Page 33 of The Riskiest Move

“You’re a huge help to me. I probably don’t thank you enough for all the support you give me.”

She arches one eyebrow. “Because I cook and clean?”

“Yes. That’s a big help. Knowing both of those chores will be taken care of is a relief. Sometimes I barely have the strength to drive myself home from practice, and coming home to a delicious meal is all that keeps me going.”

“Aww, that makes me feel so much better. The one reservation I had about moving here with you was worry that I’d be a financial drain on you.”

“That’s not the case at all. I can’t imagine how lonely I’d be without you.”

“But you have Scarlett now,” she teases.

“I told you, she and I are only friends, and new ones at that.”

She crosses her arms. “So you say, but I’ve never seen you texting with another woman.”

“We have to speak. She and I have an arrangement.”

“Well, I can’t wait to meet her tomorrow.”

“I think you’ll get along well. She’s easy to talk to.”

“She must be if you felt comfortable enough to ask her to help you out.”

“Yeah, that was even a surprise to me.”

I never imagined I’d be in a situation like this, especially with a beautiful woman like Scarlett.

The sun ishigh in the sky, casting its bright rays over the field as Rogan, Thor, Griffin, and I stand in a loose circle, stretching out. With game time approaching, this is the calm before the storm. My adrenaline is on standby, scratching underneath the surface of my skin, just waiting to kick in. My stomach feels a little uneasy from pre-game nerves, but that’s normal for me. As soon as I step foot on the field for my first play, I’ll forget about anything but my assignment.

Thor bends down, touching his toes, and breathes through the stretch. He rises to his full height before repeating the action once more. He straightens up, rolling his neck from side to side, and lets out a satisfied sigh.

I pull each arm across my chest, one at a time, to stretch out my shoulders.

“Anyone else worried about this game?” Griffin blurts out. We all stare in stunned silence at him. This may only be our third game, but I’ve already learned it’s an unspoken rule not to give voice to the doubts I may have. It’s not only the four of us who prescribe to this way of thinking; it’s the entire team.

“What the fuck, Griffin?” Thor scolds him.

“Come on, man. You know we don’t go there,” Rogan adds.

Griffin holds his hands up in surrender. “I realize we’re not supposed to, but I thought since I’m worried, I could talk it through with you guys and then I’d feel better.”

“But now you’ve given our team bad luck,” Thor says.

Griffin’s lips press together in an expression of pure skepticism. “Superstitions aren’t based in reality.”

“We shouldn’t take a chance,” Rogan says.

“Oh come on. We’re smarter than to believe in some woo woo bullshit,” Griffin says.

“I think it’s real, and if it’s not, why risk tempting fate?” Thor asks.

Griffin turns to me. “What about you?”

“What about me?” I don’t want to get dragged into this conversation.

“Do you believe in this hocus pocus nonsense?”

I shrug. “Superstitions are part of sports. We all have them. No one knows if they’re true, but we know not to question them.”

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