8
Reyes
Plans for the fundraiser were coming together nicely. We’d already chosen a date and had at least two dozen players confirmed. The kids were ecstatic and proving to be better than any advertising we could have paid for, telling anyone who would listen about the event.
On Saturday, Rome invited me to tag along with him on a trip to Charleston. He needed to pick up the shirts we’d ordered for the participants. I figured it was also a good chance to spend some time together and decompress after the long week we’d had. Two of the coaches had been out sick this week, which meant the rest of us had to take on extra students. Even though we had some great kids in the clinic, it was still exhausting trying to handle twenty of them at once. On top of that, I still had to make lesson plans, organize a fundraiser, and deal with my chaotic family. Needless to say, I wasdyingto get away by the time Rome asked me to go.
My only regret about the spontaneous trip was missing my chance to talk to Jake. The front desk had informed me that he’d stopped by a couple days ago. It had surprised the hell out of me that he’d left a note. I hadn’t been able to hide the smile when I saw his phone number written across the bottom, but unfortunately, there hadn’t been a chance to call him in all the chaos of the last couple days. Still, I’d carried that damn piece of paper with me everywhere in hopes I’d have a chance to soon. I wanted to talk to him.
We ran several errands in Charleston before Rome treated me to a nice dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. The air was thick with humidity when we stepped out and I cringed at the way my hair clung to my skin because of it. I pulled a hair band from my pocket and tied it up in a loose knot.
“Feels like it might rain again,” Rome commented.
“Hope so. I love a good storm.”
“Me too.” He motioned to the building across the street, glowing under the yellow and red fluorescent lights. “Ready?”
Only then did I notice the sign. “Gunners!”
He beamed. How many times had Rome told me about this place since I’d arrived? At least a couple dozen. One of our former teammates from college had bought it a few years ago with his wife. “Come on.”
After hearing how much Rome gushed about the club, it wasn’t at all what I had expected. The simple brick exterior and darkened windows made the place seem almost ominous from the outside.
“Thisis the place you’ve been bragging about?”
Rome nudged me forward. “Promise, it’ll be fun.”
We could hear music drifting out of the solid oak doors as we approached. I didn’t recognize the band, but I still felt the beat deep in my bones, already loosening the coils of tension in my muscles with every note. The room at the entrance was dimly lit and gave nothing away about the club itself. Once we passed through a light security checkpoint, we entered the main room where lights of every color flashed overhead, making me slightly dizzy until my eyes adjusted.
“Emory said he’d be working tonight,” Rome yelled over the music.
“Great.”
I took in my surroundings as I followed him through the crowded space. Gunners was much smaller than I’d expected, making me think it wasn’t a well-known place, but judging by the dreary exterior, maybe that was on purpose. Tables and booths lined both sides of the establishment, with a decent-sized dance floor in the middle. A small stage was on the far end, where a DJ was enthusiastically working the crowd on the dance floor.
It only took a few minutes to find Emory, serving a couple at the bar. He gave Rome and me a wide grin when he saw us. He’d changed so much in the years since college. His thick black hair was now slicked back, revealing a tiny patch of silver near his widow’s peak. His thick, muscled arms were covered in twice as many tattoos than the last time I’d seen him, and he wore a silver loop in one eyebrow. Oddly enough, the changes suited him perfectly and he looked happier than I’d ever seen him.
Rome had always been closer to Emory than I’d been, so I mostly just listened, content to just watch the activity around me. The lights were casting strange shadows across the people on the dance floor and their movements only made it more difficult to try to get a read on them. This wasn’t a gay bar, so I knew I’d have to be cautious if I approached anyone to dance.
My gaze landed on a head of blond hair not twenty feet from where I stood. The man’s back was to me, but his build seemed intimately familiar. I could have sworn I’d seen that body under me only a couple weeks ago. But there was no way it could be Jake. Could it? We were an hour away from Reedsport, on a Saturday night no less, which meant he was probably back home working.
I watched him closely for the better part of five minutes, shifting each time someone got in the way of seeing him. My insides buzzed with nervous energy when I realized itwasJake! I recognized the man beside him too. I’d seen him around Reedsport a few times, though I didn’t know his name. I wasn’t sure if they were heretogetheror if they were just friends. The two men seemed to be having a great time, but there was definitely enough space between them to be casual.
I could hear Jake’s laugh over the crowd and felt it deep in my gut, pulling me back to that night on the boat. It had been so easy with Jake, so comfortable to be in his company. It felt strange to realize… I might have missed him these last two weeks.
“See someone you like?” Rome asked, nudging me.
I glanced at him for a second, not wanting to lose Jake in the crowd. “Yeah, I do actually.”
“Well, go get him.”
I tossed the rest of my bourbon back and started to make my way through the crowd.
I knew the moment Jake saw me, as he did a quick double take in my direction, eyes widening in surprise when he realized it was me. The smile that was already on his face grew even wider as he turned toward me. There was a thin layer of sweat along his forehead and working its way down his neck, letting me know they’d been here a while.
“Nice seeing you he—"
I hadn’t meant to cut Jake off with a kiss, but after watching him dance, I hadn’t been able to stop myself. He was so fucking irresistible in those dark jeans and tight green shirt. He tasted faintly of vodka and lime and it made me glad I’d reacted on impulse.
