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Damn, it feels good to laugh with my brother.
It’s been a long time.
Dad just looks at us like we’re both idiots, and maybe we are. But at least we’re two laughing idiots who are about to play on the same team for the first time in our entire lives.
And I, for one, cannot wait.
Chapter 32: Ava Maxwell
I Thought D Meant Dick
I take a final look at myself in the mirror, and I hope my skinny jeans and Vegas Heat tee are good enough for me to appear on the arm of Grayson Nash. I curled my hair, put on a little extra makeup, and went over Ellie’s advice a hundred times in my head.
I’m ready for this.
Our first official date.
We’ll be with his teammates, including at least one of his brothers, and I think we’re set to have a really good time.
If I can get my nerves in check, anyway.
I only have about fifteen minutes before he’s going to pick me up, so I head to the kitchen to find the vodka. I could use a shot to calm my nerves.
I hear the garage open, which means Kelly’s home from work. As far as I know, Austin didn’t invite her to the game. They’ve only been together the one time, and we haven’t had a chance to talk about his intentions with her yet—or about how their night together went.
I know I need to warn her, but I’m also a little afraid to have that talk. We’ve only seen each other in passing since she had late nights with parent-teacher conferences this week and I had early mornings at the bakery—on top of late evenings so I could leave early today and go in late tomorrow morning. I’ve been working seven days a week lately because I could use the paycheck, and frankly, while I love it, it’s also exhausting.
I guess it’s now or never, though.
She walks in with a bright smile. “There you are!”
I smile nervously, glad I took that shot. “Here I am. How was work?”
Her smile fades a little. “What’s wrong?”
Leave it to your best friend to correctly read the situation. “I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to say it. Grayson doesn’t trust Austin and is worried he’s using you to get to him. I just want you to be careful.”
The smile that faded drops completely off her face. She’s silent for a few beats, but then she asks, “Why would he think that?”
I sigh. “You know Grayson and Asher’s brother is the coach of the Aces, right?”
She nods.
“Well, Asher and Austin play the same position, and Lincoln was going to start Asher over him until he got suspended. So Grayson thinks Austin might have a grudge against the Nash family.”
Her brows dip. “I didn’t really get that vibe from him, but I’ll be careful.”
“I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you.”
She walks over and hugs me. “Don’t be. I appreciate you looking out for me, really.”
I squeeze her. “Love you.”
“Love you, too. And have fun at the game. Tell Austin hi for me.” She winks at me, and then she shrugs. “Hey, if he’s using me, then I can use him right back. That night we shared…”
“You never really gave me all the details,” I press.
She grabs the bottle of vodka and helps herself to an after school on a Friday afternoon kind of swig. “It was good.”
