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“Just because he’s nice enough to feed me doesn’t mean he likes me. He probably feels sorry for me more than anything. The woman who was dumped by her fiancé months before the wedding and ran from her small town to deal with it.”
“I haven’t known Chase that long, but from what Brady says, he doesn’t really like anyone. I think the fact that he’s inviting you over to spend more time with you says a lot.” Violet give me an indulgent smile.
“Agreed.” Bryce smacks her hand down on the leather seat cushion beside her. “It’s all I can do to rip ten words out of the man’s throat when I’m interviewing him for the paper. But you… he seems towantto talk to you.”
Are they right? I grow elated with hope, but I don’t want to get my hopes up if they’re way off base.
Wait. Do I want something to happen between Chase and me?
“It doesn’t matter anyway. Miles would kill me. And him.” I polish off the wine in my glass in one hearty gulp.
Bryce waves off my concern. “Miles needs to worry about himself and his game. He’s not your keeper, and besides, he never has to know.”
“What is it with you and my brother? Why do you guys dislike each other so much?” I tilt my head and study her.
She shrugs. “We just don’t see eye to eye on anything.”
Her statement rings true, but I swear there’s more to it.
“I agree with Bryce,” Violet says. “Coming from someone with a family who loves to make their opinion on my choices known… it’s your life. You have to do what you think is best for you. Like coming out here, for instance. If you think there could be something between the two of you, you should explore it.”
I twist my lips while I consider what they’re saying. “But I’m not ready for a relationship at this point. Plus, I’m going home in a couple of months.”
“So it’s a fling.” Bryce’s hands fly up at her sides. “You roll around in bed with him for a couple of months, get over your douche of an ex, and go home feeling better about yourself and your future.”
In theory, that scenario all sounds great. Fun even. But when I think of the possibility of hooking up with Chase, there’s still a lingering nervousness underneath all the lust.
“As you guys know, I’ve never had a one-night stand before,” I admit to the women.
“Brady was my first.” Violet raises her hands. “Just saying. Look how that turned out.”
“It turned out pretty damn well.” I chuckle. “I’ll think about it.” I stand from the couch and reach for my empty wineglass to get a refill. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea, but I promise I’ll consider it. If not with Chase, then with somebody.”
But I already know there’s no one else, even some stranger I haven’t met yet, that I’d want to have a fling with besides Chase.
Fourteen
Chase
We suffered our first loss of the season yesterday, causing me to be in a shit mood. I’m not happy with how I played. Normally I’d head down to The Crooked Nail to relax with a beer, but Twyla and I have pseudo plans.
I’m not really sure if she’s expecting us to get together to watchAmerican Horror Storytonight or if she meant it in more general terms, as in “sometime this week,” but the idea of abandoning her and being the one to leave her disappointed doesn’t sit right with me. Picturing her sitting in that condo alone and sad, like the frown she sported when she left my bathroom during the engagement party, feels a lot like getting pummeled by one of my opponents.
So after I feed Zeus his dinner because this damn cat is all over me about eating—meowing constantly, weaving in and out of my feet like he’s hoping to trip me, and butting his head against my legs—I head across the hall and knock on Twyla’s door. Yeah, I could text her, but that seems so lazy and impersonal when she’s two seconds away. Or maybe I’m more desperate to be in her presence than I realize. I’m scared it’s the latter.
She swings the door open with a smile. “Hey! I’d ask how the game went, but I was watching.” She frowns.
I palm the back of my neck. “Yeah, it was a shit game all around. Feel like watchingAmerican Horror Story? I could use the distraction.”
Her features brighten. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
She joins me straight away, locking her door. Of course, she piles a bunch of cuddles and attention onto Zeus when he greets her at the door.
“He sure loves you,” I say.
“What’s not to love?”
She snuggles her face into Zeus’s neck, which is good. Otherwise, she’d see the look on my face that probably reads, “I could be such a simp for you.”
