“Hmm, I guess you’re right,” Nicole said. “Oh, I can think of another. We both go to Stuart’s bar.”
“You know Stuart?”
“Oh yeah, I met him years ago,” Nicole said. “I’ve followed him from bar to bar all over the city. He and his husband are my good friends.”
“Me too!” Ariana exclaimed. “I was so glad when he finally bought this bar for himself. How have we not run into each other at Stuart’s before last night?”
“I don’t always go when I know it’s going to be busy.” Nicole could feel Ariana’s eyes on her. “What?”
“Why have you never interviewed me?”
“Shealyn usually does the interviews with players,” Nicole explained. “I do all the player profiles, the game analysis, and notes for the broadcast.”
“You’re friends with some of the players, right?”
Nicole nodded. “Most of my friends are players, coaches, owners, support staff, or people involved with basketball.” She shrugged. “I told you I love the game.”
Ariana nodded. “So, let’s see. We both have pretty eyes and nice jump shots; we like playing with kids and going to Stuart’s bar…”
“And we love the game,” Nicole added. She studied Ariana for a moment. She did know a lot of players, but couldn’t allow herself to get too close because of optics. She couldn’t give the perception that she favored some players over others. Of course, she knew some players better than others and a few had become friends, but they knew how and when to keep things professional thus protecting them all.
Nicole had to agree with Ariana that they did have a lot in common. It had been a long time since she had been interested in another woman, for friendship or otherwise. But there was something about Ariana Villa…
Nicole sipped her drink and smiled at Ariana.
Chapter Seven
Ariana chuckled as she sat back and sipped her drink. “Agreed. We both love the game. Hey, where do you practice?”
Nicole furrowed her brow. “Practice?”
“Your jump shot is smooth as butter,” Ariana said. “You have to practice.”
“Oh, I’m lucky,” Nicole said. “My building has an exercise space on the roof. There’s a basketball hoop, a running track, and an area for outdoor yoga. There’s also a weight room with bikes and other machines in the building.”
Ariana smiled. “Shooting hoops on the roof, how fun is that!”
“It’s sweet,” Nicole said. “But you have a state of the art practice facility and an arena to practice and play in.”
“Yeah, but yours sounds like more fun,” Ariana said. “Sometimes mine is too much like business.”
Nicole nodded. “Yeah, you have to have fun.”
“What do you do during the week when you don’t have games?”
“I study,” Nicole said. “I watch other games and do research.”
Ariana could picture Nicole staring at a monitor or her TV taking notes just like Ariana had last night. “We go to DC on Tuesday and then we’re in Connecticut on Saturday. It’s almost like a home game because we’ll come back that night. How about your week?”
“We're going to Atlanta on Wednesday,” Nicole replied. She smiled at Ariana and raised her brows. “And then we’ll be in Connecticut on Saturday.”
Ariana’s face brightened. “You’re calling my game!”
Nicole nodded. “Yep, Shea and I will be there.”
Ariana leaned over the table and almost reached for Nicole’s hand, but thought better of it. “I’ll need to talk to you before the game,” she said in a hushed voice. “You can give me intel.”
Nicole laughed. “Okay.”
