“I’m not far.” My forehead creased. “Are you okay?”
“I’m out front. Aaron finally arrived with a blond bimbo on his arm.”
“Ugh. I’m sorry. Stay there. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
“Vee, I want to get out of here. Tonight was a disaster.”
“Be right there,” I said, disconnecting the call while at the same time, certain she was wrong about tonight’s assessment.
“Is that our cue?” Fin asked. “You need to go?”
“Yeah, friend code. Emma wants to leave.”
Fin turned his hand palm up. “Can I see your phone for a second?”
A warm tingling fluttered through my nervoussystem as I handed him my phone. Fin took it and turned away. When he turned back, his smile was even larger than before. “I just sent myself a text. Now we have one another’s numbers.”
I retrieved my phone and stood. “It will make it easier to continue our charade.”
Fin stood, his wide chest before me. Craning my neck, I looked up. Under the streetlight I could see his eyes were blue, a striking shade reminding me of sapphires.
“I was thinking maybe we could see one another again, not on the football field.”
My lips pressed into a straight line. “I suppose I do owe you for saving me.”
“Nope. Talking to you was the best part of this night. I only went to that party because the team would be there. I’m no saint, but I’d rather not get caught with alcohol and weed before my first game as a wildcat.”
“The only beer I got was what’s stuck to my shoes.”
Fin laughed as together we walked back to the party house.
CHAPTER 4
Vee
Present time
“What was really going on in the hallway with you and Preston when Hayden and I got here?” My cousin widened her green stare and lifted her barely visible eyebrows—the ones that matched her light blond hair. “You haven’t talked to him since we arrived.”
Leigh and I were standing in a corner with a large screen to my back. The national anthem rang throughout the suite. Not answering her question, I turned to the screen. The singer was a local artist whoPreston and I heard singing at a wine festival last autumn. She had the perfect voice for our fans. I followed up. She was elated. I also know she was nervous. I held my breath as she elongated the wordfree, her voice going up an octave or two. And next came the wordbrave. The entire stadium erupted in applause. “Great pitch.”
“Yeah, she’s great.”
I scanned the room before turning back to my cousin who wore an expectant expression. “I’m not ready for these weekly family gatherings.”
Leigh looked at Daphne, now hanging on my father’s shoulder. “You know, I’m surprised they’re still married.”
A laugh bubbled from my lips. “I was thinking the same thing.” My smile dimmed as I shook my head, my thoughts going back to Preston’s and my discussion before entering. “It’s nothing. I’m just…” As I tried to formulate an answer, my gaze went behind Leigh to Preston’s profile. He was undoubtedly handsome, and when it came to conversations, he was a master captivator. It was probably his family’s old money. There was an innate confidence in him. As he spoke, people hung on his every word. “Look at him,” I whispered. “He doesn’t need me at his side. He can work the entire room.”
“Oh, I know what’s happening.”
It was my turn to lift my brows; however, mine weredark like my long hair and more visible. “What do you think is happening?”
“You’re at that two-year itch.”
“What two-year itch?” I asked.
Leigh pressed her lips together and brought her finger to her chin. “Let’s do a rundown. How long did you and Kelcee last?”
