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"The only things I want to hear, or read, about you from now on is how well you're playing and how you made a bunch of sick kids smile. Otherwise I expect your toes to be well within the line. Understood?"
"Yeah, gotcha," I replied. "You won't see my toes, they'll be so well behaved." Also it was winter in Victoria, Australia, and bare feet were currently out of style. I like my extremities without frostbite. Some extremities more than others, but I was attached to my toes.
"Good." Carson lowered his hands to the desk. "We're a few games from getting a real shot at the Down Under Bowl. I don't want anyone to screw that up." From the look on his face, I was definitely 'anyone' and so was Grace.
"If anyone screws that up, they can answer to me," I said firmly. "It sure as hell won't be my ass messing it up."
"It's not your ass I'm worried about," Carson said. "You wouldn't be the first to make bad decisions with his dick."
Ain't that the truth. I was pretty sure Carson Thomas was making bad choices with his since before I was born.
"My dick will be as well behaved as my toes," I said. "Maybe even more so." That particular body part was staying out of trouble until after the party. Maybe until after the Down Under Bowl, but that was asking a lot of the guy. And the man he was attached to.
"Good, make sure it is." Carson nodded.
I was tempted to ask about his. It seemed like his love life would make a much juicier front page than mine. Hell, for all I knew, he owned the local news outlets, and paid the wages of people like Harvey Danbury. That would be a good way to stay off the radar. If that was the case, couldn't he do the same for me?
I guessed not, or he would have.
A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts.
Mary, the receptionist, opened the door. She smiled at me before saying, "Carson, you wanted to know when Jerry was in?"
"Right, yes, I'll be right there." Carson nodded.
I had no idea who Jerry was, but I knew when my time was up here.
I stood. "Nice talk. I'll catch you later."
"Yes, later, Bam." Carson waved me out the door, clearly distracted already.
I shot Mary a brilliant smile and sauntered out the door. I made it three steps before I had my phone in my hand.
CHAPTER 20
GRACE
"Are you okay?"
That was the first thing Bam said to me when I stepped into the shop and made my way to the jumper section.
I shrugged. "I've had better weeks." Like the time I broke my wrist. I was ten. This week was right up there for painful. Heartache and humiliation hurt almost as badly.
I couldn't go anywhere without feeling like people were staring and pointing fingers.
I was only here at Lacey's now because I didn't want to let the kids down. I needed an ugly jumper. That didn't mean I couldn't choose one quickly and then get the hell out of here.
"I'm sorry that asshat took those photos of you." Bam seemed genuinely apologetic, but it could be because his name was right there beside mine. We shared the stares and fingers.
"If I knew he was gonna do that, I would have…" He shrugged.
"Yeah." There wasn't much he could do that wasn't either out of character or destined to get him into big trouble. If he knew sleeping with me would end like this, he'd still have done it. It's who he was.
As for me, I don't know what I would have done. I didn't want to give up that one night. Whether or not he cared, it was special to me. If that made me crazy, then so be it.
Whatever.
I couldn't un-sleep with him any more than I could stop caring about him.
