"I'm down," Ivy agrees. "I have a pizza dough recipe I’ve been itching to try out."
"We could do it at our house," Juliet offers. "We have that huge dining room we never use."
"Only if Scout cooks," Hunter says through a mouthful of garlic bread. "This is incredible."
I smile. "Silas helped."
"I opened wine bottles," Silas specifies. "And chopped all the vegetables. Scout did everything else."
The conversation shifts to upcoming games, then to holiday plans, then to Mollie's ongoing campaign to get the team more active on social media. Thorne argues that social media is a waste of time. Mollie argues that brand engagement is crucial for fan retention. They're both getting increasingly heated when Juliet leans in and whispers something to Jessa.
Jessa's eyes go wide. She nods, then whispers something back. They're both looking at me with barely contained excitement.
"What?" I ask suspiciously.
"Nothing," Juliet says innocently.
"You're terrible liars."
"We're excellent liars," Jessa protests. "You just know us too well."
"Spill."
Juliet and Jessa exchange glances. Then Juliet grins. "We've been asked to help someone shop for something big and shiny."
My stomach flips. "Big and shiny."
"Very big. Very shiny." Jessa's practically bouncing. "And we have opinions."
"Strong opinions," Juliet adds. "About cut and clarity and setting style."
I glance at Silas. He's suddenly very interested in his beer bottle, avoiding eye contact. His ears are red.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say primly.
"Sure you don't." Juliet winks. "Just saying, when the time comes, we've got your back."
"And we have excellent taste," Jessa adds.
"The best taste," Juliet agrees.
Before I can respond, Beck's phone buzzes. He glances at it, then his eyebrows shoot up. "Holy shit."
"What?" Ryan asks.
Beck looks up, his expression stunned. "Enzo Morelli just got arrested."
The room goes silent. Everyone turns to look at me. I feel Silas tense beside me, his hand tightening on my knee.
"What for?" I ask. My voice sounds strange to my own ears.
"Betting scandal. Federal charges. Apparently he's been taking bribes to tank games for years." Beck scrolls through his phone. "Says here he could be looking at serious prison time. Multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy, racketeering..."
The words wash over me. Enzo. Prison. All those years hespent building his reputation as a successful agent, and this whole time he was dirty.
"Scout?" Silas's voice is gentle. "You okay?"
"Yeah." I realize I'm smiling. "I'm actually great."
