Page 51 of Cheap Shot
Although Kyle and Stacey have practically known me for the same amount of time, they’re always in competition about who I love more and who is my favorite. Both of them are constantly trying to one-up each other and get me to declare who is my favorite. The last time we had this argument, Stacey lost and didn't talk to me for almost a week, but to be fair, Kyle fixed my printer so I could print my term paper, which was 80 percent of my grade. He definitely earned the title of my favorite that day.
“No.” I raise an eyebrow at her before lunging for the phone and missing a second time. “Okay, maybe. Now give me that reason.”
“ColeisKyle’sbrother,” I mumble softly.
“Repeat that, please.” Stacey drops her arm low enough for me to snatch the phone from her hand and toss it across the room. Her body stiffens in my arms as her head slowly turns in my direction, her eyes narrowed slightly.
“No.”
“Yes, because there is no way in hell you’ve known for weeks that Cole is our best friend Kyle’s brother that we have never met and not said a damn thing to me.” Stacey’s voice raises slightly as I put a little space between the two of us, wondering how she is going to react.
Instead of her exploding with a tidal wave of questions shot at me rapid fire, she just climbs off the couch and begins pacing.
“Why are you pacing?”
“Shh. I need to think for a minute.”
My eyes remain locked on Stacey as she paces back and forth in front of the couch, muttering something to herself below her breath. This process continues for a few minutes, only broken up by her pausing her pacing for a few moments before she starts the entire process over again.
Imhotep meows from some place on the floor, as if asking what the hell is going on with her. I lean over and pick him up, placing him in my lap before answering his unspoken question. “I have no idea what’s wrong with her either, buddy.”
Stacey suddenly stops in front of me, her hands propped on either side of her hips
“Okay, let me have it.” I motion with my hands for her to continue speaking.
“Cole and Kyle are brothers.” I nod my head, not wanting her to lose her train of thought, “But I thought he only had two brothers.”
“Apparently, he has three. Cole and Kyle aren’t exactly close. When the hiring manager gave me Cole’s file, it said Cooper and Beau were his brothers. When I spoke to Kyle after my meeting, he said?—”
Stacey’s eyes practically bulge out of her head as she throws her hands in the air. “You already told him you have the hots for his brother?”
“I didn’t tell him on purpose. He texted me when I was in the middle of freaking out about telling my dad about my new job, and it just kind of came out.”
“I doubt that it just came up in conversation.”
“Okay, maybe, but he got to me first.”
“All I hear is you saying that you do, in fact, love Kyle more than me.” Stacey spins on her heels and heads toward her discarded phone.
I jump to my feet and grab her arm, pulling her to a stop. “No, I don’t love Kyle more than you. I love you both equally for different reasons.”
She gives me a speculative side eye before crossing her arms and turning toward me. “I’m listening.”
“I called Kyle back when I was literally having a panic attack, and I kind of just blurted it out.” I’m not lying to her. I just left out the fact that he was texting me as I was taking out my phone to call him instead.
“And what did the other best friend have to say about it?”
“Other than he hasn’t talked to his brother in years?”
“Yeah, but put a pin in that. We’ll come back to that later. What did he say specifically about you and his brother being an item?”
“We aren’t an item, Stacey.” I roll my eyes for what seems like the millionth time today.
“You say tomato, I say tomahto.” She smiles, grabbing the cat from my lap and petting him on the floor. “But the important question is, what did Kyle have to say?”
“Anyway, he asked if there were any rules about employee relationships—and before you ask, there aren’t any rules that say employees and players can’t date each other—and that I should go for it.”
“I like the way he thinks.” Stacey giggles, her anger at me completely forgotten, taking a seat on the couch beside me. “I also agree with him. If you aren’t breaking any rules, what’s stopping you?”
