Page 43 of Second Down Fake

“It’s not a problem. I think we’d all love for Mila to join our girl’s day.”

Mila beamed up at Lena, clearly pleased at being let into our club.

No keg stands for us.

Cici grabbed my elbow. “We’ll grab drinks. What do you want, Lena?”

“Water, and a juice for Mila.”

“Sure thing.” Cici leaned close to my ear. “I say we down one drink at the bar and get a second to-go. Lena’s going to be in mother hen mode and we’re going to need to be sneaky if we want to get sloppy.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure we should get sloppy, but a little buzzed, maybe.”

“Just wait until Mack pulls out his private reserve. I didn’t plan on coming to this game, but when Lena said she’d drive, I was in. And that was before I even knew about you.” Cici grinned, ordering a water, a juice, two margaritas, and two “Early Morning Tailgates”, which didn’t sound promising but tasted like a coffee and bad decisions.

At least it had caffeine.

“Here’s your juice, my lady.” Cici bowed down to hand Mila her drink before tossing Lena hers. “And your water because you’re lame.”

“You didn’t say that when I offered to drive.” Lena untwisted the cap and sipped the water.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Diego?” Cici rounded on me, a sparkle in her eyes and face eager for answers. “I thought he swore off dating after the Zoey mess.”

“Cici!” Lena’s eyes widened.

I didn’t blame Cici. I would have asked the same question. But despite the NDA and the deal, I didn’t enjoy lying, especially to a new friend. “It’s casual. We met years ago.”

“You lucky duck,” Cici breathed. “I’ve got to be honest, if you gave me a shot at Diego, I don’t think I could show that kind of restraint. He’s the kind of guy I want to climb like a tree, just wrap myself around him like a rabid raccoon.”

“So, I shouldn’t introduce you two?”

She laughed. “Absolutely. Noa hangs out with Rob most of the time, and I don’t know if you’ve met him yet, but geez, in terms of hottie football players, he’s a disappointment.”

“Rob is a catch,” Lena hissed, covering Mila’s ears with one hand. “And her dad.”

“And I’m sure he’s a great dad. But boyfriend material?” Cici shook her head and scrunched her face. “Maybe if you’re into the whole ‘mean daddy’ thing. Anyway, we should grab another round before we head inside. Sometimes the coaches send around a couple of rounds in the stadium, but these are the only guaranteed free drinks we’ll get.”

“Do we come back here after the game?” I asked.

Lena shook her head. “No. We’ll go to the locker entrance. We don’t go inside, obviously, but there’s a lounge near the press room and we’ll hole up there until they’re done with interviews.”

“Exciting,” I lied.

“Or could come back here with me,” Cici offered. “Mack keeps the bar manned until a couple of hours after the game. Some players even stop by. It’s great.”

“I should probably learn how to navigate the stadium, in case Lena isn’t here next time Diego invites me to a game,” I said reluctantly, the promise of an open bar almost too much to resist. Almost.

Lena glanced at her watch, pursing her lips.

“That’s the sign that we need to wrap it up,” Cici whispered, dragging me back to the bar.

We ordered two shots and followed Lena into the stadium.

I’d only attended a couple of football games in my life. A single game when I visited Becca during her tenure as a college football trainer. Two Patriots football games with my dad and his friends, games that I remembered more for the burning cold than what happened on the field. In all three instances, I’d gone through general admission, elbow to elbow with a mass of people as we shuffled into the sardine-tight seats to watch players that looked like ants from our vantage point.

I braced for that same experience, lagging Lena so I could keep an eye on Mila in the crowds. Instead, we walked to a nondescript gray door with a meaty mountain of a man standing outside.

“Hey, George,” Lena smiled, craning her head up to look him in the eye.

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