When her eyes met mine, I nodded with understanding. I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and hug away the hurt. Some emotional scars never went away, but with time—and maybe the right person—Clarke would start to see them differently, as a sign of strength and not pain.
Then again, maybe it would be better, smarter if we didn't touch. Touching led to kissing and kissing led to, well . . . stuff thatfriendsdidn't do.
"You look good with a puppy," Clarke said.
"We should go grab a drink," I blurted out. Clarke's eyes widened with confusion. "All of us, I mean. Drink?"
I was trying to be her friend—really I was—but until I trusted myself not to maul her, group settings in public were the safest bet.
"Sure," she replied brightly. "A drink sounds good."
"I'm in," Dani added.
The rest of the guys echoed the same sentiments.
Thankfully, the rain had let up by the time we left to grab afriendlybeer. All of us, except Roman who had opted to go home with our instructor for some afternoon delight. He wasn't the only one who picked somebody up from yoga . . .
Matty adopted Mo two days later.
Clarke
Roasters 11-4
June and I had graciously volunteered to help Nessa set up for tonight's book club at Smutty Buddies . . . in exchange for free snacks and hard seltzer. Readers were set to arrive in the next thirty minutes, so I should have been stacking books. Instead, my eyes were glued to my phone screen, taking in Soren's post-game interview.
"Soren, your major league career is off to an incredible start. What are you doing different this time around, and how has it affected your game play?"
"First of all, I appreciate you saying that."
I had never seen him look so relaxed in an interview before. Soren hated the press, and frankly, I couldn't blame him. Based on the negative things they had written about him over the years and how some of those things had directly impacted his career, I wasn't a fan of them either.
"Secondly, the biggest change is time. I'm a little bit older, a little more vigilante when it comes to my diet and . . .extracurricular activities. Yoga has also played a major role in strengthening my mind and body."
"And in regards to your extracurricular activities . . ."
"Why don't you just ask the question you want to ask, Brock?"
Brock Heller,Portlandia Press. Part of my job meant mingling with the press and influencers, and Brock Heller was a dangerous combination. In addition to writing the sports column for thePress, Brock also hosted one of the most downloaded sports talk podcasts on the web. He was a nice enough guy, but he also asked some hard-hitting questions.
"It's safe to say that your personal relationships have interfered in your professional life over the years. What are you doing to avoid making similar mistakes with the Roasters?"
"As I said, I'm staying healthy, I'm staying focused."
"And are you seeing anybody now?"
I swallowed. Just the possibility of Soren seeing somebody else made my heart sink. That was my own dang fault, though. I was the one who had decided we should "just be friends."
"Respectfully, moving forward, I will not be discussing my personal life. And I hope you and everybody else can respect that."
Dang, great answer.
"This doesn't look like book stacking."
I jumped, dropping my phone to the ground. I was going to have to start calling her Ninja Nessa. Last I checked, she had been on the phone with Nero discussing the catering for tonight's event. I hadn't even heard her come back inside the shop.
She handed me my fallen device, her eyes catching on the paused video. ""Rumor has it you and the bad boy of baseball broke up."
"Let me guess. Dani." Nessa's smile was a dead giveaway. I shrugged. "Well, fine. Gossip all you like. It's not like we were ever really together anyway."
