Page 59 of Spring Tide

They exchange a few hushed words before he turns and disappears into the crowd.

I’m giddy, bouncing on my heels as I ask, “Were you two just holding hands?”

“Kind of.” She groans, rolling her shoulders back. “Okay, yes, we were full-on holding hands. Harps, he’s just so ...ugh. And he invited me back to his room tonight.”

A teasing smirk lights up my face. “Of course he did.”

“Don’t worry, I told him no. I convinced you to drive up here with me on a whim, so—”

“Don’t let me be the reason you turned him down. If you want to see where things go, I don’t mind.”

Her nose wrinkles with hesitation. “Are you sure?”

“Totally. I’m rooting for whatever makes you happy.”

“Okay, then I think I might go for it,” she says wistfully, pulling out her phone to shoot him a text. “We’ll see where the night takes us.”

I pat her on the shoulder. “Atta girl.”

The majority of the stadium has cleared out by the time we call for our Uber.

We’re standing near the front entrance as the first patter of raindrops starts to fall—thick, fat drops splashing into our hair—which quickly devolves into a heavy downpour. The two of us scramble for shelter under a nearby awning.

Eden swears under her breath, flashing her weather app in my direction. “It looks like there’s an awful storm coming in.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, there’s a tornado warning and everything.” She swipes the rain droplets from her screen, peering closely at the text. “Winds are predicted to be up to fifty miles per hour tonight.”

I frantically yank my phone from my back pocket. “I’m gonna call Luca and tell him not to drive home.”

His voicemail picks up at the same time as our Uber arrives. I leave him a panicky message and shoot off a quick text, piling into the back seat with Eden in tow. By the time we arrive back at the hotel, I’ve called him nearly a dozen times.

“I’m just gonna make one last-ditch effort to reach him,” I tell Eden, eyes darting around the lobby. We’re both soaked to the bone, clothes and hair dripping onto the vinyl beneath our feet. “You can head up to the room and get ready for your night with Fletch.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, go shave and exfoliate and ... oh my God, did you even bring sexy underwear?”

She gives me a sheepish grin. “I may have come prepared.”

“Should’ve never doubted you.” I shake my head, attempting a tiny smile of encouragement.

“Okay, I hope you get ahold of Luca. I’ll text you when I get to Grant’s room, okay?” She tosses her arms around me, the squelch of our damp clothes eliciting a chuckle from us both. “Love you.”

“Love you more.”

Fifteen minutes later, I’m pacing the lobby, repeatedly checking my phone as the first round of players trails inside. It looks like one or two of the shuttles have already returned, yet there’s no sign of Luca in sight.

I’m giving up hope, wondering if he’s headed straight to his car before coming in. I could venture out there, but I’d need something warmer and more waterproof than this thin sweater. Maybe if I run up to our room for just a quick second, then I could be back in time to—

“Harper?”

I whip around at the sound of Luca’s voice. My heart skitters in my chest, relief flooding through every tiny crack and seam. There’s nothing I can do to stop myself from rushing toward him, throwing my arms open, and wrapping myself around his giant frame.

“Oh, thank God you’re here,” I murmur the words against his chest, sinking into the warm feeling of his arms around me. “I thought you were gonna drive all the way home in this storm.”

I pull back, brushing the wet strands of hair from my cheeks. He studies me with piercing scrutiny, eyes silently devouring me before he shakes his head. “Nah, half the team just got back, and the roads are pretty fucking terrible. I, uh, I decided to book a room for the night.”

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