Page 8 of The Silent Count
It’s not that I don’t get invited, but more so has to do with the overwhelming feeling like I’m invited out of obligation. My dad feels the same way about these kinds of team events, which is why he won’t bother to show up tonight either.
“Thanks for the reminder. Maybe next time?”
“Big plans tonight?”
I can’t lie to him. I won’t lie to him.
I made a promise to myself a few months ago. A promise that I’d always tell Fortune the truth when possible. Only omitting or altering information when absolutely necessary.
If he ever finds out Ladybug is me, I want him to know that what I said was real. As much of it as possible, at least. Considering I told him I had zero plans five minutes ago, I can’t fabricate the truth now.
Some days, particularly the hard ones, when the stress of my job is weighing heavy on my shoulders, I wish I could run to him and tell him everything. Hoping he’ll set aside his anger long enough to let me vent. Be the steady, unwavering friend he always has been to me. I can only hope that when he finds out—ifhe finds out—I won’t lose my closest confidant.
“No. I don’t have any plans.” A swish of air expels from my lungs. The facility is usually empty by this hour, but I take a step closer to Fortune and lower my voice just in case. “I prefer to leave team events for players. Give them a night away from the ‘fun police.’ With that many of you guys in one place, you all usually keep each other in check, so I don’t have to worry about it as much.”
“I don’t think you’re the fun police. Who called you the fun police?”
No one has ever said it to my face, but it’s hard not to believe it’s true when you walk into a room and everyone swivels their head in your direction. People’s happy-go-lucky smiles drop, and inaudible whispers usually follow. There’s even been times where some of my frequent repeat offenders will leave an event shortly after I show up.
Why? Because they know if they do something stupid,saysomething stupid, their chances of being called into my office increase tenfold. With my job, I am never off duty, even though they are.
“You’re one to talk, Parker. You don’t think I’ve picked up on the fact that you and Abel huddle into a corner during events, glaring around the room while nursing a couple beers?” Both of us crack a knowing smile at each other. Fortune drops his hands to his hips, and I feel empty from our loss of contact. “Then the two of you leave theexactminute you’re allowed to. Not a second later.”
“If I knew you were monitoring me, I would’ve tried harder to have better behavior.”
“I’ve got eyes everywhere, Parker. Don’t let it go to your head.” I twist on my heels, remembering that it’s Tuesday and Dad has a weekly date with his girlfriend, Darlene. I make a mental note to text him once I’m home since he probably left the office around an hour ago. I turn right toward the staff parking lot exit, but fail to calculate that Fortune is heading in the same direction. It’s no surprise when he catches up in two steps and falls into stride alongside me.
The two of us walk in silence for a couple hundred feet before I peer over and eye him skeptically. I should’ve known he’d already be staring at me with a boyish half-smile that would’ve made thirteen-year-old Lea go weak in the knees.
It has the same effect on twenty-seven-year-old Lea—she’s just better at hiding it.
“You should come,” he blurts out at the same time I say, “Well, have a good night.”
My stride comes to a halt when his jade green eyes pin me in place. Fortune takes the opening to walk ahead and open the door for me. My lips part to protest, but the words fall flat on my tongue, distracted by Fortune’s carved-by-the-gods jawline. How alluring he looks with the late afternoon sunlight warming his skin.
“Huddle up in the corner with me.”
“I’m sorry, what?” My head rears back.
He did not just say what I think he…
“Is this some weird episode of Punk’d or something?”
Fortune barks out a laugh, throwing back his head and placing a hand over his heart. Damn him for having such a good laugh. It’s got a hint of a wheeze that makes me wish I could bottle it up to replay on a rainy day. “Abel will be with Scarlett tonight, so I could use some company,” he says after catching his breath. “If anyone looks at you the wrong way, or says something about you being the ‘fun police,’ they can take it up with me.”
I tilt my head to the side, unsure how to respond. On one hand, it’s only a few hours. If it sucks, I’ll have an excuse to never go to one of these dinners again. On the other, the thought of spending an entire night by Fortune’s side, hanging out together in real life, sounds… a lot better than my current plans of rotting away on the couch.
“You’re bruising a guy's ego here, Sterling. What do you say?”
“I say you’ve been hanging out with Calhoun too much, because that sounds exactly like something he’d say.”
“And…” he trails off with a hopeful hint in his tone.
“Aaaaand.” I roll my eyes. “I’ll say yes, but only if you’re driving.”
I know it’s a bad idea as soon as I say it. Being alone with one of my dad’s star players outside of work won’t bode well for either of us if we got caught. But there’s something about the cocky look on Fortune’s face as he juts his head toward his blacked-out SUV that dissolves every ounce of logic in my brain.
The entire walk to his car, I’m reminding myself of two things:
