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"Is she okay? She didn't seem sick when I talked to her."
"She's not sick." He started pacing again, rubbing one hand down his face. His shoulders looked stiff, as if a lot of tension had accumulated there in a short period of time. "My dad called her. He's in a financial shit-hole again and asked if she could bail him out."
"Oh!" I was too stunned to say anything else.
"He didn't tell me anything about it when I talked to him." Graham paced the room some more but didn't offer more information.
"You still want to go to the party?" I asked.
"I can't bail on it. We should go or we'll miss the dinner altogether."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lori
The restaurant was near Hancock Park, and we drove through a section on Windsor Boulevard lined with gigantic palm trees that were roughly four times taller than the nearby lampposts. I spotted the Hollywood sign in the distance.
Everyone was already at the restaurant when we arrived. Since the event was private, we had the place to ourselves. I felt like we were in an open space, what with the glass walls and ceiling, and all the greenery outdoors.
"Let's introduce you to everyone." Graham offered me his arm as we walked in. I gladly took it, snaking my arm around his elbow. My man was still tense, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it right now.
The management was sitting at one large table, the players at two others. They all rose to their feet as Graham introduced me. Some were here with girlfriends, but most were solo. Amber was here with Matt. I hugged them both. I hadn't seen them since the wedding and her baby bump was visible now.
"You look great. Married life suits you," I said.
"Won't complain. Do you organize baby showers?"
"Of course I do."
"I'll pick your brain later on." She rubbed her belly. I wanted to chat with her more, but we still had to finish the introduction round.
"Hey, I think I know this one," I said when we reached Jace.
My brother stroked his chin. "Could be we share a last name?"
I grinned as he kissed my cheek.
"Jace, why didn't you introduce us before? I'd have scooped her up before Graham did," one of his teammates said.
"That's Gaston. Ignore him. We all do," Jace explained.
Gaston opened his mouth, but promptly closed it when Graham glared at him. I could tell the guys enjoyed getting a rise out of Graham. Our seats were at the management table, but everyone mingled, especially since it was an open buffet. Graham didn't relax all evening.
If anything, he seemed to become tenser as hours went by. It was all there, in his body language. The stiffness in his shoulders took hold of his neck too. Whenever I caught his eye, all I got were strained smiles.
I ate pastrami, crab cakes, and a finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers salad with lime juice. Dessert was the highlight, though. Jace came up to me when I was loading a second serving of cheesecake on my plate.
"The chef here deserves a hug. This cheesecake is the best," I said.
Jace shook his head mockingly. "Easy on the compliments or I'll tell Val."
"You will do no such thing. Unless you want your coach to know you routinely ignore your food plan."
"You wouldn't do that."
"Try me." I bumped his shoulder.
"Sisters. They sabotage even the best laid plans."
