Page 19 of Game Misconduct

“It was fine.” I rocked the bottle of creamer back and forth. “The party was fun, and the guys did clean up as they promised.”

“Nice.” She tapped her nails on the counter.

“How was your date?” She texted me on Saturday night to tell me she had more to share.

“Oh, it was so great. I really like him, Viv.”

I caught her grin out of the corner of my eye and turned to her. “That’s great. Where did you guys go?”

“We got dinner at Modesto and saw the symphony. It was really lovely.” She sighed. “Then he kissed me before saying goodnight.”

I raised a brow. She usually stuck to her “no kissing on the first date” rule. He had to be something special for her to break it. “So, when are you seeing him again?”

“Friday.” She reached out and moved my full mug toward me and put hers in its place. “He has tickets to the hockey game.”

“That will be fun.”

Her eyes widened. “You should see if you can get tickets with Jess, then we’ll arrange an accidental run-in so you can meet him.”

I finished making my drink and headed out of the kitchen. “I will definitely ask her.”

Chugging down my coffee wasn’t an option when it was still so hot, but I drank as much as I could manage while grabbing my tablet from my desk and finding the meeting room we were using. No one else was there yet, so I made sure it was tidy and stocked with the correct cords for Jonathan’s computer and markers for the whiteboard that took up an entire wall.

I settled into a chair in the corner as the various project managers trickled in. At nine on the dot, Jonathan strode in and began the meeting.

For once, everyone took their own notes for the changes and tasks they’d been assigned, so when I sent the follow up email, they wouldn’t be shocked. I also had to speak up once to remind Jonathan of a minor change he’d mentioned in one of his comments.

My tablet was linked to my account that also connected my phone and laptop so I could get any necessary messages and emails no matter where I was. Most of the time, I ignored anything personal that came through while I was in meetings, but this wasn’t one that required much of my mental space, so when Kerry sent me a text to remind me to ask Jess, I decided to get it over with now so I could tell her it was done. We were both the type to have a running to-do list, and this would sit on both of ours until I confirmed I was going to the game.

I quietly tapped out a message asking Jess, then told Kerry it was done and I’d let her know when I had a response.

She replied with the profile picture of the guy from her date, AJ. He was average-looking, thin with a decent amount of mousy brown hair. He had kind eyes and looked like he would be kind and respectful. Just want every woman wanted. Looks faded, but if he was sweet and lit her up, then I was now his cheerleader.

I told her he was a catch and switched back to the agenda. One of the managers wrote me a note in the margins, asking me to schedule a follow-up meeting for everyone in a week, so I went to the company calendar and created the event, and sent out the invitations.

Jess replied, so I went back to the messages. She already had a ticket waiting for me and recommended I invest in some Fury gear soon since this was going to be a regular thing now.

I thanked her and smiled to myself. She’d thought ahead and reserved a ticket for me? Like I was simply a part of their group. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a group of friends I didn’t have to fight tooth and nail to earn my space in. Where I didn’t have to bend over backward to be included.

This was how it was supposed to be, a tiny voice reminded me. The people I thought were my friends through middle school, high school, and college took advantage of me. It took me two years of being in the real world to see that.

That part of me, the wounded girl, expected the same thing to happen with Jess and her group. After all, if anyone was in a position to make demands of the people around them, it was professional athletes and their posses. That wasn’t the case, at least not for the Fury players I’d met so far.

I sent Kerry another message letting her know I’d be at the game and to come up with a plan to allow us to run into each other without being too obvious, then the meeting ended. I walked out with Jonathan, but he was staring at his phone.

“Will you get Ben? I need to have him check something for me.” He went into his office before I could reply.

I sat down and dialed Ben’s extension.

“Hi, Vivian.” He sounded like he was having a good morning. I hoped I wasn’t about to be the accomplice in ruining it.

“Hey, Jonathan asked for you to come check on something for him. Do you have time now, or should I let him know you’ll be by later?”

He sighed. “I’m on my way.”

I hung up and opened my laptop. Another text from Jess came in during my short walk to my desk. I read it. Then again. And again. Is it okay if I give out your number?

Who would want my number?