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“Less every day.”
“Then imagine ten years of every days.”
I don’t entirely believe her, but I’m not going to argue the point now. We need to be on top of our game today. We want to make a good impression on the team and the players going into this year.
“Do the tumblers go in every bag? Or just these ones?” I change the subject.
“All of them. They’re cute, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, they are. Any extras?” I flash her a conspiratorial grin.
“I think there might be.” She hands me one and nods for me to tuck it in my bag. “All right. You ready to load the carts and take them out?”
“Wherever you lead, boss.” I grin at her, and we start working to get the bags out into the main hallway.
“So what about Cooper?” she asks as we’re loading the last of them.
“What about him?”
“That won’t be weird for you—having to be around your ex’s brother all the time? I honestly didn’t think about it. I was so excited to have you out here when they said I could bring someone on. I forgot about that.”
“I don’t think I’ll have to be around him much. He was always nice to me, and I love Lizzy. So I think we can keep things professional when I have to see him. Hopefully, he doesn’t run and tell Rob what a mess I was this morning.” I shrug as we start to wheel them down the hall.
“Well, as long as you’re okay with it. If it becomes an issue, just let me know, okay?”
“Of course,” I answer as though it’s an impossibility but now I’m wondering if I should be more concerned about it.
2
Cooper
Lizzy’s run off with a group of other teens to walk the stadium and check out the setup while I’ve been rounded up by a bunch of the guys to talk about their latest off season fishing trip. I’m half listening to them regale us with a story about their big catch, but my mind is still spinning from the fact that Trixie’s here in Cincinnati. I thought after she and my brother, Rob, broke up, it would be the last I’d ever see her. Never in a million years did I think she’d be here working PR alongside Easton Westfield’s sister.
My brother’s ex has accomplished things no other woman in my life has managed—like a recurring nightly spot on my mental roster. Because she’s starred in nearly every fantasy I’ve had since I met her. I haven’t told a fucking soul about them because I don’t even understand it. I’m sure if I saw a shrink, they’d tell me it was some sort of Freudian complex about competing with my brother on and off the field for attention. Or for someone like me, she represents the idea of a relationship—the one thing I can’t seem to make happen.
As far as I can tell, it’s just her. All the little things about her—from the way she smiles like you’re the only person to ever really amuse her, to how she always loved my family like her own, down to silly little things like the way she always divided her candy into colors and ate them one by one while we watched movies. Or the way she couldn’t bait a hook to save her life, but was still willing to spend an entire afternoon letting me teach her.
My brother’s ex is also one of my teen daughter’s idols. She’s obsessed with the fact that Trix can keep pace with video game knowledge and knows some of the lore behind her favorite worlds. They’ve stayed up more than one night together having slumber parties at our family lake house over the years. And despite the fact my daughter is more punk rock and Trixie is quiet luxury, the two of them have spent hours shopping with one another and comparing their favorite playlists and Roman Empire books. The fact that Trixie is the younger sister of Alexander Xavier, the league’s best defensive end and my daughter’s way-too-old-for-her crush—one that makes me worry about what I’m in for when she hits high school this fall—gave Trix even more bonus points in Lizzy’s eyes. I’m half-certain Lizzy would run away to live with Trix if she could. Apparently, it’s a family trait that we’re all a little fascinated with her.
When Rob and Trixie broke up, I hoped Lizzy and I could both let her go for good. But Lizzy still found ways to mention her, especially whenever we had to spend any time around Rob’s new girlfriend. And for my part, she still haunts my dreams despite trying to write her off as a figment of my imagination or some ideal I’d conjured up. A reason to explain why I couldn’t date because I hadn’t found the perfect woman the way my brother had.
I’ve been doing better in recent months though. I’ve even gotten to the point where I’m trying to move on from one-night stands and situationships to a place where I can consider actually finding someone I want to date. Trying to be better for Lizzy’s sake, if not my own.
But now Trix is here, blown in like a tornado, and destroyed all my progress within a matter of minutes. Because now all I want to know is how long she’s here and if I have a shot in hell.
“Rawlings!” Wyatt Northmore, our kicker, and one of the only guys on the team besides Ramsey willing to call me on my shit, shouts my name.
“What?” I blink, coming back to a reality where Beatrix Xavier isn’t sprawled out in front of me in one of the sundresses she used to wear, eating strawberries curled up in an Adirondack chair or playing volleyball in one of her sheer swimsuit coverups.
“You’re not even listening, are you?”
“I was listening, I just… ran into someone I used to know. Didn’t expect to see them here.”
“Don’t tell me, one of your hookups is someone’s sister.” Northmore raises a brow, amusement dancing over his face.
“Or wife?” Ramsey, my closest friend in the world and on this team, adds.
“Oh fuck. If it’s the wife, I don’t want to know.” Garner shakes his head, gritting his teeth as he flashes me a look.
