t worry about it. So, what time’s your flight?”
Brows dipping in confusion, I wondered why he was brushing off whatever he’d been talking about. A bet, I figured. It was unusual for Pearce to hold back. He said shit without thinking all the time. The outcome was usually hilarious and just a little endearing.
“Just after ten. We’ll need to be up about seven to beat the city traffic.”
“Good luck with getting that girl of yours outta bed, and on a Saturday too.”
“Don’t I know it. Though I expect knowing it’s because we’re visiting you, she’ll manage just fine.”
I could hear his grin as he said, “Aw, you see how awesome and loveable I am. It’s why I’m Lottie’s favorite.”
“Sorry,” I responded, an amused grin forming, “did you think I said visiting you? I said, watching the game. Cassius Britton is having one hell of a season. Lottie won’t stop talking about him.”
“Dude, take it back.”
“What?” Fizz bubbled in my gut as I spoke, the one-eighty in my emotions from speaking to Wayne to talking to Pearce enough to make my head spin and let happiness take over. “Just saying how it is.”
“You best be messing with me, man. Lottie’s my favorite girl. She’s my number one fan.”
Nothing but sweet feelings settled into my bones when he talked about my daughter. From the moment they’d met, not long after the end of the college summer training camp we both attended, they’d become thick as thieves.
It was good for teasing him mercilessly, letting him know they got on so well due to his maturity levels, or lack of. The truth was, Pearce was simply an all-round good guy. Arguably the best guy I knew.
Not for the first time, I wondered what would have happened if I’d been in a different head space three years back and had said yes to him when he suggested we hook up when we’d headed out to Australia for Ryan and Nate’s wedding. The no had been hard to say and stick to. But at twenty-six and with a couple of years of friendship already under our belt, Pearce had been too young, too in the thick of fame and the industry for me to be getting involved. Romantically, at least.
Plus, I hadn’t wanted to ruin what we had with a one-night stand.
Now, hell, I kinda wanted to kick myself for standing by my decision and playing the responsible card. Not that I regretted or didn’t dote on our friendship.
Pearce Malcolm was the most important man in my life.
“I suppose she may still hold that number one title,” I offered, taking pity on him and the sulky voice that had dragged his words low. “Speaking of, you all set for tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Maybe. Yeah. The… uhm… guys are ready. What time did you say your plane was landing?”
Rather than challenge his doubt, I responded to his question. “Too late for you to meet us. The last thing you need to be worrying about is me and Lottie getting in. We’ll be in the crowd, cheering you on.”
“And we’ll catch up later, right? You won’t be dashing off?”
A soft smile lifted my lips, liking a lot that he wanted to spend time with us. “We’ll be there, ready to celebrate.” At least I hoped that was the case. If they won tomorrow’s game, they’d be heading for the playoffs. Pearce may have been acting like the game wasn’t a big deal, but he’d trained hard for this moment, and being a seasoned pro and in a team that had finally been making movements in the League, he wanted this badly.
Which meant I wanted it for him just as much.
“Yeah, okay,” he said, chasing his words with a yawn.
“And on that note,” I said with a chuckle, “get your ass to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. See you tomorrow, Ed.”
“Will do. Rest easy.”
We ended the call, and I stared at the phone. Unable to resist, I opened my messages.
