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Brooke
The day went by slowly. Given my early start, I was already exhausted by three. The atmosphere at the club was different when the players were away. It was quieter, less exciting. The players spent almost as much time inside the club as management. In fact, whenever they weren’t away on a game, they were at the club, either training at the gym or in the arena, or in the video room, watching replays of games or discussing strategies.
The events team had their hands full, because a concert was taking place in the arena two nights in a row.
The arena was booked solid over the course of the year, providing an excellent source of income for the club. In the beginning I’d wondered why the Lords had such a huge arena—more than half of the seats were covered up during the game because they were empty. But because it had twice the capacity of a normal soccer arena, it was excellent for large-scale concerts, which was what Graham had had in mind all along. It was one of the most popular venues in LA.
Since my workload for the day was light, I poked my nose in the events department, helping out here and there. I wondered if later on, after my initial six months had passed, I could take on additional tasks.
I wanted variety. This was one of the things I missed from working at my old job: being a jack of all trades. Booking ads had been my main responsibility, but I’d also taken on many others.
My stomach was in knots as my thoughts veered to Jace. What had last night meant? How was I supposed to act around him? I couldn’t figure out if he wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened or if he wanted a repeat. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted. We’d grown so close that the mere idea of losing his friendship had me break out in hives.
Maybe I was worrying about nothing, and Jace wanted to forget all about it. I had to set things straight with him, but I didn’t know what to put in a text.
So instead, I daydreamed about our sexy time. I wanted to indulge in a little Jace-appreciation, just to brighten up my day.
Afterward, despite being on the phone for most of the time, talking to various sponsors, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jace. Especially after he sent me a snapshot of San Francisco. I only saw the picture and the text for a few seconds before the notification faded. I was very tempted to end the call I was on so I could see what he’d messaged. Sending me pictures of whatever city he was in was our usual modus operandi. I breathed a sigh of relief that things were not awkward between us.
At the same time, I couldn’t help wonder if this meant Jace did want us to forget what had happened. I shook my head, attempting to shut down that little voice at the back of my mind while I continued the conversation.
When I finally did get to see his message, my palms were a little sweaty.
Jace: You’d like San Francisco. The bay is beautiful.
Brooke: Great view.
I hovered with my thumbs over the screen, unsure what else to add.
Jace: Can’t enjoy it too much. Coach is ruthless.
Brooke: Hope he isn’t exerting himself. I don’t like that he travels so much.
Jace: I’ll keep an eye on him for you.
I grinned at the screen.
Brooke: Thanks.
Jace: How is your day so far?
Brooke: Productive :-)
Jace: Mine’s not. I keep thinking about last night. About you.
I crossed and uncrossed my legs at the ankles, suddenly aware of a deep ache in my body. Sheila and Veronica were glancing curiously at me, because I rarely texted.
Jace: I can’t wait to be back. What do you want to do on Thursday evening?
Brooke: I have plans.
The next time my phone buzzed, it was with an incoming call. I headed out to the empty hallway so Sheila and Veronica couldn’t overhear my conversation.
“Tell me you’re joking,” Jace said when I picked up. His tone was so strained that I startled.
“About what?”
“About going forward with that date, Brooke.”
