Sutton rolls her eyes. “Just don’t let Aunt Birdie style you,” she teases. Sometimes Aunt Birdie forgets she’s not on stage and wears fishnets to the local pizza parlor. She and Sutton are opposites. Sutton is classic and simple. Birdie is edgy. Both are fun and easygoing.
Leaning across the table, Paulina, who is still at the age where asking any question is fair game, pipes up. “Are you still dating Matt? He’s so cute, and he’s got drawings all over his arms like Daddy draws.”
“Not the same kind, kiddo. If you’re done, take your dishto the sink and put the brownies on a plate,” Greyson rumbles, giving me what he probably thinks is a subtle glare, then looking at the tattoo on his wrist. He feels that one single tattoo is a moral failure.
He turns to me. “Plus, you have no reason to be around Brooks anymore, right, Noelle?”
My cheeks go warm, and my mind snags on that afternoon in Sprouts. Matt with his faded country music tee, his biceps flexing when he lifted his shirt to clean my puke, his inked skin scrawled down his arm, rib cage, shoulder, and that gadget fixed just above his waistband. I didn’t mean to gawk, but the sight made my pulse stutter—a little bit of intrigue, a little bit of worry.
What was it? A medical thing? He shut me down fast when I asked, and now I keep returning to it, my curiosity itching.
Dad clears his throat, eyeing me in thatwhat aren’t you telling meway. Probably trying to reconcile whether the tattoos or the dating is the bigger worry.
“Umm, we’re seeing how it goes. Brooks has been texting me, so we’re posting some pics.” Before I can deflect or expand, my phone buzzes on the table. Unknown number.
Every instinct screamsscam,but I answer anyway.
“Hello, is this Noelle O’Ryan?”
I clamp down on a gasp. “Yes, this is she.”
“This is Tricia from the Network. We’re thrilled to offer you the sideline reporter position for our league coverage this season.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, you’ll need to come in for orientation tomorrow,” she says and then sends a schedule to my phone. “Do you accept?”
“Yes.”
For a heartbeat, I can’t breathe. Dad is staring now, everyone silent except Parker, who’s shoving half a roll in his mouth. “I got the job,” I manage, then I cover the bottom of the phone. I whisper-shout, “I got it! I got the job!”
The table erupts. Sutton shoves her glass up for a toast, Birdie squeals, and even Witt cracks a smile. Dad looks prouder than he did when Greyson got drafted.
Back on the call, I try to keep my cool. “Thank you! When do I start?”
“We’d like you to cover rookie introduction events for all the teams in our region—starting next week. Your schedule will include a visit to New Orleans for the Blacksmiths’ training camp, Austin for the Armadillos, Oklahoma City, and Dallas. Maybe Atlanta.”
Inside, anxiety tap-dances with excitement. Rookie days. New Orleans.Brooks.
I hang up and the questions rain down. Dad wants details. “What’s your first assignment?”
My mouth runs on autopilot. “I’ll be covering rookie days for every team around here. I’ll have to travel—New Orleans, Austin, Oklahoma City. Do interviews, social content, sideline reports… the works.”
Greyson whistles. “They’re giving you the hard stuff right away, huh?”
Sutton pats my shoulder. “You’re ready.”
“Does that mean you’ll see Brooks on assignment?” Birdie asks, concern lacing her voice.
“I—I guess maybe.” Nerves crawl up my spine. “When is your rookie camp?” I ask J.D. Before he can answer, I continue, “If Matt’s not busy at rookie camp, can he tag along? That should make Brooks believe it.”
Greyson slaps the table. “Anything to make this fake-dating go away.”
That gets J.D.’s attention. “Actually, Matt’s taking a little more time off. Officially, he won’t be back until training camp starts. If Matt agrees to tag along, it’s fine with me. But, Noelle, that’s a lot to ask, especially right now.”
I’m not sure what he means because J.D. sometimes talks in theory instead of speaking directly.
Birdie just takes this in stride, but it’s like the rest of the world tilts beneath the table. “Wait… What? Why would you give your quarterback coach time off during rookie days?” I sputter.
