Page 35 of Just Say Yes

I could practically see the smirk she’d have as she typed that, and it hit me.

Maybe MJ wasn’t so much a distraction as the lucky charm I needed to get through the offseason. Jack had already proved himself the most superstitious on the team. He hadn’t washed his socks a single time all season, and we were all suffering. He’d called it lucky charm energy, but the only change washer.

So that was it—I would need MJ to bring me luck.

The future of my career depended on it.

The drive back to Outtatowner was quiet, the hum of the truck’s engine the only sound breaking the stillness of the night. As I turned onto the outskirts of town, something caught my eye—an old warehouse set back from the road. I eased off the gas, my gaze snagging on the boarded-up windows and peeling paint. It wasn’t much to look at, just a weathered shell of what it used to be. But there was something about it, something that made me wonder what it could become if someone had the guts to try.

I shook my head and hit the gas, dismissing the ridiculous thought.

As I drove, I thought back to the game. The energy from the crowd, the adrenaline pumping through my veins—it was why I played. But something was different. When I’d glanced at the stands and saw MJ sitting there, her arms crossed but a faint smile tugging at her lips, it had felt like everything I’d worked for mattered in a way I hadn’t realized before.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, replaying the match in my head. Every tackle, every sprint, every moment the ball was in my hands—MJ was there, lingering in the back of my mind.

She was a distraction, but if she was also somehow a lucky charm, maybe I didn’t need to shake her.

TEN

MJ

I’d spentthe entire day trying not to think about Logan.

His stupid dimple. His stupid, cocky confidence. The way his shirt had felt soft and warm against my skin. The wayhehad made me feel safe and seen, which was entirely unfair. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“Yoo-hoo, Earth to MJ.”

I came back to life with a start, blinking when Carol’s confused face came into view.

She waved a folder in the air before setting it in front of me. “What is with you today? It’s like you’re on another planet. Room seventeen is pissed because she spent her weekly cash at bingo but doesn’t remember. Think you can calm her down?”

I nodded and swallowed hard, willing the memory of waking to Logan’s masculine warmth beside me to go away. When I woke up in the hotel room, for a split second I had panicked—until I remembered.

Logan. Hotel room. The storm.

And, oh god, his shirt.

His shirt was soft, heavier than my usual sleepwear, and it had still smelled like him, like faint cologne mixed with something inherentlyLogan. I’d stolen it on my way out of the hotel room, though I was still a little unsure as towhy.

I remembered the way he’d looked when he handed it to me—broad shoulders, the shadow of soft hair dusting his chest, and a confidence that was somehow comforting and maddening all at once.

It was no surprise that he’d slipped into my thoughts all day.

I looked at Carol. “No problem. I’ll head over there now.”

A buzz in my pocket sent my pulse spiking again.

A text from Logan.

I hesitated, thumb hovering over the notification, half-wondering if opening it meant opening more than just a message. But curiosity was stronger than my caution.

Logan

Going to the Grudge Holder tonight. Care to join?

The audacity made me laugh, even as I felt my stomach flip. I hadn’t seen him since I had sneaked out of the hotel room. Part of me wanted to stay home, curl up with a book, and forget Logan Brown existed. The other part? It wanted to walk into the Grudge, head held high, and prove that whatever I felt for him wasn’t real. I tried to sound nonchalant in my reply.

Celebrating?

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