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But Berlin…
There was no way we could make that work. Three years was too long to cling to this maybe-relationship. Taking the job would be the exact same as breaking up with Luke. But there was no way I could turn down my dream job for a guy I hadn’t been seeing for very long. Hell, even if the two of us had been dating a year, I didn’t think I could turn it down. That’s not the kind of woman I was. It wasn’t the kind of woman Iwantedto be, either.
What am I going to do?I wondered as I fell asleep in his arms.
The last game of the season was at home against the Chargers, a team that would earn a wildcard spot to the playoffs if they won today. This game wouldn’t be a cake-walk for the Stallions. If they wanted to go undefeated, they would need to earn it.
There was a special buzz in the crowd today as I took my spot in the front row behind the Stallions bench. Two men to my right were arguing about Dallas Lockett—one of them thought he should sit out this game in order to rest his shoulder for the playoffs, while the other guy insisted the team should try to make history. “We’ve already got two rings in the last two years!” he argued. “The team has a chance to do something even more special. They’d be fools not to go for it.”
“Yeah, until Lockett blows his shoulder out,” the first guy muttered.
I was more worried about Luke’s safety. There hadn’t been any new threats in over a month, but this game felt like the perfect time for his attacker to make a move. It would be crazy to try something while Luke was on national TV and surrounded by eighty thousand fans, but then again, everything this guy had done so far had me doubting their sanity. I had to be ready for anything.
The Stallions got the ball first, and quickly made their presence known. After three long runs from Dominic DeMarco, the ball was finally passed deep to Luke. He left his feet and caught the ball with his arms fully extended, then gracefully glided into the end zone for a touchdown.
The crowd went absolutely nuts for it. I silently let out a sigh of relief. He spiked the ball and celebrated with his teammates, then flashed me a grin on the way back to the bench. My heart soared.That’s my man.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. My stomach sank when I saw who was calling.
Jessie. My ex. Why the hell was he bothering me now?
I silenced the call, and he immediately called back. This time I ignored it and let it ring. He didn’t call back a third time, and I began to relax.
Then I got a text message. And my curiosity was too high to ignore it.
Jessie: Hope you take the Berlin job. You deserve it. Also, I had to pull a lot of strings to make it happen.
I read the text twice, my anger rising with every word. “What the actual fuck?” I blurted out. The woman next to me gave me a sharp look, but I ignored her as I dialed Jessie’s number.
“Good, you got my text,” he said.
“You fucking asshole. What the hell do you mean, you pulled strings to get me the Berlin job?” The woman next to me glared again, and I snapped at her, “The game is that way.”
“I just wanted to make sure you took the job,” Jessie said.
“I don’t understand. Are you going to Berlin, too? Or is this some perverted way to try to get back together with me?”
“I’m on contract in Los Angeles for the next year,” he replied calmly. “This has nothing to do with us.”
“Then why?” I demanded. “What sick game are you playing?”
“Caz.” I used to love the way my name sounded on his lips, but now it made my skin crawl. “The last time we spoke, you said a lot of things. How you wanted to focus on your job, to not get distracted. And about how you could never forgive me for what I did. I heard you. I took that conversation to heart. So when this position in Berlin popped up at the agency, I put in a recommendation for you specifically. I even got a few contacts of mine to do the same. You really do deserve it, Caz. For everything. That’s it. No games, no strings attached. I’m just trying to finally do the right thing.”
I didn’t trust him, no matter how tempting it was. There had to be some trick I didn’t understand yet. “I don’t have time for this. I have a job to do.”
Before he could say anything more, I hung up. Luke was sitting on the bench, surrounded by his teammates. I tried to calm down, but I was trembling with anger in my seat. Why had Jessie done this? Was he being genuine—had he really changed, and was trying to make a completely altruistic gesture?
And then a bigger question hit me: did this change how I felt about the Berlin job? Did this poison the whole thing for me? I wasn’t sure if I could take a job knowing that he had pulled all these strings to make it happen. I would always be wondering if I was good enough to get it with my own credentials alone.
But does that really matter?I wondered.As long as I get my dream job, do I care how it happened?
Luke suddenly twisted on the bench to look at me. His hair was damp with sweat, and he gave me a sexy little wink before turning back around.
What am I going to do now?
23
Luke
