Page 54 of One Last Chance

“Wow! These seats are the best in town. Chloe, have you seen the seats that your boy got us?”

Tracker stands there, pointing at the seats that are lined up behind the partners of the players’ seats.

“Yeah, they are great,” I agree and take a seat beside Sophia, who’s sitting between Tracker and me.

The sound of a whistle trails behind me, and I turn around and spot my parents sitting behind me, so I wave at them.

“Looks like your folks made it,” Sophia says, and she gives my parents a little wave. There was a time that Sophia was like a second daughter to my parents. She was always at my house and having sleepovers, and she used to walk into the house whenever she pleased. My parents told her that she was welcome anytime. It was nice to hear from my parents that Sophia still visits them now and then.

“Yeah, looks like it.”

“I’m gonna get some food, want anything?” I ask Sophia and Tracker, but instantly regret it when Tracker gives me a list of what he wants to eat.

“I’ll come and help you,” Sophia offers, and we take the steps that lead to the food stalls.

As we’re waiting for the two hotdogs, French fries, and Coke order for Tracker, I tell Sophia that I’m just going to go and grab an ice cream. She nods and tells me that she’ll come find me when she’s done.

As I pay for my ice cream, I turn to walk back to Sophia when I bump into someone and drop my chocolate and vanilla ice cream on the ground. “Shoot,” I bend to pick it up and throw it in the bin.

“Sorry,” a sarcastic voice says.

My eyes travel from the ice cream, to heels, then up long, lean legs dressed in a black business skirt and jacket. A pin catches my attention that’s on her shirt showing the colors of the team along with the number forty-eight—Domenic’s number.She looks out of place standing here while around her are the fans dressed in jeans and the team’s jersey. I mean shouldn’t she be up there in the viewing box with the other rich people?”

“Cassandra,” I reply. “I didn’t know you would be here today.”

She lifts a brow. “I could say the same about you.”

Leaning over to grab a napkin from one of the nearby tables, I wipe my hands from the sticky ice cream mess that was knocked out of my hands.

“Right. Well, it was nice to see you, Cassandra,” I say, planting a fake smile on my face. I take a couple of steps to head back to Sophia, but I stop when she says, “He’s mine, you know, Chloe. We stayed up in bed after we made love last night while making our arrangements for our engagement party. You see, Domenic proposed to me last night.”

Breathe, Chloe, breathe.

Slowly turning around, I lick my suddenly dry lips and reply, “Sorry, what did you say?” Not being sure if I heard her correctly, I want her to repeat it.

“She smiles wide. “That’s right. We’re getting married. So, you can run off and go back to where you came from. Domenic doesn’t want you here. He’s too nice to tell you himself.”

Air.

Oh, God, I need air.

“Chloe… Chloe.” My name is being called in the distance as I blink my eyes a couple of times, trying to gain my composure.

“Chloe, are you okay?”

Finally, my vision becomes clear, and I look around for Cassandra, but she’s no longer there.

“Chloe?” Feeling Sophia’s hand on my arm, I focus on her. “I’m not feeling so well, Sophia,” I lie, placing my fingers on my temple. “I’m coming down with a migraine, I think.”

Sophia frowns as she struggles to hold all the food on the tray for Tracker.

“You were fine a minute ago. Did it just come on?”

Nodding, I reply, squinting my eyes, doing my best to fake it. “Yeah, just like that. I’m gonna head back to the lodge.”

She places the tray on a nearby table. “We’ll take you back. I’ll call Tracker, it will be quicker.”

“Please don’t,” I beg, placing my hand on hers that’s in the middle of dialing Tracker’s number. “Tracker’s looking forward to this game, and I don’t want it ruined by me. Please, Soph, I’ll catch a cab. Honestly, there are plenty out front. I promise I’ll be okay.”

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