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“Landon and Maddie already left, and so did Lori and Graham.”
“Next time, call right after the game, man,” Carter said. “Val was crazy worried.”
“I will. Sorry, Val. Didn’t want you to worry.”
“Want to have dinner together when you come back?” Hailey asked.
“Can’t. I have plans with my girl.”
There was a pause, and I imagined my sisters exchanging furtive looks.
“I want details,” Hailey demanded.
“You don’t deserve to know any details. Payback for your lack of faith in me.”
“That was not lack of faith. Merely a strategy to increase your chances of success, but hey, I get it now. You have your own style.”
“Damn right I do. You still don’t deserve too many details.”
I moved through the room to the small fridge. We always asked hotels to store ice packs. I retrieved one, putting it on my sore ribs after lying back on the bed. I couldn’t wait for Brooke and me to go public. Except for Graham, my family knew, because Hailey had spilled the beans, but I wanted everyone to know. I wanted everyone to see how proud I was of Brooke, and just how wrapped up I was in her.
“But how about the rest of us?” Val pressed.
“Brother, be smart and don’t open this can of worms,” Will advised.
“I’ll take your advice.”
“Now you’re taking Will’s advice?” Paige asked incredulously. “He’s outnumbered. I’m with Val and Hailey.”
I laughed, giving in to the interrogation. They’d leave me no choice anyway.
Chapter Twenty-One
Brooke
“I hate update meetings,” Sheila said, typing furiously on her keyboard.
“It won’t be so bad,” I told her.
In the days leading up to the quarterly update meeting, it occurred to me that I might have bitten off more than I could chew. I’d renegotiated seven major contracts, intending to walk into that room and impress everyone... but I was running the real risk that three of them might not be finalized in time, which would defeat the whole purpose. Burning the midnight oil on this wasn’t helping. The ball was in the other parties’ courts right now, which meant I spent half my time on the phone, nudging them.
> The bright side of being busy every single minute was that I didn’t have that much time to miss Jace during the day. The negative side was that as soon as I had a few spare minutes, or was in bed at night, it hit me in full force. The first time I was going to see him was during the meeting. Nothing was being discussed in detail, but every department presented their highlights, and then the captain went through the team’s statistics. Graham insisted this was a way for management and players to remember they were all in this together, working toward the same goal. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to cement my position here.
By the time Wednesday rolled around, I’d managed to get everyone to sign on that dotted line.
When the team stepped onto the management floor, I was certain anyone could look at me and tell how much I’d missed Jace. I gave him a small smile, even though his magnetic pull was almost too much to bear.
Jace was being careful too... right up until we walked side by side into the meeting room. He perused me shamelessly, as if he was already visualizing taking off every item of clothing. I was already on edge, and the way he looked at me felt so intimate that I was burning up on the inside.
He stopped in the doorway of the meeting room, saying, “Does anyone know where the legal pads are stored? I want to take some notes but don’t have one on me.”
“In the supply room,” I said.
“Where exactly? I can never find anything in the supply room. Or can you come with me real quick to show me?”
My heart thundered in my chest. Could anyone pick up on his true meaning? I was going to berate him for this. I could just tell him to go get it himself, but I was sure Jace would find another way to push the issue, and then it would really become awkward.
“Sure. Come with me.”
