“You’re late,” Tatum says, shaking her head as she begins the brisk walk toward the private boxes.
“I know! I’m sorry! Why didn’t anyone warn me about the security at this place?”
She laughs. “Right. You never come to this part of town since you hate sports.”
“I don’t hate sports. They just don’t interest me.”
“Yet, you dated someone for six months who plays soccer. I’m still shocked it’s taken you this long to actually show up to a match, but I’ve decided not to judge your weirdness today. You’re here now.”
“Thank you for understanding. Besides, I’ve been busy building an empire, Tatum,” I retort.
“Ah, yes! How’s the life of Cinnamon Grove’s first mobile clinic and private nurse practitioner?"
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Girl, don’t even ask. But if you should happen to find someone injured, sick or shut in, please let me know. I need clients.”
“Noted,” she says sweetly.
We reach the WAGS section. It’s a sanctuary of luxury seating and premium refreshments. Tatum starts the introductions immediately. “Aspen, meet the inner circle. This is Eslin Saunders, the team therapist and fiancée to one of the owners, Grant Mills. And this is Marlow Mills—Grant’s daughter and wife of mid-fielder, Declan Agassi.”
I shake hands and look around at the group. Good Lord, they really do keep it in the family around here. As the match begins, the roar of the crowd becomes a rhythmic backdrop to the gossip. Eslin leans over, her therapist eyes a little too observant for my liking. “So, Aspen, how exactly do you know our Croix?”
“We’re friends,” I say, keeping it light and airy. Even if we aren’t dating, the details and history of our friendship are still ours.
Eslin smiles, seemingly accepting the deflection, while I shift gears. “Tatum hasn’t stopped talking about you since she started working for the Strikers. She’s so grateful for the 'friendship tribe' you’ve all become.”
“Yeah, well, they all sort of forced themselves on me,” Eslin says with a laugh. “They friendship-love-bombed me in the best way possible. If that’s even a thing.”
I chuckle and there’s a hint of envy beneath my smile. “It’s a thing if you say it is. Growing up watching shows likeGirlfriendsandLiving Single, I always dreamed of having a circle like that.”
Eslin gives me a playful nudge. “Well, ‘The Stand-Ins’ are accepting new members. As long as you’re not crazy.”
“Are therapists supposed to use the word crazy?” I ask, laughing.
“Uh…I’m off the clock and you’re not a patient,” she says without an ounce of apology.
“Touché,” I say, laughing and toast her with my soda.
I’m smiling and feeling a bit grateful when the stadium erupts. A deafening roar shakes the glass of the box as thousands of fans chant in unison:“Fragilé! Fragilé!”
I look up at the Jumbotron, confused by the sudden surge of energy. “Someone scored a home run?”
The entire box breaks into laughter.
“A goal. Yes,” Marlow responds, shaking her head with an affectionate roll of her eyes. “Every time my husband scores, thecrowd yells that. When he first joined the team, someone played a prank on him and told the reporters his name was Fragilé because he’s Italian. It stuck.”
“So, a goal is what they score in soccer?” I ask, trying to lock the terminology into my brain while figuring out how it relates to the movieA Christmas Story.
“Correct,” Marlow confirms. “Soccer orfútbol, depending on who you’re talking to.”
“I see.” I don't really see, and I have zero interest in absorbing any more sports jargon today, but I nod politely anyway.
Noticing the slightly glazed look on my face, Marlow laughs. “Don’t worry. If I hadn’t accidentally married a soccer player on a reality TV show, I wouldn’t know this much about the game, either.”
The coincidence is almost too much to handle. Marlow and her husband, Declan, also met onSightUnseenin Vegas. However, the episodes featuring me and Luca—the man I only know as Luca Chillmonger—won’t start airing for another few weeks. For now, our secret is safe. Nobody here knows that I’m part of the same “accidental marriage” club.
Well. Nobody accept Tatum. And Croix. Both who know how to keep a secret.
But if Luca decides to pull out of this thing, they may never have to know.
