I’m in Otto Berger’s apartment. The place where he sleeps and showers and probably does other naked activities with women, like the ones who were swarming him at the bar earlier.
It’s sparsely furnished, even after months of habitation. All of the furniture clearly came with the apartment. There’s a Kluvberg T-shirt tossed over the back of one of the armchairs and a binder with the Siege logo set on the coffee table. There’s a print from the Museum of Fine Art tacked up on one wall, slightly crooked.
No photos.
No bras lost between cushions—I checked before sitting on the couch.
“What about Mackenzie Howard?” Saylor asks. She’s sprawled out on the plush rug, nursing a glass of wine as I catch her up on players she remembers from college. “Is she still with Dallas?”
I shake my head, reaching for my water and sneaking a glance at the kitchen in the process. “She retired at the end of last season. Something with her ACL, I think.”
Otto and Beck are leaning against the counter, talking in rapid German.
I’m still not sure how I ended up here. Explaining to my sister why I hugged the blonde woman Otto was with evolved into Cassidy slyly insisting I go over to their booth. Which evolved into Saylor insisting I come back with her to Otto’s apartment so we could talk “somewhere quieter.”
If someone had told the twenty-one-year-old who showed up in Paris that she’d one day be hanging out with Adler Beck, Saylor Scott, and Otto Berger, she would have laughed in their face. All these years later, I’m still having a hard time comprehending it.
When I refocus on the living room, Saylor’s expression is grim. “She was only a couple of years older than me. She should have rehabbed it.”
I sip more water. I don’t need to ask Saylor what her opinion on me retiring would be.
There are logical reasons why I should walk away at the end of this season. Money, job security, the unforgiving training required to keep up at the professional level. It’s a decision I get to make for myself now that Dad’s stepped up regarding Mom’s care. Somehow, that makes it a more difficult decision, not an easier one.
“What about Samantha Cole?”
I think. “Still plays for Dallas.”
“Good. I always liked her.” Saylor sighs. “It’s so hard to keep up with people. It’d have been hard if I hadn’t moved to another country and had a kid, but since I did, it’s practically impossible. Most days, I barely have the energy to collapse into bed after practice and taking care of Gigi.”
“I’m sure,” I say. I adjust my position on the couch. “My sister moved back to town recently, with my nephew. Helpingtake care of him is exhausting enough. I can’t imagine doing it full-time.”
“How old is he?” Saylor asks.
“He just turned five.”
Saylor smiles. “That’s a fun age.” She sips more wine. Leans close, lowering her voice. “Is Otto dating anyone?”
I stare at her, taken aback by the question itself and the rapid conversation change. “I don’t—I don’t know. Why?”
“Just curious. I’ve been worried about him. Beck too. I thought maybe you’d noticed or heard something. I know how locker rooms are.” She runs a finger around the rim of her glass. “Football is everything to Otto. Without it… Well, I was hoping he’d at least start dating again.”
“He, uh, stopped?” I ask, knowing I shouldn’t and unable to stop the question from coming out anyway.
“He got engaged a couple of years ago,” Saylor tells me. “I never thought Juliette was right for him, but they seemed happy-ish. Then Otto showed up for dinner, alone, said they broke up, and never mentioned her again. As far as I know, there hasn’t been anyone serious since.”
“Oh,” is all I can manage.
“I mean, I get it’s hard to play and make a relationship work, but?—”
“What are you guys whispering about?”
Saylor rolls away, glancing at her approaching husband with a smirk. “Oh, I was just telling Claire about that time I beat you in a shoot-out.” She winks at me. “It’s my trademark move.”
“Barely beat me,” Beck says, coming to stand behind her.
“Don’t be a sore loser,” Saylor says. “Otto’s here to act as my witness that it happened.”
I fight the urge to glance in Otto’s direction. I didn’t realize he had been there when Saylor and Beck met, but it makes sense. It’s obvious he’s close with both of them, and I’m glad. He mightnot have much family in the traditional sense, but he has people who care about him.
