Page 17 of The Player I Can’t Pick

I’m crazy. That’s all I can figure because I’m sitting outside the Regency Hotel, waiting for Nicole to get back. Now that I know where she is, I don’t want to let her out of my sight. When I see her being dropped off at the front entrance, I pick up my phone and call her.

She stops, digs her phone out of her purse, and smiles when she looks at the screen. She fuckin’ smiles when she sees it’s me.

“Hello.”

“Hey, sweetness.”

Her smile gets bigger as she walks into the hotel. I stay parked where I am. “How were the pancakes?”

“Good. I mean, have you ever had a bad pancake?”

I chuckle. “You’re right about that. Is this a tradition with you and Grant?”

She sighs into the phone. “Yeah. When I was younger, I stayed with my granny a lot, and the three of us would eat pancakes after Dad’s games. Granny made the best pancakes, but after she passed, Dad and I started finding a diner wherever he was playing.”

She’s quiet for a second before asking, “What about you? What are you doing?”

I start my car and put it into drive. “Driving home.”

“Just now?” Her voice rises, but then she quickly adds, “Forget it. It’s none of my business.”

I set my phone down when the call transfers to the speakers. “Go ahead. Ask me what I’ve been doing.”

She groans. “I don’t think I want to know.”

“You’ll only find out if you ask.”

I can picture her debating with herself. Her voice is low and wary when she finally says, “Okay, I’ll bite. What have you been doing for the last two hours since the game?”

I don’t hesitate. “I showered, got dressed, and then sat outside your hotel waiting for you.”

“The Regency?” she asks. “You’ve been here? Doing what?”

“Waiting to make sure you got back safely.”

“You have not,” she accuses.

I shake my head. “What kind of men have you been dating that they don’t worry about your safety?”

“We’re not dating,” she says too easily.

“Ah, ah, ah. We have a date tomorrow.”

“Guy, this is ridiculous. You know that, right?” She lets out a frustrated breath. “What is it about me? Do you think I’m playing hard to get? Because I’m not. I genuinely think this is a bad idea.”

“I know you’re worried about your dad and the team, but I told you, it can be our secret.”

“And I told you I don’t want to be anyone’s secret.”

I shrug, even though she can’t see me. “Fine. We’ll tell everyone.”

“No!” she practically screams into the phone.

I stop at a stop sign. “Seriously, Nicole, you’re not good for my ego.”

I start driving again, and when she stays quiet, I ask, “What are you scared of?”

She huffs out a breath. “You want the truth?”