Page 119 of Double Play

“Are you in town visiting?” Ezra is from a small town in the Midwest.

She nods. “I am.”

“What was little Ezra like as a kid?”

She smiles at him. “The same as he is now. Sweet, talented, and handsome.”

Ezra has his arm around her and squeezes her close. “Aw, stop it. You’re making me blush. I’m telling Steve you said that.”

I pinch my eyebrows together. “Steve?”

Ezra nods. “Her fiancé.”

Fiancé? Ezra and Daisy look very comfortable together. It’s weird. Whatever. Not my business.

Cheetah winks at me. “You’re last to arrive, buddy. Pay the piper.”

“Seriously? Have you seen how slow I am these days? I’ll be last to everything.”

Cheetah shrugs. “Sorry, man. You know the rules.”

I sigh as I sit with my giant cast hanging out of the booth like a robot. “It’s a proven fact that cuddling can relieve physical pain.”

Cheetah starts laughing. “Do you want me to come home with you tonight to cuddle? You can be the big spoon if you want.”

I roll my eyes.

Ripley gives me a soft smile. “I like that one. It’s sweet. Have you spoken with Arizona today?”

“Yep. I got to watch Butch grope her via FaceTime for my benefit for what feels like the hundredth day in a row.”

She takes my hand and squeezes it. “It’s not like she’s enjoying it. She loves you. She misses you.”

I let out a breath. “I hope so. This whole thing is fucked. I should have paid her way out of the contract.”

I tried but Tanner wouldn’t let me.

My train of thought is broken by a sultry, female voice. “Hey, Layton.”

I look up and see Delta standing next to me in barely there clothing. “Hi, Delta. Long time, no see. How are you?”

She tucks her dark hair behind her ear. “I’m well. I hear you’re on the market again. We should hang out.”

“You heard wrong.”

She pulls out her phone. After fiddling withit for a minute, she hands it to me, pointing to the screen. It’s a photo of Arizona and Butch at one of their shoots. She looks so beautiful. Her long, blonde hair is messed to perfection. Her eyes are sparkling. She’s already tan. Butch has his hands on her hips and they’re both laughing.

I feel like my heart is being ripped out. She’s smiling at him. She should be smiling at me.

I toss it back at her. “It’s just a photo shoot. They’re playing it up for the cameras. It’s their job.”

Her eyes widen. “It doesn’t look like an act to me. There have been photos of them on dates too.”

Ripley practically snarls. “He’s not interested. Hit the road. No skanks welcome here.”

Delta narrows her eyes at Ripley. “What are you going to do, fat ass? Sit on m…”

Before the sentence is even finished, Quincy pops out of his seat with speed I didn’t know he was capable of and gets right in Delta’s face. “If you ever talk to her like that again, it will be the last words you utter.”

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