Page 79 of Her Game Plan

“Should we hit up High Point or Little Man?” I ask once Addie is situated in the passenger seat of my car. It feels like I’ve been driving myself a lot more lately. I’m not going to lie, I miss my chauffeur. And not just because I’d rather be driven around.

I miss the way it feels to have someone care about my day. I miss the quiet companionship of riding along, listening to music. I miss the way I can feel Callan in every pore of my body. I miss him.

“Remind me why we’re getting ice cream at eleven on a Tuesday in January.” Addie rubs her hands together like it’s not sunny and forty-five outside.

“Because I’m spiraling and I need a friend. And you said you only leave your house for ice cream.” I start driving, deciding I’ll let traffic patterns decide where we’re going. Path of least resistance feels like the right choice today.

Addie throws up her hands. “I was obviously joking. I didn’t want to leave my house. It’s fucking cold out here.”

“Could you be more Texan right now? It’s not that cold.”

She glares at me. “Don’t bully me, or I’ll make you spiral alone.”

“Fine. It’s so cold,” I deadpan.

“Thank you.” Addie fiddles with the vent, making sure the heat is pointed directly at her. “Now, spill the beans. Is this a work freak-out or a good old-fashioned boy freak-out?”

“Por que no los dos?” I ask. Because let’s be honest, it’s definitely both.

“Fair enough. I fully embraced los dos, too, before I moved here. Damn, that was a dark time in my life.”

I give her a sympathetic smile. I know I’m blessed to have never had to worry about money before. Even if having it comes with its own issues, it’s certainly better than wondering if you can pay for the roof over your head or food to eat. Not that Addie was ever at that level.

“Okay, so spill it. Are we starting with the Stallions or with your stallion?” She double pumps her eyebrows as she says it.

I roll my eyes. “He would love that you called him that so much.”

“That’s because the man is obsessed with you. And he undoubtedly has an ego the size of the great state of Texas. All professional athletes do.”

Not untrue. “I am pretty stressed out about this weekend. I’ve basically drawn a line in the sand with Hugo that he can’t go talking about next year being a building year if we’re not even sure that we can’t turn this season around. So, a lot is riding on this game. Because if we don’t make it deeper into the playoffs, there might be some major roster changes. Like, major.” And I have no idea what I’m going to do about it if they do.

Addie narrows her eyes. “How major?”

I bite my lips, saying nothing, but I can feel her gaze on me as she works through it.

“Are we talking starting-quarterback-type changes? Hypothetically, of course.”

I nod once; my gaze locked on the road in front of me as I navigate the streets of Denver’s LoHi neighborhood.

“Shit.”

That is precisely how I feel about it. But also tremendous amounts of anger. Some guilt. Throw in some exasperation, to make it all flow together nicely. “Exactly. And…” I sigh. “Things aren’t going perfectly with getting a new sponsor for the team, either.”

“Oh, that’s right. You had your dinner last night. Did it not go well?” Addie asks.

I gnaw on my lip before answering, “It went fine. Callan couldn’t make it because a team meeting ran long, and that definitely didn’t help the cause. This guy is Callan’s biggest fan, so it put a damper on the whole evening.”

She scrunches her nose. “Ooof. Tough. Do you still think he’s a possibility?”

“I’m not sure. I’m feeling less confident than I was prior to the meeting.”

Addie studies my face. “And are we mad at Callan for missing it? Is that the boy drama?”

I shake my head. “No. You know I, of all people, understand work running late. How many times have I had to push or cancel dinners because some artist or another needed special attention?”

We finally reach the milk-pail-shaped building, and I park. Addie pulls a winter hat over her strawberry-blonde hair, tugging the scarf tighter around her neck.

“You know, you might not be cut out for the great white north that is Colorado,” I warn her. “Maybe you need to move further south.”