Page 51 of Matched with the Player

The words, so vivid in Marissa’s mind, and yet sounding distinctly like Brandy Collins when she was all fired up, set Marissa back on her heels. Where had that idea come from? By the look of her mom nodding vaguely at something Stacy was saying, Marissa knew Brandy hadn’t uttered them.

They were probably a truth she’d known deep in her heart all along – that she occasionally took shelter from her own life in the shadow of her mom’s, complicit in the helper role she’d always gravitated toward. She couldn’t use her mother’s injury as a reason not to take chances. Maybe she needed to take more responsibility for carving out the kind of life she wanted to have with Kyle instead of waiting for the ideal situation.

Wouldn’t she rather have an ideal man?

Tears threatened, and she didn’t think she could hold them back.

“Uh—Stacy?” Isaac called, apparently seeing the imminent waterworks. “You’d better come here.”

“It’s nothing,” Marissa insisted, not wanting the whole room to watch her weep. But her voice came out squeaky, advertising her emotions all too well.

She’d watched Kyle’s games on TV since she’d left Pittsburgh. He’d played well for an average player, but she knew it wasn’t his top form. Guilt had swamped her, knowing he was feeling her loss as much as she was missing him. But not until today had she realized how little effort she’d made to work things out with him. Isaac had offered her a small piece of the puzzle – a way to start compromising with Kyle toward a more workable relationship.

But recognizing how emotionally depleted she’d been – running on empty to try and hold her life and her mom’s together – also made a big impact. It hadn’t occurred to her that she wasn’t making the best decisions now until she’d felt the adrenaline letdown after seeing Brandy look at her with recognition for those few precious moments.

Footsteps clicking across the hardwood alerted her to Stacy joining them.

“Holy moly!” She picked up her pace when she saw Marissa and then frowned at Isaac. “I left you alone for two minutes and you made her cry?” She put an arm around Marissa. “Isaac, you should bring the dogs in from the kitchen. Tink and Belle will cheer her up.”

“That’s okay,” Marissa protested, shaking her head. “I’m fine. Isaac just made such a generous offer that it moved me to tears.” She sniffed and smiled at both of them, feeling new hope take hold inside her. “And he helped me realize that I made a big mistake with Kyle.”

Chapter Fourteen

Marissa Collins was in the market for a man. A tall, dark and gorgeous man, in fact, since she’d set her sights on Philadelphia’s most wanted eligible bachelor.

And this time, she planned to keep the prize catch for herself.

She wove through the partygoers on the patio of a historic Philadelphia hotel, a few patio heaters employed to ward off the chill lingering in the April air. But this was a hockey-going crowd, come to celebrate the city’s division champs, so they didn’t mind a little bite to the breeze. Marissa wore a vintage smoking jacket over her wide-legged trousers, channeling her inner Katherine Hepburn. She could use a little of that Hepburn grit tonight.

In the pocket of her jacket, her cell phone vibrated against her thigh. She never would have heard it otherwise since a deejay played rock and roll classics well-loved by the locals. She paused by a low brick wall that wrapped around a seating area to retrieve the call. No, the text.

Have u seen him yet?

Stacy must be trolling the crowd too, both of them in search of Kyle. And if Stacy had attended the event, Isaac must be here too, the two of them charmingly inseparable ever since they’d met. Stacy had convinced Isaac to help with the filming and editing of the content for Diva No More, the visual component his area of expertise with a graphics background. She’d insisted he needed more fun and balance in his life after the years of non-stop work on honing his graphics chip. The Diva social media accounts now all had a look that was polished and edgy at the same time, with supporting parts shot in black and white, edited into Stacy’s irrepressible narrative.

In turn, Isaac had convinced Stacy to film an upcoming edition with a reunion between her and her father, a moment Phil Goodwell was apparently excited about since he grudgingly approved of Isaac Reynolds. He might not have Kyle’s superstar athlete appeal or the Murphy family connections, but Isaac’s business clout was undeniable and greedy Goodwell would surely find a way to make the most of it. Mostly, Marissa was just happy that Isaac would help Stacy find a way to keep a relationship with her dad while maintaining a few barriers, too. And she liked the idea that Goodwell wouldn’t try anything petty like withholding funds from Kyle’s Full Strength hockey camp now that the arena owner understood he couldn’t dictate Stacy’s life.

Compatibility counseling for that pair was becoming a moot point in Marissa’s opinion, but Isaac still planned to give the session to Stacy for a birthday gift next month- right after the spa day he’d booked for her. Because no matter how much independence she carved out for herself, Stacy would always have a side of her personality the craved pretty things—even if it was just pasting rhinestones on the glovebox of her minivan. Marissa couldn’t help but admire how Stacy had found a niche for herself, an arena where she thrived.

Maybe Marissa could do the same—be there for her mother, but protect a part of her life that was all her own.

Nada, she texted back, peering around the milling crowd made up mostly of season ticket holders but also a few random fans who’d won local contests for the chance to attend the high end soiree. The proceeds would benefit a Phantoms’ charity.

Marissa was nervous to see him, even though she had rehearsed what she’d say. She was like a junior high girl waiting to ask a boy to dance. And damn it, where had her inner Katherine Hepburn gone?

Have you checked the bar?

Marissa pocketed the phone, thinking that would be the coincidence of all coincidences. The night already felt like déjà vu between the high-end party and the hockey team strengthening community ties with an outreach event now that the regular season had ended. It felt like the night they’d met. The night she’d tried to land Kyle for another woman and wound up falling for him herself.

No way would he be working the bar again.

Unless… did Stacy know something she didn’t?

Spinning toward the nearest outdoor counter serving drinks, Marissa saw a young woman with an apron and a ponytail pouring red wine from a decanter. No dice. So, turning in the other direction, she trekked through a few groups of fans and Phantoms’ corporate sponsors to find another bar. Night had fallen though, and despite the lanterns burning around the courtyard garden, she couldn’t see who served the drinks.

Whoever it was had quite a crowd. She guessed that meant either a juggling bartender was putting on a show with the bottles, or a player had taken over the post to mingle with his admirers.

Butterflies took flight in her belly, a fluttery feeling that made her breathe faster. It had to be him.

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