Sammie had tried calling before the game started, but apparently Ivy already had her phone off. Dread still welled in the pit of her stomach, dread that had been there since the moment she’d read the words Ivy had sent.
Something was wrong, and Sammie needed to find a way to fix it.
She hadn’t meant to ignore Ivy’s messages. The week had gotten away from her. Not to mention the emotional turmoilof the last several days. Sammie was doing her best to try and forget about all of the uncomfortable feelings whirling inside her, at least for the duration of the game.
Her eyes flicked to her brother, who was cheering from the bench. The Cats scored another point, and Ivy scowled at him as healmostjumped up to cheer with the rest of his team.
They were up two sets to one, but St. Louis wasn’t making it easy for them. The guys had needed to fight for every single point, evident in their sweat-soaked jerseys and the exhaustion weighing their shoulders down.
Kai was just as tense next to her, and not for the first time was Sammie thankful she had someone else to commiserate with over the emotional ups and downs that were professional volleyball. Not that his presence was much of a balm this time. Not after the last twenty-four hours she’d just had. Still, it was nice to have him there, just as anxious for the win as she was.
They’d played St. Louis at the start of the season, kicking it all off with a win for the Cats. The Hawks had made the tournament three games back, a complete shut out against Tampa Bay. They’d had a strong season, and they were back tonight to snatch the win they’d missed out on earlier.
Sammie knew there was history between Kai and one of the St. Louis blockers. Her brother had mentioned it a few times. That explained the thin line of his mouth, the tension holding him straight-backed in his seat.
As another roar went up from the crowd, this time from the St. Louis side as they shut down a quick that bounced off Aaron’s arms before sailing out of bounds, Sammie gave herself permission to scan the faces of the players.
Of one player in particular.
Kieran looked good. Steady. Steadier than he had looked all season, in fact. His was currently calling out to Bowen, falling back into place as they readied for another receive, gesturing totheir libero. Eric nodded in understanding before settling into his stance to wait for the serve.
Sammie wasn’t quite sure what to make of Kieran’s unyielding focus. He was playing well. So seemingly fine, despite the text she had sent after hastily leaving his apartment that morning.
She’d done the right thing. Despite the hopeful moments, including when he’d asked her to stay the night before, Sammie knew that she couldn’t go any further. She knew that letting herself fall deeper would only make it all hurt that much worse.
It already hurt plenty.
“Are you okay?”
Kai’s voice tugged Sammie back to the game. She’d missed something. The crowd was cheering once more, and the Cats players on the bench were losing their minds. A quick glance at the scoreboard showed that they’d earned another point, snatching the ball back from St. Louis.
Sammie sucked in a steadying breath that didn’t really do much of anything to settle her nerves. “Not really. But I will be.”
Kai scanned her face, searching for what she didn’t know. Maybe a sign that she was lying. Maybe a sign that things were worse than she was letting on.
But she wasn’t lying. Pain always faded, eventually. And Sammie had plenty of experience with loving someone who couldn’t quite love her the same.
A round of booing made waves through the stands. St. Louis had managed to get the ball back immediately. The score was close, fourteen to sixteen, with the Cats still clinging desperately to the lead.
Sammie needed to focus. The game, while immensely stressful forseveralreasons, still served as enough of a distraction from… everything. That was, until her phone vibrated with a new message.
Robert Everly: After taking a look into the company budget, resources have been shifted around and cuts will be made. I need you to let Luz know that she will be laid off, effective immediately.
The blood in Sammie’s veins ran cold.
No. No, this couldn’t be happening.
Luz had been with Sammie for so long now. Luz was good at her job. Great even. Sammie couldn’t imagine handling the workload alone, not with their current scale of distribution. She had always been able to count on Luz.
FuckingCarson.
Sammie’s pulse pounded in her ears as she stared unseeing at the words on her screen.
Like hell was she going to lay off Luz just so Robert’s incompetent nephew could stick around. Sammie clicked off her phone, shoving it into her pocket, eyes narrowing at the court. Her teeth sang as she clenched her jaw, mind already filled near to bursting with all of the things she would be saying to Robert Everly.
“Nice kill!”
Kieran’s shout echoed over the roars of the crowd. A free ball had set Aaron up for a beautiful play, and a pipe from the back row by David had put the Cats back in the lead once again.
