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We leave the office, and Sid exhales noticeably.
“Shit. I almost peed my pants.”
Laughing, I put my arm around his shoulders. “You could hardly tell.”
“Ha, ha.” He nods at me. “Thanks, man.”
I shake my head. “Even though I teased you today, we’re a team. Nothing beats the team.” The words sound hollow, false, and insincere. Besides, I’m still jealous of Sid.
We head back to the locker room to get our bags. Blake is standing there, eyeing us with a furrowed brow. “What’s going on? Why were you guys in Coach Denner’s office?”
Sid lowers his head down, but he can’t hide the satisfied grin on his face.
“You’re looking at Valentina Garcia’s proud boyfriend,” I say to Blake.
He narrows his eyes. “What? I know that.”
“No.” I correct him and myself. “This one.” I point to Sid, who’s glancing at Blake cautiously. Aha. At least he still has some respect for the captain.
“You guys are messing with me.” Blake stares like he’s seen a unicorn.
“Everything’s fine. We gave Denner a heads-up in case the press catches wind of it. The two of us don’t have any issues with each other. Transparency. That’s all we want.”
Blake sizes us up. Finally, his shoulders slump. “Goddamn it. For a moment there, I thought I could kiss the Cup goodbye. Guys. What are you doing? What a mess. I’m not twenty anymore. I can’t put up with this kind of thing. I need my victory this year, otherwise . . . ”
“Otherwise, you’ll have to retire empty-handed. We know the deal.” Before Sid can finish his sentence, Blake has him in a headlock.
Laughing, we pack up the rest of our things.
Outside, Blake says goodbye. His daughter has an event at school. “Since I won’t be seeing my family again for the next weeks, I at least want to be there today,” he explains.
Sid points at me. “Are you coming with us? Valentina and I are going out to eat close to her house.”
“So I can be the third wheel?” I wave it off.
“No.” he shakes his head. “Because I’m glad to have you as a friend. And Valentina adores you. Evan this, Evan that. You’re the very best, in case you didn’t already know. She’s excited. And if the paps take pictures, they’ll get the perfect shots.”
I check my phone. Parker hasn’t texted. But this morning he’d already said his day was packed with appointments and he wouldn’t be home until late. Home. I don’t want to be alone right now. “If they catch us, they’ll take all kinds of crazy shots of me where I look like I’m crying or holding a knife to your throat.”
Sid laughs. He doesn’t believe me.
“Come on. I’m hungry. Where are you guys meeting?”
He beams at me. “A nice place in the Village.”
“And is there something for me to eat there?”
Sid rolls his eyes. “Oh, come on. I don’t know who’s older, you or Blake.”
“Hmm, watch out or I’ll put you in a headlock too.”
The taxi takes us south. We get out on a small side street in Nolita.
“It’s right here,” Sid explains. “We can walk these few steps.” He points down the street. Ahead of us lies the area where the Village borders Nolita.
He talks about the food, how close his apartment in Brooklyn is to Valentina’s house in the Village, and how hyped he’s for the playoffs.
I let my gaze wander along the shops, cafés, and restaurants on this cute little street. It would be nice to go out to eat here, too. Because of the reflection in the glass wall, I think at first that I’m seeing things. But there’s Parker. I’m about to raise my hand to say hello, but the man next to him puts his arm around his shoulders and plants a kiss on his cheek. Somehow, the guy looks familiar to me. However, my feet are already carrying me past the restaurant. Should I go in? And then what? Make a scene?
