Em wasn’t sure what to think about her best friend’s musings. Maybe he regretted it, but that didn’t change that it had happened. Grant had shown that he wasn’t willing to put in the effort to have a relationship with her. He was just another guy who found her unworthy.
Why did she only fall for the terrible guys? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was too painful.
“I don’t know, but I don’t want to talk about Grant anymore. I came tonight to watch the game, support my brother, and that’s it.”
“Fair enough. I’ll shut up unless one of our players scores,” Frida said before turning her attention to the game.
WatchingGrant out there was harder than Em realized it would be, and she was thankful for Frida’s uncharacteristic strength. Her best friend didn’t talk about Grant for the remainder of the game—even when he scored another goal. Frida cheered without nudging Em or wiggling her eyebrows or making jokes.
The final buzzer rang, and the Storm won the game with a three-point lead. Fans cheered as the players celebrated on the field. Another win meant they still got to enjoy their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference. If they could keep up the good work, they would get to go to the playoffs.
The Storm had never made it to the playoffs, and Em knew that Finn had to be excited, along with the rest of the team. It had to be especially exciting for Grant considering it was his first year playing.
Em allowed her eyes to search out Grant in the crowd in front of her. He was talking to other players, but his head turned toward her just as soon as her eyes landed on him—as if he knew she was looking at him.
Her breath caught in her chest when his blue eyes found hers. They didn’t leave her face as he pushed his way through the other players and walked toward her. With every step closer, her heart beat faster until she thought it might beat right out of her chest when he stopped in front of her—only the waist-height board separating them.
“Hey.”
Em crossed her arms to hide the trembling in her hands. “Hi.”
“I, uh…” His eyes went to his feet.
“You played a great game tonight.”
He looked up and gave her a sad smile. “Thanks.”
“That goal was amazing.”
His smile grew. “I was trying to impress a girl.”
An ache filled her chest. “Don’t say that. Not now.”
He shook his head. “You’re right. I just...how are you doing?”
How was she doing? Not great, and he was the last person she wanted to talk to about it. “Grant…”
“I’m sorry. I know this is tough. But I want you to know that I’m sorry for how things ended between us. I didn’t want them to end, but I was already feeling stressed with my injury and the fact that I was breaking Finn’s rule by talking to you.” His eyes went wide. “What I mean is—”
“Finn’s rule?” What was Grant talking about? Em had a rule. She’d made no secret of her rule when she talked to Grant. But this was the first time she’d heard of one from her brother.
Grant rubbed the back of his neck. “You should know that I always thought it was crap. But he made it abundantly clear that it wasn’t up for debate.”
Abundantly clear with his fist?
Grant had been quick to brush her off when she’d asked about his black eye last week. He hadn’t wanted to say how he got it. Even now, Grant wasn’t saying that Finn had hit him. But Em knew her brother well enough to know his preferred method of getting his way.
Or, at least, she thought she knew her brother. But since when did he lie to her about his relationships and set down edicts about her own? That wasn’t the Finn she’d grown up with, and it made her question everything.
She put her hands on the board and leaned forward. “What’s the rule, Grant?”
Grant’s head briefly turned to where the players were standing and then back to Em. He lifted his hands to make air-quotes. “He has a strict ‘no-dating-my-sister’ rule.”
“He what?” Her voice was high-pitched. “I have the no-dating-athletes rule.”
Grant shrugged. “Well, he decided to take it one step further. No one on the team is allowed to even talk to you.”
So that was why so many of the guys kept a safe distance when they talked to her. They didn’t want a broken nose or a black eye. Though there was someone who got neither. “Do you know what happened with Damien?”
