Page 4 of A Game Plan for Love

“Mhm,” I hum, escaping from his grip.

“People usually face the way they walk,” Declan teases.

Heat creeps up my neck, and I know I’ve turned into a ripe tomato. I’ve got to get out of here, stat.

“Got it.” I salute him. “See you later.”

I spin, facing the direction I plan to escape, and walk as quickly as possible, but not so fast that it looks like I’m running away. I’ve got to exude some level of class as I make my getaway. Because that’s what I’ve been doing all night—exuding class.

I’m halfway down the street when Declan calls out, “Addie, wait!”

Like a coward, I speed up, but he’s a professional athlete and I’m wearing a jumpsuit not meant for exercise, so he catches up to me.

“Eat with me.” He raises his bag of food, and the smell of grease fills the air. My stomach gurgles, and it pulls a stunning smile from Declan’s lips.

“I’m full,” I lie, patting my abdomen.

“From the plain lettuce you were eating?” he counters, raising an eyebrow when my body releases a roar. “I have pasta, bread, French fries, ribs, a cheeseburger—”

He just said the magic word.

“I’m in.”

CHAPTER 2

Good News – Shaboozey

Declan

Addiewalkstwostepsin front of me through the sprawling park overlooking Elliot Bay, her hips swinging back and forth in her jumpsuit, the deep emerald green brightening the streaks of copper in her auburn hair. The ocean offers a cool summer breeze, and the first colors of the sunset begin to paint the sky with varying shades of pinks and purples.

I could spend hours in this park, allowing the thoughts to wash away. It’s one of the few places where I can escape the grief and memories that are still raw.

Tonight, the memories were beginning to drown me in the somber quiet of my condo. I needed to escape, to be anywhere but my empty home, but the last place I expected to end up was in my favorite park with one of the nutritionists from work.

She was desperate for a rescue from what I consider the world's worst date. I think if I gave the Guinness Book of World Records a call, they would contemplate adding that to their records because,wow,was that guy a douche.

I’ve never spoken to Addie outside of work, but anger flared, hot and wild, when her date spoke about her like she wasn’t sitting across the table, head hung low in embarrassment as she picked at her salad. But when he degraded her to nothing more than ‘eye candy’ for players, it was time to go. I was done listening to him spew bullshit, and I couldn’t stomach the disappointed look on Addie’s face.

We may not know each other very well, but no one deserves that treatment.

“How about there?” she asks, pointing at my favorite tree, the one I lounge beneath after my morning run to catch my breath. It’s where I hide from the world. It’s also a great area to spot different birds. She stops beneath the large oak tree, head lifting to look through the branches as I lay the blanket over the grass and set the food out.

“This is my favorite tree,” I admit, running my hands along the tough bark of the trunk.

“You have a favorite tree?” she asks, laughing as she sits beside me, legs folded beneath her. I open the takeaway containers one by one, and with shocking speed, Addie snatches the cheeseburger and French fries. “Come to Mama!”

She pops a potato into her mouth, and my jaw falls slack as she devours the cheeseburger in a few bites, shoulders wiggling with joy. Her eyelids flutter shut in bliss as she chews, and a small dollop of ketchup sits on the corner of her mouth.

When her eyes crack open and she notices my staring, her skin flushes a deep red, all the way to the tips of her ears.

“Sorry,” she mutters, extending what’s left of the meal. “I love cheeseburgers.”

“Oh, don’t apologize,” I drawl, “That was impressive.” I wink, which only deepens her flush, and steal a fry.

Her features are so genuine, a guidebook to what she’s feeling, and it’s wildly refreshing. We’ve rarely interacted other than what our roles require, but she’s well-loved by other players, my friends included.

Deon would die for her—his words—and refers to her as his favorite nutritionist and the world’s greatest smoothie maker. She doesn’t get on Henry’s ass about eating too many of his wife’s cookies, and she does not comment on Jack’s overconsumption of sodium from beef jerky.

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