I shook my head as I stared at him. “No, sir. Not that I know of.”
The silence in the room was deafening until Laura spoke. “We just wanted to make you aware of him. I’ll handle the social media if you’d like.”
“Yes, please,” I whispered. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Laura looked from me to Coach, then to Mr. Carlisle. He had the last word. “If we can help with anything, let us know, okay? We like to think of the Storm as a big family.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
As I left the building, my mind churned with possibilities. I needed to find out more about him. More than what my meager internet skills would provide, but I knew Thomas could. But it would have to wait until he came back from Ireland.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, I started my car, then sent Lennox a text.
Me: Everything’s fine.
Lennox: It was about the Bachelor Auction, wasn’t it?
Shoot. I’d forgotten about that, but it made for a good excuse.
Me: Yeah. And thanks for that albatross.
Placing my phone on the passenger seat, I drove home on autopilot. My mind was a riot of questions, starting with who the heck was I?
Chapter 3
Mason
Glancing around the pool deck, my anxiety was getting the best of me. It was only seventy degrees, and I was sweating in early April. My uneasiness had nothing to do with Carson and Colin’s surprise party. Being with my friends was the easy part. Out of all of them, Thomas knew me best, and I needed to talk to him alone. Over the last five days, I’d kept everything bottled up, waiting for him. And now that he was back, I was ready to unleash it all.
Wiping my brow, it occurred to me I might be coming down with something. Pressing the bottle of lukewarm beer to my face, I couldn’t tell. Elbowing Drew, I leaned in. “Hey. Touch my forehead. Do I feel like I have a fever?”
Our rookie wide receiver took a step back. “I am not touching you, dude. If you’re sick, I don’t want it.” He looked me over before continuing. “Maybe you got bitten by some giant ass bug in Australia. Oh, maybe you got a parasite. That would be cool.”
I gaped at the idiot. “No, it wouldn’t, and we’ve been back for a month. Why would you say that?”
He shrugged as he rubbed his hand over his new fade. “I don’t know. I may have been watching too many Reels. Why do you think you’ve got a fever?”
I rolled my eyes.Rookies.“I just feel kinda warm. Not necessarily sick. That’s all.”
Drew appraised me again, nodding as his tone became more serious. “Oh. You do look a little flushed,” his eyes widened. “I know what you need. I’m gonna go get you another cold beer,” he said, using his speed to move away.
The twenty-two-year-old’s answer to life was one more beer. It was the last thing I needed, but I didn’t try to stop him. Instead, my eyes landed on Thomas as he escorted Colin’s biological father to the guest house. Glancing back at me, he furrowed his brow. He could read me like no friend I’d ever had, and I knew he was asking what was wrong. But I shook him off. I attributed it to his FBI background. I took a sip of my beer, then immediately wished I hadn’t.
Food. Maybe that’s what I needed. I wasn’t necessarily hungry, but eating would give me something to do until he was finished. Even though he wasn’t on official duty, like with Hudson, I made sure to keep my distance when he was working. All I wanted to do was talk to him, even if he was just sitting by the pool. I’d missed him since he’d been gone, and I knew my feelings for him were moving beyond friendship. That’s why I had to bolt when we were on the beach. I was afraid I would blurt it out, and I knew I’d lose him if I did.
Weaving around groups of teammates and coaching staff, I took the long way around the pool deck to avoid Laura Langdon and her boyfriend. It was a small price to pay to avoid being asked questions I didn’t want to answer.
Picking up a plate, I looked down at Lennox and Dane’s contribution to the party. Every grilled meat known to man was spread before us, along with side dishes and salads, fruit kebabs, and desserts. My QB had also ordered another wedding cake. “It’s not really for them. It’s for everyone who didn’t get to go. They just get to cut it.”
As I stood debating between the chicken breast and the steak kebabs, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, alerting me that I was no longer alone. Glancing to my right, I found Thomas surveying the spread. “Hey, stranger. Were they expecting an army with this much food?”
The tone of voice he used when he spoke just to me made me think he might share my feelings. “Uh, no. Just a football team. I’m glad you’re back.”
His gray eyes met mine as his familiar smile cracked his usually stoic face. “That’s almost the same thing, Champ.”
I grinned. “True.” I went about mindlessly putting strange combinations of food onto my plate. Maybe I’d have an appetite after I unloaded all this on him.
Thomas glanced at me. “What’s wrong with you? You’re fidgeting.”
