He’d come to workout and just walked through the door. Sitting and having a drink with Bastian was the last thing he wanted to do. He narrowed his eyes. “Not really.”
Bastian surprised him by laughing. “I’m not here to fight with you, Grant. I just want to talk.”
Grant lifted his hands. “What is there to talk about?”
Bastian looked down at Grant’s feet. “Your ankle?”
“Still sprained.”
“Finn?”
“Still a jerk.”
“Look.” Bastian shook his head. “I’m not the bad guy here.”
Grant took a step toward him. “Aren’t you though? Maybe not to me, but you and everyone else on the team want to all pretend like what Finn is doing to Em is okay. I question it and end up on the receiving end of his right-hook.”
“I’m sorry, man.”
Grant’s blood was boiling. He didn’t want Bastian’s apology. He wanted everyone to stop letting Finn manipulate Em. “Maybe you guys don’t see it because you’ve been playing together for so long, but this whole thing is messed up.”
“I—”
“And based on what you told me that first night at City Bar, it’s not the first time Finn has let his temper get the best of him. No one is going to stand up to him, so why don’t you just say what you came here to say.”
Bastian rubbed a hand over his face. “Fine. I came here to find out if you’re still talking to Em. She’s been ignoring Finn, and he thinks it’s because you guys are dating.”
Finn again. Grant’s answering laugh was cruel. “If that’s the case, then why doesn’theask me about it?”
“Because we won’t let him. Vinny has been running interference so that he doesn’t show up to your house.”
Grant couldn’t believe the same guy who had delighted in Grant and Finn’s fight was now trying to prevent another from happening. “Really?” he asked.
“No one wants this kind of conflict on the team. It shows up on the field.”
“I’m not even on the field,” he yelled, drawing the attention of some people using the machines. Soon, he’d be stealing Vinny’s nickname for his explosive attitude.
Grant smiled and lifted his hand in a small, apologetic wave. He and Bastian walked away from the equipment, so they were no longer in full sight of everyone.
After a beat of silence, Bastian spoke. “I know it’s gotta be tough having an injury your first year, but you’ll be out there playing again in another week or two. When that happens, we need to be united so that we can win. Not fighting over some girl.”
“Some girl? Em is not just some girl. She’s amazing.”
Bastian’s eyes went wide. “And you’re gonna stick to the ‘not dating’ story?”
Grant shook his head. “We’re not.”
Though I wish we were.
“Then why isn’t Em talking to her brother?”
“Sounds like a question her brother needs to ask her. I haven’t seen her since—” He stopped short not wanting to tell Bastian about the night they kissed. That was a special moment between just the two of them, even if it ended in heartbreak for them both.
“Since?”
Grant shook his head. “Since the night she walked out on me.”
There. That wasn’t technically a lie. She’d walked out twice now. The first time had been in front of the entire team, and Bastian smiled sympathetically, not questioning it further.
