Page 82 of Force Play
Being open and vulnerable is new to me, but I think I’m safe with Lucia.
I know I can trust her.
And I think she realizes now that she can trust me, too.
twenty-seven
Lucia
“Hey,babe!”Ellachimesfrom the other end of the phone. “Feeling any better now?”
I lay back against my pillows, pressing the phone up to my ear. “I was feeling fine this morning. I didn’t drink much yesterday.”
I can hear her sigh. “I guess I just assumed that you did.”
“I’m not going to let Matt get to me,” I lie. “He’s not worth that.”
“Luc, it’s okay if it upset you to see him yesterday.”
“I wasn’t upset,” I reply quickly. “I don’t think about him.”
“Okay,” Ella relents, sensing that I don’t want to delve into this topic. “Anything exciting coming up?”
“I have a work meeting tomorrow,” I chuckle. “I get to go see my favorite co-worker kiss our physician’s ass.”
“I fucking hate Logan,” she seethes. “He’s such a prick.”
“Preaching to the choir, babe,” I laugh. “But meeting with Dr. Coltrain tomorrow should help get an idea of what to do this season. I’m not letting Logan Dawson become the Head Trainer over me.”
“You’re more qualified and better at your job.”
“He’s just as qualified and just as good,” I sigh. “The only things he lacks are tact and empathy.”
“Which makes you better at your job.” I can almost hear her smile through the phone. “He’s good with what he learned in college, as are you, but you have skills developed outside of that as well. You’re a shoo-in.”
Ella makes some excellent points.
I excel in treating the players with compassion and understanding.
I don’t think Logan has a compassionate bone in his entire body.
“Not a shoo-in, but I’ve got a damn good chance,” I assert, smiling brightly.
“That’s my girl!” she says happily. “Lucia Torres never lets anything stand in her way.”
My smile falters a bit.
The facade I’ve put up for myself is so successful that even my best friends seem to think nothing can faze me.
But pretending to always be strong is so fucking exhausting.
I can feel the fractures it’s creating, and in time, I’ll shatter completely.
Ella changes the subject now. “Ari seemed like he was being nice to you yesterday.”
“We’re getting along,” I shrug.
“We’ve always told you he’s a good guy.”
