Then, cutting her off:
Tyce
I didn't tell you how beautiful you looked on Thursday.
Emmy blinked.
Tyce
I know the video got me in trouble. But I had to watch it three times before I noticed anything but how fucking gorgeous you are.
The words landed strangely—flattering and uncomfortable at once. Like being handed flowers wrapped in poison ivy.
Emmy
That's... a unique apology.
Tyce
Just facts. See you next week, beautiful.
Emmy set the phone down.
She should feel something. Flattered, maybe. Or angry. Or vindicated that he was still chasing her attention after everything.
Instead she just felt tired.
Emmy couldn't sleep.
She'd tried—an hour of staring at the ceiling, replaying Harper's words, replaying Madeline's gentle voice on the phone.His heart wasn't in it. I hope he finds her.
Finally she grabbed her laptop and propped it against her knees. If she couldn't sleep, she could work. Work had never betrayed her.
Grant's calendar was getting tighter. Practices, film sessions, team obligations stacking up as the season pushed toward playoff qualification. She scrolled through, looking for openingswhere she could slot in a date without adding stress to his schedule.
Then she saw it.
Commonwealth Club Charity Auction.
Her stomach dropped.
She'd agreed to go with Tyce three hours ago.
If Grant was there, he'd see her with Tyce. After she'd sworn to him there was nothing between them.
Emmy picked up her phone. Started typing:
Something came up, I can't make the auction?—
Her thumb hovered oversend.
She thought about Cecelia's face if she admitted she couldn't handle Tyce. She thought about Sabine swooping in to take him. She thought about being the matchmaker who couldn't close a single client without a catastrophe.
She deleted the text.
She switched back to her laptop and typed out a message to Grant:
Emmy
