My grandma’s face lit up. “Yes, this is the drama I’m needing. So, your ex, he’s in your class? That’s horrible.”
“I know.” Lorelei sat back, rolling her eyes. “We thought it was cute last spring, but now I hate it. He wanted tofocus onbaseball a week before school started, andit’s not evenbaseball season. I’m a fucking athlete—forgive my language, but since I’m a female… he said it’s not the same. It’s harder formen.”
“Oh, honey.” His grandma clicked her tongue. “We’ll beat him. I’ll do whatever you need. I dated a guy once, back in the eighties, who told me the only thing I was good for was opening my legs.”
“Grandma, Jesus.” I put my hands over my ears, my stomach rolling. “What are you doing?”
“Hush. Now, Lorelei, I slapped him in the face and found out the next week he’d be working in the same building I was in. I’d been promoted to executive assistant, and you know what I did for years?”
“I cannot wait to find out.”
Seeing them get along caused a weird, warm sensation in my chest. My grandma was the most important person in my life, and watching Lorelei bond with her made me think about what-if scenarios. Like what if we dated? My grandma obviously liked her. Or what if we were—no. I had no business thinking about these fantasies.
“Spat in his coffee every single morning. Do I regret it? Not for a second. If anything, I wished I’d done more. So, how’s that for a nugget? When men say stupid things, you don’t get even, you take the lead.”
“God, you’re an idol.” Lorelei wrote a bunch of notes down, and I couldn’t help but admire her long neck and gorgeous hair. We had beenso closeto kissing, and seeing her chat with my grandma, who was sharing a story I had never heard before?
My damn heart pounded in my chest with a continuousbreak your rule, break your rule, break your rule.
It was getting harder and harder to not say to hell with it. Lorelei Romano would be my undoing.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Lorelei
The thrill of the project combined with playing some of the best games of soccer in my career put me on a high of sorts. My professor loved the outline I’d sent her and the beginning notes of who I’d spoken to.
I officially had the social passwords for the older home facility—Heath’s Lodge—and created an account for the social media accounts they were missing. Young people weren’t on the same socials as older folks, and that was okay, but after reading a quick study about Gen Z, we wanted to feel purpose and would be more likely to donate time or resources to give back. I wanted to target that age group.
The manager of the place, Tim, had contacted me this morning to see if I could come back this Saturday. A current of heat and excitement ran through me at the thought of driving there with Luca again. Things had been…interesting since our almost kiss. He hadn’t avoided me like the week before, but he kept his distance.
I caught him staring at me hard a few times, but when I met his gaze, he’d blink and return to some mundane task in his room. He was meticulous, but instead of making fun of him like I would’ve before, it made sense now. After seeing the place and meeting his grandma, I understood his direct focus and mission.
Heath’s had seen better days, and Tim hadn’t flat out said they were going under but hinted at it. The cost of everything had gone up—from food to facilities to paying wages—yet the residents there were on a set income. If he raised prices, those people wouldn’t have anywhere to go.
I made it a personal mission to help this place. They deserved to be comfortable and to enjoy the last chapters of their life. Patrick could be an asshole and raise prices, but he didn’t because he knew what it’d mean to the residents. I’d focused on soccer my entire life, making it my whole purpose, but this felt different. It sparked something deep in me, and I liked it.
I wasn’tDean’s twin sisterorthe soccer girlorEric’s sidepiece.I was a marketing consultant for an older home facility.
The only minor hitch in my plan was getting Luca to drive me up again. Mack said she could get her parents to let me borrow their car, which I would do, but I wanted to talk to Luca first.
Only problem was—it was game day, and they were leaving for the game in Ohio in an hour. They’d be back tomorrow morning, hungover if they won, pissed if they lost, and that meant my window narrowed down each second I delayed.
Groaning, I pushed up from my bed and stretched my legs. I was tight. I’d stretched and iced, but my ankle felt tender. Brushing it off, I twisted my left foot in a circle, then the other way before opening my door and staring at Luca’s room. Despite the progress we’d made, his room felt intimidating. Kind of like him with the always-shut door and silence on the other side.
If it weren’t for that fun memory of me walking in on him watching porn, I’d never guess he was human.Shit. Why did I think of that?Now I pictured him stroking himself, his face set in determination, and my skin prickled with heat. Our almost kiss had lingered in my mind all damn week, a flurry of what-ifs followed by hell-nos. He was heartbreak and hormones. I knew how it would end.
Sure, could I enjoy the middle? Probably. Yes. Fuck yes, I would. God, I shivered just thinking about him blasting me with his intense eyes and strong jaw. The roughness of his skin from stubble coming in. If he ran that scruff along my thighs,yum.Something hot and steamy coursed through me, making my cheeks flush.Shit.Get it together. I raised my hand and knocked, my heartbeat an erratic rhythm.
Thirty seconds, forty…
He might’ve left, but I’d listened for him. I would’ve heard him sneak out of the room with his heavy footsteps. No one his height could sneak around. Too much muscle and bones to be quiet. Disappointment settled deep in my gut. The thought of seeing him had more of an impact than I cared to admit. We’d barely spoken all week, just casual hellos, and now I wouldn’t see him todayortomorrow…There was no reason to be this disheartened about it.
My brain already formulated the next steps of calling Mack and ordering an Uber to pick up her parents’ car when the handle twisted. Hope burst through me, like a bird escaping out of a cage.
“Lorelei.” His gaze swept up and down my body, lingering on my bare toes for a second. His nostrils flared, and I dug my feet into the floor. I’d painted my toenails orange and black for my favorite month of the year and instantly felt silly for attempting to design a pumpkin on my big toe. It was a large orange circle and terribly done.
“Hi, hey,” I said, biting down on my top lip. Here he was and I’d forgotten words. It wasn’t my fault though. He didn’t wear a shirt, and sweat beaded on his forehead, his chest moving faster than normal. “Were you… are you… porn again?”
