Page 27 of Thunderstruck
“I suppose it’s a matter of commitment.”
“That’s usually how engagements work.” And I have no idea what we’re talking about now. I’m good at having inane conversations, but this is…different. This isn’t a ninety-year-old man who just had a hip replacement and wants to talk about his days as a typist in the Army. This is a big and burly rugby player of undetermined fame who is talking in a way that makes me think I should know what he’s trying to say underneath the words he’s actually speaking.
I fold my arms. Might as well just ask. “What are you implying, Cole Evanson?”
His eyes slip downward again, but this time they rest on my hand. “Does your husband-to-be know you’re not wearing your ring while you’re at work?”
“I never wear rings at work. And I’m not getting married.” But then I realize what he’s really asking, and heat floods my face. “Oh. Oh, that ring the other day wasn’t mine.”
Cole scoffs. “The very expensive, very real diamond on your finger wasn’t yours?”
“First of all, how do you know it was real?”
Rolling his eyes, he starts walking toward the stadium like this conversation is over.
It so isn’t. “Second, it really wasn’t mine. I was holding on to it for my sister.”
“Why?”
“Because she didn’t want any of the team to…”Oh no.
Cole stops dead in the middle of the sidewalk, and though he doesn’t turn around to look at me, I see every bit of his tension in his massive shoulders. Is it too much to hope he’s too dumb to make the connection?
Thatquestionis dumb. Of course he’s smart enough to figure out what I just let slip.
As I slowly creep forward to get close to him again, Cole grips the strap of his bag, knuckles turning white. He turns when I reach him, and I swear his dark eyes shoot lasers straight through me. “Tamlin Park is your sister.” It’s not a question. “Darcy goes undercover as Tamlin, doesn’t she?”
I nod, only because at this point I don’t think I could get into more trouble than I’m already in. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I squeak. “I signed a whole contract thing that says I’m not allowed to talk about it.”
He clenches his jaw as another realization hits him. “Tamlin Park was in Derek Riley’s house.”
Oh, he’s really angry. And I don’t blame him. Still, I have to try to fix this before Darcy flies back here and strangles me for ruining her whole career. “She’s not going to do anything. Derek doesn’t have anything to do with sports.”
“But I do!” He runs his hands through his hair and takes several steps away from me, like I might damage his career by simple proximity. “Are you her spy?”
“No!”
“Of course you’ll deny it. Am I going to see something about Bean in today’s news?”
“No,” I say again, though I’m wilting. He’ssomad. “I—”
“It’s bad enough that you show up here with your little good girl act and distract the guys with your flirting. Now you’re going to pretend you’re more than just a pawn in your sister’s game?”
His words feel like a slap to the face, knocking me back a step. Darcy may be better than me in pretty much every way, but she wouldn’t use me like that. “I didn’t flirt with the guys,” I whisper, knowing he won’t believe me. No one ever does.
Tears sprout in my eyes again, partly because I really don’t like it when people are mad at me but mostly because this is probably the end of my time with the Thunder. Look at me go! I lasted one whole day before I messed everything up. Cole is going to warn his teammates, who will refuse to interact with me, so I’ll be useless to Mel and lose my job and have to go back to Philly with my tail between my legs because what else can I do? Clearly I’m not cut out for…anything.
And after the guys welcomed me so warmly after practice yesterday, I was actually excited about working with them. I even stayed up late to learn a few things on the training side so I could do more than massage a hamstring and demonstrate some stretches. What if they thought I was flirting, just like Cole?
Why do men always take my friendliness for more? Why does it always get me into trouble?
“Are you just going to stand there and pout?” Cole asks sharply. “That might work on some guys,but I’m not—”
“You’ve made your point,” I snap, but the tears are coming whether I want them to or not. I wrap my arms around myself, desperately wishing for someone familiar to tell me everything will be okay.
“Are you…?” Cole groans, running a hand through his hair again as his expression shifts from anger to something softer. “You’re crying.”
I sniffle. “I’m aware of that, thanks.”
