Page 184 of Chasing Headlines

I swallowed and tried to resurrect my game face as I moved closer.And now he's here, and I'm here and I can see him. He’s ok. He’s ok.

I was pretty sure my game face was gone. I held his gaze—his blue eyes laser so focused, I couldn’t look anywhere else.

But what do I do? The coaches are here, his teammates think we’re together? Am I supposed to act like his girlfriend?Myheart thudded and thumped in my chest. Could I pretend, for all these people?Maybe it’s a ruse for him, but for me . . .

Dotty was right, I was a damned fool, but for this moment in time, I could let myself believe he truly cared.

I gripped his hand in mine, pressing him into a hug that was heated and hesitant, awkward and off-kilter. Like at any moment, I could fall . . .

And when his arm wrapped around my waist . . . He felt far too much like home.

“Breslin . . .”

Chapter Fifty-Three

Olivia POV

Sender and Lee deposited Breslin on his bed, like those moving guys who drag antique furniture the wrong way over traffic spikes, throw what's left into a room and declare the job done. The poor guy's head lolled back against the headboard at an awkward angle, body stretched out in a pair of borrowed sweats, and plain t-shirt.

I stared at him as he hazed in and out of focus. He looked uncomfortable and yetsocomfortableat the same time.No, Liv, bad idea.“I can just sleep standing here.”

“What’s that Liv?” Remi asked as she followed the Breslin-movers into the Cooper-Milline honeymoon suite.

I giggled.Husband’s being brought home drunk, again.

“Hey Liv?” A voice in my ear. My shoulders shook.

“Ah, yeah.” I blinked sore eyes. “What time is it?”

“Three AM. I’m about dead on my feet.” Remi yawned and wiped a hand over her face.

“I could sleep on a bed of nails. Always wondered: who could do that? And why?” I'm pretty sure the sound that escaped my lips qualified as a whimper. “I would sleep so hard on a nail bed.”

She patted me on the shoulder. “Sen’s in the same dorm. A few floors up. I’m, ah, not far either.” She flushed a deep pinkish color as her boyfriend slid an arm around her.

I couldn’t relate. Could I?No, this isn’t the same thing.

“If you need anything, just text.” She gave me a heavy-lidded smile. “I’m sure you can, ah, handle it, him. But we’re here, too.”

“Sure he just needs a little TLC. Fix him up good as new.” Lee winked at me, but I just stared at him and tried to keep from falling over. I’d received a lot of that in the past four hours. Eddie and Fendleman thought they were so clever. Ugh, even Eberhardt.

I was pretty confident I knew which of those jerk-faced coaches let it slip. I would’ve thought them above that kind of thing. I did think them above that kind of thing. But then Dotty and Schorr got into some bizarro pissing match at the hospital and the next thing I knew: I was Breslin the Storm Cooper’s girlfriend, nurse, and sneaky link extraordinaire.

I glanced at Remi in a silent plea. I wanted to be able to confide in someone. I couldn’t talk to Dublin, because she’s . . . Dublin. Cathy was too logical. And blunt.

And Hilda and I weren’t speaking at all.

But, Coop wasn’t out of the woods on the probation and community service front just yet. Dotty had the sheriff driving up to the great metropolis of OKC to deliver paperwork drawn up by her son, the county judge. Between that and the old lady’s campaign to have her fellow senior center residents write letters of recommendation—topped off with an endorsement by the Sheriff’s department—the hope was, at the very least, a few months' extension.

“You ok?” Remi tilted her head as she put a hand on my shoulder. Hazy grey eyes glinted in the stark lighting.

I glanced at Coop, Breslin, lying there in his bed. His dark hair tousled over his forehead, dripping into his closed eyes. My hearthurtto look at him.

“He’ll be back to himself in no time,” Remi's said. And it was like I blinked and all three of them disappeared . . . The door shut with a loud click. I started, caught myself against the wall, and peeled my eyes open.I'm so tired. Three AM was not ok.

I just wanted to sleep. In my bed, in my home. Where was home anymore?

I blinked my eyes wide open and patted both sides of my face. “Almost there. Just need to find someplace to sleep.” I pulled tired legs through the small study area—containing a desk fixed to the wall, and his massively heavy game bag.

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