"You've fallen for him, haven't you?"
I nod against her shoulder. There's no point denying it anymore. Not to Collette. She's seen everything. She knows.
"Hard," I admit.
She squeezes me tighter. "I'm happy for you, Jo. He's a good one."
"He is."
She pulls back, holding me at arm's length. "Now stop crying. You're going to ruin your makeup, and we have a flight to catch. And I don’t think you are going to want to explain to Pierre why you are crying.” I laugh, wiping my eyes. "Exactly. Get your shit together."
I head to the bathroom to fix my face. In the mirror, I catch the bracelet glinting on my wrist. Six charms. Six pieces of us.
And he wants to add more.
We're at the private airport lounge waiting to board the plane. Issy and Pierre are curled up together like two lovebirds.
Collette gets up from her seat. "Water?"
"Please."
She heads to the refreshment area, and her phone buzzes on the seat beside me. I glance down automatically and still.
Fish: We need to talk about what happened.
My eyes widen. No. What the ...?
"Here you go." She returns, handing me the bottle of water.
"You got a message," I tell her, keeping my voice neutral.
"Did I?" She picks up the phone, and her face goes a little pale. Her jaw tightens.
"What's that all about?" I raise a brow at her as I take a sip of my water.
"Nothing. Please," she tells me, but her fingers are already flying across the screen. Typing. Deleting. Typing again.
"I'm here if you need me," I say quietly. "Just like you were for me."
"I know." She doesn't look up, just keeps typing furiously.
I watch her for a moment. She’s always so put together. Always so in control. But right now, she looks rattled, unsettled in a way I've never seen before.
“Is he your walk of shame?”
Collette sighs. “Yes.”
“Say no more. I will never mention it again.”
“Thank you.” She sounds relieved.
40
JOELLE
Pierre is pacing, back and forth in the hallway outside the locker room. His pre-game ritual is usually calm and focused. But tonight, he's wound tight, nervous energy radiating off him in waves.
“She is going to say yes. Just concentrate on the game,” I tell him.
