“Observant,” I say. “I respect that. Yes, he asked me to keep the name out of the article.”
“I understand. And I appreciate you taking the time to hear me out.”
We stand up from the table and start walking back toward the hotel. The later afternoon sun is still blazing, turning the pavement into a griddle and making every step feel a little more dramatic than necessary.
“Listen,” I say as we step under the hotel awning, but I trail off when a black car pulls away from the curb. I frown, losing my train of thought.Victor?
“Are you okay, dear?” Helen asks.
“Yes, sorry.” I shake my head. “What I wanted to say was, I’ll try talking to him. But I don’t know how he’ll react. He was furious earlier. I’d never seen him like that before.” I wring my hands. “The thing is, you’re not the first one who’s claimed to be related to him.”
She swallows hard. “I figured as much. It’s okay. At least now he knows I exist.” She hesitates, then hands me a sleek business card. “Thank you for listening, Harper. Here’s my card, in case you ever want to get in touch.”
I nod softly. “Take care, Helen.”
Once the valet brings her car around and she leaves, I stand in front of the revolving doors, staring down at the business card.
Everything about her story feels real. I didn’t detect any of the usual signs of dishonesty—no evasiveness, no over-explaining. She looks like him. She knows his birthplace. And she didn’t even fake a French accent, which would have been the obvious move for a scammer.
There has to be something to this.
I need to talk to Baptiste. If I had the chance to see my parents again, I know I’d take it.
16
Baptiste
It’s over. We made it to the end of the tournament, and unfortunately, the Stripes team lost. We just weren’t as strong as our adversaries. They deserved the win.
Exhaustion and disappointment follow us back to the hotel. Everyone is quiet on the bus. What is there to say? There’s only one winner, and tonight it isn’t us.
We finally pull in front of the hotel entrance, and some of the players’ families are here waiting, including my teammates’ wives.
And thenthere’s Harper.
My chest warms when I see her dressed in my number two jersey, biting her lower lip, rocking slightly on her heels like she’s been standing there longer than necessary.
For a moment there, I thought we wouldn’t be able to get past that argument we had a few days ago. She tried to get me to call that woman who claimed to be my mother, insisting on it—even though I was very clear that I wanted nothing to do with her. And that really ticked me off. So what if that lady knows the place I was born or has green eyes? I won’t get sucked into this world of hurt all over again.
Thankfully, she eventually came to terms with it, and since then we’ve been back to normal.
Which is still excruciating, by the way.
I’m now one hundred percent sure I’ve fallen for her. Every time we’re together, all I want to do is tug her closer and kiss her. I almost gave in to the urge last night when we came back from dinner, but she’s giving me mixed signals, and I’m too scared she’d turn me down.
“Hey,” she says with a subtle wince. “How are you?”
Her gaze roves over my face, like she’s checking for damage that isn’t visible.
I shrug, forcing a breath out. “I’m fine. It’s the game, you know? Always a tough pill to swallow, but I’ll get over it.”
“Yeah.” She hesitates, then shifts her weight toward me, closing the small gap between us. Her voice drops. “Do you want some company, or would you rather be alone?”
The choice is easier than she thinks.
“Depends.” I eye the bag she’s holding. “You brought me snacks?”
Her caramel eyes sparkle. “You know it.”
