“You want to share a cab?” Andi asks when we get to the top of the stairs.
“Oh, um, no. I’m going to text Lily and go meet up with her while I wait on Raph.”
My sister rolls her eyes. “Are you serious right now?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to hang back with you?” she asks, reluctantly.
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you tomorrow. Go see Isaac.”
“How do you know that’s where I’m going?”
“Oh, are you not going to get railed by the hot baseball player?”
“No, I am.” She scrunches her nose before wrapping me in a hug. “Don’t judge me. I love you.”
“Never. I love you too.”
I watch until she disappears into a crowd toward the front of the arena.
Pulling out my phone, I find Lily’s contact and then make my way to meet up with her and the other girls.
“Claire!” Lily calls as I get to the entrance where all of the other women are waiting for the players. She is wearing baggy denim jeans, a tight white shirt, and a black leather bomber jacket. A Rat Kings trucker hat sits on top of her perfectly styled red waves.
A large security guard blocks the entrance, looking me up and down as I approach.
“Don’t worry,” she says with the confidence of a player’s wife and not of a woman who has been dating the Rats’ goalie for a few months. “She’s one of us.”
He nods and moves so I can pass by.
She wraps me in a hug. “I wish you had been with us during the game. Some of these women are total bitches,” she whispers, giggling. “It would’ve been so nice to have another newbie with me.”
I glance around the room and notice a group of women standing off to the side. The energy in the room is strange, and other than Lily, I don’t feel welcome or that I belong.
Each of them is stunning, and they all look me up and down, making assumptions without even saying hello. I shift my purse higher on my arm, straightening my shoulders. Fidgeting with the jacket, I notice that no one here is wearing a jersey, so it’s hard to tell which player they’re with.
“Do you know how long the guys will be?” I ask.
“Who knows.” Lily shrugs. “Could be an hour or longer. Come on; I’ll introduce you.” She grabs my hand and leads me to where the other women stand.
“Ladies, this is Claire,” she begins, interrupting their conversation.
Their eyes shift to me, but no one makes an attempt to introduce themselves. Their stares feed all my deepest, darkest insecurities, and I’m pretty sure they could make even the most confident person feel small.
“Only wives and girlfriends of the team are supposed to be back here,” a tall brunette says, turning towards Lily.
“Oh, she is. She’s just new and doesn’t get to make many games. Isn’t that right, babe?” Lily chimes, nudging me with her elbow.
“Yeah, this is my first game this season,” I say. “I’m a dancer for the City Ballet, and it keeps me really busy.”
“And who do you belong to then,” a blonde asks. Her eyes dart down to my jacket and then back up to my face.
“Um, well I don’t belong to anyone,” I say, my stomach turning at her words as I respond. “But I’ve been dating Raph Ulrich for a little over three months now.”
“That’s impossible,” a woman with long blonde curls says, stepping forward. My mouth falls open as I take in who is standing before me—Monica Meyer. Raph’s ex.
What in the hell is she doing here?
