Page 23 of Forever Relentless

We shared an amused look.

“Hungry?” he asked, pushing his cup away.

“Take out from that pasta place?” I asked, sliding along the booth. “What about spring training?”

He nodded. “We’ll order light, no bread, no creamy sauces.” We stood, and it felt normal between us.

“No meatballs,” I suggested.

“But we have to get a side of gnocchi.”

I grunted. “Obviously.”

We left the bar, giving a few waves to the people who called out our names. We walked back to the dorm.

“Recruiting teammates might work,” he conceded as we walked.

“I don’t think it will hurt.” I shoved my hands into my pockets. “She’s coming back to the training ground tomorrow. I think we should tell her the plan.”

I felt his gaze on the side of my face. “We don’t know her, Noah,” he said.

“I know.” I did know, but there was still something about her I knew I could trust. I couldn’t even pinpoint it. It was a gut feeling, and my gut had never led me astray. Or else I was giving the benefit of the doubt to the girl with the burgundy hair and green eyes, because she was easy on the eyes. I liked to think I had more depth, but as my mom said, men were fools for pretty women. “I didn’t say we give her our life secrets, just that, maybe we tell her a little something, she gives us a little something she knows.”

“I’ll trust whatever you decide,” Dante murmured.

“You sure?”

“It’s your instinct to trust her. I trust you, so yeah, I’m sure.”

We were heading up the stairs to our dorm when I tapped his shoulder. “See, that kind of thinking is the exact opposite of what a Santo would do.”

He grinned. “That’s why what I do in the locker room is called leadership.”

We ordered takeout. We ate the garlic bread side that came with it as a freebie, and we both ordered meatballs.

Stuffed and content, we played Madden. When Dust finally pulled himself away from Hadley and came home, he challenged the winner to a game. He ate his reheated food we’d ordered as I beat Dante.

The night was quiet and relaxed. It was almost the way it had been, and the tension in my shoulders eased a little more.

When I told Dustin I was going to tell Briar my plan, he looked surprised and said, “Let’s see what happens.”

When Dante told Dustin we were going to approach more players and let them know what was happening, he simply nodded and said, “Sounds good.”

Did it?

I really hoped I knew what I was doing.

It was a risk, but winning always was.

Chapter 6

Briar

I hadn’t felt this nervous about coming to work since the first time — which was saying something. Since that time I’d spent the whole drive telling myself I could turn around and never set foot in this hellhole again.

Which was unfair.

The people I worked with were actually really nice. The oldest among us in the media team was in her early thirties, and it was all very laid-back and casual, yet also serious. It was a weird vibe, but honestly, I liked it.