He’s never been subtle about the way his eyes linger on me when we’re in close proximity. Trailing them over my skin at charity galas. Stealing glances at me on the sidelines during pregame warm-ups—ones that are a few seconds longer than they reasonably should be, might I add. I feel like he can see right through my pasted-on smile.
Which might be the reason I was so unexpectedly vulnerable with him earlier. I’ll place a partial blame on my dad for stirring up the emotions I’ve kept shoved deep in the depths of my heart. Those ancient reminders of my mother that bubbled to the surface while talking with Fortune.
I hardly said a word, but it felt like an overshare on my part. The line between coworker and friend blurred right before my eyes, and by the time I realized it, I was too far gone. Granted, I have a suspicion he knows what went down with my parents. Anyone who had a modicum of interest in professional football and access to the internet fifteen years ago knows how nasty their divorce was.
It was unprofessional of me to insert my personal feelings into the matter. I know I need to apologize, but that means calling him into my office—being alone with him—once again. I’m not sure I’m ready for that quite yet.
My phone buzzes in my purse, and a tug pulls at the corner of my lips without a thought as I read the latest message from Lucky Charm.
That little crush I have on Fortune Parker? It has everything to do with the easygoing personality I’ve come to know well. How comfortable I feel being myself when talking to him. Then again, it’s not all that hard considering he doesn’t know the person he’s been talking to this entire time is me.
Lucky Charm:Hanging out with the girls tonight?
Ladybug:They’re both busy tonight. Looks like it’s just going to be another night with a bottle of wine and some Chinese takeout.
Lucky Charm:I’m saying this as your friend, but you should really get out more.
Ladybug:What? You can’t tell me watching reruns of your favorite show until the early hours of the morning isn’t fun.
Lucky Charm:It’s fun occasionally.
Lucky Charm:But this is your fifth night in a row doing the same thing.
Lucky Charm:Hence my suggestion that you should get out more.
I type backa smart response while rounding the corner to enter the locker room, but I hit the brakes when I bump into something firm. I slam my eyes shut, braving for the worst, but all I can focus on is the woody scented cologne that smells eerily familiar to the one Fortune wore this morning.
“Woah, woah, woah.” A familiar voice breaks the silence and two firm hands grab hold of my upper arm to hold me steady so I don’t fall back on my ass. The white dress I’m wearing hits my upper thigh. One tumble backward and anyone exiting the locker room would get a free peak at my white, lace underwear.
“I’m—” Piercing green eyes look down on me while a sly grin creeps over Fortune’s perfect, clean-shaven face. I snap back my shoulders and shove my phone to the bottom of my purse, hoping the hastiness of our run in prevented him from seeing our messages on my phone screen. “Sorry. I was a little… distracted. I’ve been reviewing a magazine interview Tennyson did last week before it goes to print tomorrow, and it’s been stealing my attention all afternoon.”
I’m telling the truth, but conveniently omit the part where I share that I wasn’t doing that when we bumped into each other. It’s not like I could perk up and say,“Sorry about that. I was too busy hitting send on a message back to you to pay attention. Maybe you should check your phone?”
“Can’t catch a break, can you?”
“Especially now that we’re in the thick of the season. There are trades, players being released, and guys being moved up from the practice squad on top of my regular day-to-day work. Seems like there’s always something keeping me chained to my desk lately.”
He watches me intently with his hands still loose on my biceps. I don’t know if he realizes he hasn’t let me go, but then again, I’m not sure I mind either.
“I’m sure me adding more to your plate doesn’t help.”
“You know I don’t mind helping you. It’s what I’m here for.” Honesty laces my tone, and I mean every word I say.
As much as I love to give these players shit and ruffle their feathers, they’re my family. They might make stupid decisions and piss me off sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I won’t drop everything I’m doing to help them out of a tough situation.
That’s what family does.
“Speaking of earlier, I should apologize. I didn’t mean to—”
“Actually, I was hoping we could go back to talking about taking breaks instead…” A smirk slides up one-half of his face as he turns the subject on a dime. If he doesn’t want to revisit the past, then neither do I. “Are you coming to Tommy’s place tonight for the team barbecue? It’ll be fun. His wife spent all day preparing the food, and there’s always a bunch of leftovers to bring home. If you’re lucky, Tommy will break out the karaoke machine.” He quirks a brow. “Might be nice to take a break for once.”
I shake my head with a laugh, imagining how awful these guys sound during one of the infamous rookies vs. veterans karaoke battles I’ve heard about. “Sounds fun, but I wasn’t planning on going. Team events aren’t really my thing.”
“Why not? You’re a part of the team as much as the players are. You should be there.”
He has to be joking, right?
I throw a party at my house every year during bye week to keep the team all in one place. I might hate hosting the stupid thing, but frankly, it’s much easier to control drunk football players and their brainless antics when I can watch them from the comfort of my home. Do I enjoy it? No. Does it also save me hours of work because I don’t have to piece together nonsensical drama and scandals? Absolutely. Aside from my bye week party, I never attend team events unless they are mandatory.
