Page 61 of Made Better Together

“Apparently not—so much so that his company bans relationships with clients.”

She rubs her hand over her face. “Well, yeah, I kinda get that.”

“So I’ve got to decide, do I hire Connor or go on a date with him?”

She leans forward. “Oh, friend, it’s no contest. I have no doubt that the blond boy with slutty little glasses remains yummy—I mean, I remember those abs, after all…”

“He’s even more stacked now,” I whisper.

“I bet.” She chuckles. “BUT no way should you sacrifice what you need for your career over a hot night or two.”

I ignore the nagging feeling that a lot more than a couple of nights would be involved.

“There are so many guys who would gladly fill the void. You aren’t looking for a relationship, right? Your plate is already full.”

I don’t answer, but it’s definitely a valid question.

I don’t want a Greg-type relationship, for sure. We always ended up hanging with his crew, and it wasn’t particularly romantic. Not to mention the waste of spending time with people I didn’t necessarily want to.

I don’t think that’s how it would go with Connor—he seems more attuned to what I want than Greg. But there’s something to what Bree’s saying. I’m not in a place where I can take on emotional labor, or new demands on my social battery, to satisfy a guy’s wishes.

She takes my silence as agreement. “So that’s that.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll message him that I’m going to sign with them.”

“Great, and in the meantime…” She gently slaps my arm. “Let’s go to Eclypse after the game Thursday.”

Eclypse is the local nightclub, and entry is twenty-one and older. “Most of the team won’t be able to join.”

“Yeah, that’s not a bad thing. Just the two of us, on the prowlllll…”

I can’t help but laugh. “Okay, okay. I’m in.”

I stew on the dynamics another couple of hours, but Bree’s points are still valid by the time we’re back from practice, so I decide to text Connor.

How should I play it? I don’t want him to feel like it’s a rejection.

I’ll deflect that on myself. Make it a joke.

EDEN: Hey, I know this means I’ll be friend-zoned, but I would like to sign with you guys. I really need the help.

I see three dots appear a minute later and linger. Three dots, three dots, three dots…

Crap, this is so weird. And feels off, but I don’t know what else to do.

Finally, his answer comes through.

CONNOR: No problem. I’m glad we can work together. I will send you an email with confirmation and some info we need for the engagement letter.

Okay, formal Connor.

EDEN: Thank you.

No more three dots after that. Well, that was anti-climactic.

The next morning, I get the official email with the engagement letter. Reading through it, I understand about 90 percent of the sections, but the other 10 percent...

I should probably ask Dad if he can look at it. He’ll know if anything is weird.