Page 25 of Close Knit

Is she Cam’s type? A woman who’s as stunning as she is confident, who’s made a name for herself by breaking hearts? She did mention once that she had a soft spot for famous footballers, but she never dropped any names.

Was Cam heartbroken over her? Was I just a clumsy rebound?

My pizza turns over in my tummy.

The show started filming in May, so they couldn’t have been together then. At least he didn’t lie about being free of any entanglements.

Damn knitting jokes!

I hope he gets tied up in a net and,argh, I don’t know, can’t unwind himself for an hour.

“Is he always like that?” I ask the team.

The question seems pointless. The less I know about him, the better.

Honestly, the two minutes I spent looking him up online after I found out his name only resulted in a jumble of soccer news I couldn’t understand and the revelation that he’s from California, born into a wealthy sports family.

“Standoffish?” Sven lifts a brow at me.

Omar sighs. “He’s new to the club, so we don’t really know him yet.”

“But we’re trying.” Tamu shrugs a shoulder. “We’ve had a rough start to the season. He probably needs some time to come around.”

Maybe the losing streak is what’s causing him to be a different person since the last time we saw each other? A drop of sympathy forms in the back of my throat, but I swallow it away.

“I heard his last team really turned him inside out,” Ibrahim says with a frown. “Overton’s known for making players run until they pass out. The coach carries a roll of duct tape to slap over players’ mouths if they make a bad call. And that whole livestream—”

“Let’s not fuel any rumors, yeah?” Tamu ends the conversation, reaching for the remote and turning up the volume.

We finish up the episode, which left the guys severely disappointed that I was, in fact, right in my recoupling predictions.

“All right, hit pause,” I say, rising from the couch with a newfound resolve. “I’m going to grab some knitting supplies, and then we can get to work.”

Chapter 6

Cameron

August 25th

Overton Coach Endangers Players’ Lives with Illegal Heatwave Practices! Fines to Rossi.

What wasI thinking watching Daphne Quinn bond with my teammates? Her smile and curious eyes were pure torture.

I should have gone inside my apartment by now, but I lingered, listening to their laughter from the top of the stairs. Each laugh sharpened the ache in my chest.

To make things worse, they’re watchingLust Island. Did they tell her about Mal Kelly and me? Whatever they said would be tabloid drama anyway.

Mal and I lasted five months. I met her at a club. Back then, I went out a lot, trying to escape how bad things had gotten after I replaced Charlie. Anonymity felt like intimacy. My rule was one-night stands only, but Mal kept showing up. It was convenient, and there were no strings attached.

It wasn’t love, but it didn’t matter—not to anyone. Once the livestream hit the tabloids, Mal made our fleeting connection seem like more than it was. Turned me into her “damagedgoods” footballer she was only trying to save. All she cared about was fame, and my name in the tabloids gave her that. Now, I’ve learned my lesson.

That’s why I need to avoid Daphne Quinn at all costs.

I’m so lost in thought that I don’t notice the sound of stairs creaking until it’s too late.

“Oh, you’re here.” Her voice startles me. I shoot up from my seat, retreating toward my apartment. She can’t see me like this. “Wait, Goose—uh, Cameron, can we clear the air? I think we got off on the wrong foot last week.” I fumble with my keys. “Hellooooo?” A tap on my shoulder freezes me.

“I’m busy,” I mutter, avoiding eye contact.

---