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Heather squeezed his hand, and they exchanged a look. “They’re heading off problems,” she said in a voice that indicated this wasn’t her first time to say the words.
“About me,” Luke claimed. “Go ahead. Say it. We all know it.”
“Yeah,” Malone said. “Be nice to make the news about playing ball. Not about Luke’s vastly dysfunctional social life.”
“Shut up, Malone,” Rick spouted.
“Yeah,” Coach said roughly. “Shut up, kid.” He glanced at Luke. “Don’t let any of this get to you, Luke. You’re not the only reason management hired PR support. There’s plenty of players mustering up bad press. And most of them create it themselves. You couldn’t help yours.” He glanced at Malone. “Those of us who were actually here know that.”
Malone snorted. “Since when is choosing the wrong bedmate not his fault?”
Katie didn’t consider that remark might be aimed at her. She wrapped her hand around Luke’s arm, silently offering support. Now she knew what Luke meant when he said arrogance was something people hid behind. Unfortunately, she had a feeling there was a whole lot of nasty insecurity underneath Malone’s arrogance, the kind that festered and became poison.
“Coach?” the player at the door questioned. “What do I do?”
Coach grunted and waved toward the door. “Keep that woman inside,” he yelled. “I’ll be right in.” He lowered his voice, scrubbing his jaw as he spoke to his wife. “She distracts the players and not much else.” His gaze lifted and caught. “Oh, hell, too late. Here she comes.”
Katie looked up to find Olivia crossing the lawn, her skirt almost as high as her four-inch spike heels, enough thigh showing to be R-rated. Male eyes latched on to her, a murmuring of male comments rumbling through the air. But Olivia directed her attention one place and one place only. At Luke. Who, unlike the other guys, was not drooling. In fact, as before, he didn’t seem at all pleased to see Olivia. Olivia, however, Katie realized, appeared quite happy to see Luke, her eyes lighting on him, her lips lifting in a flirty smile.
Jealousy flared in Katie, her stomach tensing.
Reprimanding herself, Katie quickly squashed the feeling as ridiculous. She had no claim on Luke’s affections. None. It didn’t matter how much her feelings for him were growing. In fact, if he wanted Olivia, or anyone else for that matter, so be it. She was more than fine with that.
Self-satisfaction filled Katie, and she reveled in the knowledge that the self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy that her knee injury had created were behind her. Not Luke, or Olivia, or even the dull throb of her knee acting up could make her lose her way again.
Rick and Libby exchanged low, heated words, snapping Katie out of her reverie.
“Enough, Libby,” Rick ordered tersely.
Suddenly, Libby was on her feet, and then she did the unthinkable—she burst into tears in front of everyone. “It’s not enough,” she yelled at him. “That’s the point. I am never enough for you.” She started running toward the house.
Katie’s mouth dropped. Libby was clearly not a stable person.
“Oh, hell,” Rick muttered under his breath, and eyed Heather for help.
Heather held up her hands. “Don’t look at me. I’m not going after her. This gets older and older every time.”
Luke shook his head. “Man, why do you mess with her?”
Rick ran a rough hand over his head. “What can I say?” he said. “She’s like crack. A bad high I can’t seem to get enough of.”
“That’s going to make you self-destruct,” Luke warned.
Katie sighed. “I’ll go after her.”
Luke looked surprised. “You sure about that?” he asked.
She lowered her voice purposely. “I think it would be good for me to get to know her.” They exchanged a look of understanding. Libby was climbing her way up the Luke-obsessed suspect list. Katie needed to understand what was going on in that woman’s head.
Luke reluctantly nodded. “Watch your back with her.”
“Always,” Katie assured him, just as Olivia tore herself away from the coach and stopped in front of them, casting Katie a disapproving look and then focusing on Rick.
“Looks like we have some potential bad press to discuss about your present dating habits,” Olivia commented sarcastically. She glanced at Libby’s departing form, disapproval etched in her perfectly painted features. “What happens when she does this kind of thing in front of a reporter?”
“On second thought,” Luke murmured to Katie. “Maybe I should go with you to check on Libby.”
She shook her head and laughed. “You’re staying,” she ordered and squeezed his hand. “Let the power of the force be with you, Yoda.”
***
THE BATHROOM SEEMED the logical place for a crying female to go. Katie had dealt with her sister enough to know the drill. Though not at first glance, it was now clear Libby had some of Carrie’s traits; namely, and most obviously, a selfish need for attention.
