“Is this new?” he asks me of the yellow roses that sit in the middle of the table.
“Well, considering the last flowers were red and these are yellow”—I walk over and slide my lip gloss in my black handbag—“I’m going to say yes.”
“He sent you flowers again?”
“What can I say?” I smile at him and raise one shoulder. “He really likes me or maybe it’s certain parts of me he can’t forget.” He groans as Ariella comes out of the bathroom.
“This dress is too tight for me,” she complains of the dress she has on. “Literally feels like I’m going to pop out of it.” Her black dress is off the shoulder and is tight all the way down to her mid-calf. Her black heels are satin like mine, but sling-backs with crystals crisscrossing the front.
“You look amazing,” I assure her, “and it fits you fine.”
“Okay, let’s go so we can get there and then leave,” she says. “Casino nights to raise fund for the Warriors Foundation is always a good time, but I’m exhausted.” I look over at her. “Jagger is breaking in his molars and is determined to do it not sleeping.”
“Let’s go get this over with.” Jaxon gets up and I see he’s wearing a blue suit with a baby-blue shirt, which makes his blue eyes pop even more.
I walk out with them, following them to the SUV as I take out my phone and send Zane a text.
Me:
On my way.
Zane:
Already here. See you soon.
I put my phone back in my purse and look out the window as the three of us talk about nothing. We get to the arena and Clive is dressed in a black suit for tonight. “Hey there,” he says, opening Ariella’s door and then mine. “Look at how beautiful you two look.”
I smile at him as I get out, the sound of our heels clicking on the cement. We walk over to the door the players and staff usually go into. I’ve been in there a handful of times for the family skate day, as well as the barbecue, and now for the casino night.
I swallow down the lump in my throat as we walk down the hallway. We pass the locker room that is closed and locked and then Zane’s office. The door is slightly ajar and the light on his desk is turned on. I can hear music playing and as we get closer and closer there are more voices.
The whole arena has been transformed. A black floor is now down over the ice. On one side of the rink are casino tables, from blackjack to roulette to craps tables. Nearby, a lounge area is filled with black couches and are paired off for people to sit on and chat. On the other side are some round tables for eating and men and women dressed in white shirts and black pants are passing around cocktails.
My eyes scan the room to search for Zane and when I see him, I swear I take a second to get my breathing under control. He’s standing, talking to a man I’ve never seen before. He’s wearing a black suit with a white button-down shirt and no tie. The two buttons of his shirt are open. He must sense my gaze, or maybe he’s searching for me when he looks over and we lock eyes.
“There are Knox and Kirby,” Jaxon points out, and I give Zane a small smile before I turn and follow Jaxon, instead of going to Zane and kissing him. It’s been over two weeks since we’ve had that talk at his house. I want to say things have settled down, but that would be wishful thinking. The team is pretty much divided. At this point, someone is going to either snap and get with the program, or I hate to say it—let alone think it—but Zane will be out of a job.
The press is its own beast. There isn’t one day, whether they win or lose, that Zane’s not dragged through the mud. It’s come to the point that I’m blocking them out for my mental health. I can’t imagine what he’s going through. I know it bothers him, but I also know there is no space for that to seep into our relationship, so it’s not talked about. We speak about the game and how he’s feeling, but the whole tabloids shit is the very big elephant in the room.
“Hey.” I hear Lexi and smile at her as I kiss her cheek, and then do the same thing to Kylie, as if we didn’t go shopping less than twenty-four hours ago to buy these dresses.
“Hey.” Zane’s voice appears behind me, and I turn to see him approaching us. He stands next to me, bending to kiss Ariella’s cheek and then doing the same to Lexi and Kylie. “Hi, Victoria,” he says, as if we didn’t wake up together, as he kisses my cheek.
“Hi, Zane,” I reply, sounding a bit more peppy than I should. “How are you?”
“Doing good, thanks,” he says as he looks at the guys.
“How is everyone doing?” he asks them, and I look over at Jaxon to see if he’s going to give him attitude, and I get ready to bite my tongue if he does.
“Good.” Knox is the first to answer him then looks over at me. “I thought you were going to bring a date tonight.”
“You were going to bring the guy you are seeing tonight,” adds Jaxon.
“I was,” I say, right before I roll my eyes, “but then he found out you were going to be here, and well, he thinks you’re a tool, so he said hard pass.”
Ariella is the first to snort-laugh as Jaxon glares. “He thinks I’m a tool?” He points to himself.
“Oh, please.” I hold my purse in both hands before I forget that we are supposed to keep our relationship quiet and hold his hand. “You give yourself too much credit.”
