Page 5 of Rafferty

But I’m really a face girl and that’s what sold me. High cheekbones, full lips, straight nose and beautiful blue eyes that stood out under slashing dark brows. He has a scar above his eyebrow and a smaller one on his chin, but that only heightens his appeal. His hair was a bit shorter than I prefer, cut short on the sides and slightly longer on top, but no one’s perfect, I guess.

“You deserve to have someone.” I look over at my mom, her tone pulling me out of my daydreams about the gorgeous man and that hot-as-hell kiss. She’s sad and tears sparkle in her eyes. “Oh, Temperance. I can’t stand it that you had to drop out of school for this… for me. It’s supposed to be my job to take care of you, and here you are… and Cooper too… it’s not right that kids have to take care of their parents.”

I lurch up off the couch and go to my knees at the side of her wheelchair. I reach for her arm, as I can’t squeeze her hand for reassurance like I want to. “Mom, it’s okay. School is just on hold. I’ll go back and finish. It’s only a pause, not an end. And there’s nothing that pleases me more than to help you because you worked your ass off to take care of me and Cooper after the sperm donor left us.”

I refuse to call him my dad because that gives him too much credit.

She nods, but I can tell the worry is still there, nestled deep in her heart. “I know, honey. I just wish things were different.”

“We’ll get through this,” I assure her, the confidence I convey more for her benefit than my own belief. I kiss her forehead. “I’m going to make you some tea and grab me a bowl of delicious mac and cheese. Want to watch an episode ofYellowstonewith me before I whip Cooper’s butt in backgammon?”

“Sure,” she says, patting my face before I pull away. “Sounds like a lovely evening.”

In the kitchen, I spoon the orange gooeyness onto a plate and nuke it, my thoughts drifting back to Rafferty. His kiss, though unexpected, sparked something, a brief flare of excitement in my otherwise overwhelmed life. But the reality of my situation settles around me like a heavy cloak. Work, caring for Mom, caring for Cooper—I’ve got too much on my plate to think about anything else, especially not some random guy from the store, no matter how good his kiss felt.

Besides… there’s something far more important than a sizzling kiss.

Money.

Money is what I think of morning, noon and night.

Or rather, the lack thereof.

Mom’s injuries have generated staggering co-pays for the hospital and rehab expenses. It’s always been tight, my mom sometimes working two jobs to support me and Coop as we grew up. While I have several scholarships, college has put a strain on us all. I’ve worked at the grocery store for years, starting in summers during high school and on college breaks to help contribute, and I’m lucky they let me come on full time while I’m home taking care of Mom. Right now, though, I’m the only source of income. I banish thoughts of the hot guy who took my mind off my troubles for just a few moments and try to figure out how I’m going to make next month’s mortgage payment.

CHAPTER 3

Rafferty

I’m pissed, andguessing by the heavy quiet in the locker room, I’m not the only one feeling this way. We’ve just taken a tough loss against the Seattle Storm, a team we should have easily beaten. The mood is grim, the silence punctuated by an occasional slamming door. Coach West came in and gave a terse speech without calling out anyone in particular, but his disappointment in our performance was palpable. He’s so well respected that it makes our own personal dejection more acute.

Normally, after a win, the place would be buzzing, plans for a night out taking shape. Not tonight. Nothing to celebrate, although I suppose drowning our misery in alcohol could be a legitimate goal.

But we’re not like that. The team will disband tonight, go home to wives or girlfriends or empty condos like mine, and we’ll analyze all the ways we individually fucked up. We’ll come back with our heads on straight, because resilience defines this team. We’ve got a road trip to Arizona and then Denver day after tomorrow and we’ll be ready to dominate.

But for now, everyone’s packing up, lost in their own thoughts, eager to get away from the reminders of our substandard play.

I zip up my duffel bag with more force than necessary, trying to shake off the frustration. Saying goodbye to a few of the guys, I head out, each step echoing my irritation. I traverse the hallway that follows the perimeter of the arena at the subbasement level to the elevator that will take me up to the players’ parking garage.

“Rafferty, wait!”

My skin prickles and my irritation ramps up as I recognize Tansy’s voice. Just fucking great.

Since she’s the director of marketing, I have to work with her on occasion. All the players do. While I have no idea the breadth of her duties, I know she liaises with the players on public appearances and sponsorship events, as well as using us in advertising.

In other words, she’s around all the time and I was afraid I’d be bumping into her more often because of this little obsession she has with me. She has full access to go anywhere in this arena.

Annoyed, I turn to face her, managing to keep my tone polite. “What’s up, Tansy?”

There’s no denying she’s an incredibly beautiful woman and I’m sure some of my teammates probably can’t understand why I’m not snapping up what’s being so willingly offered. But like I told King not long ago, it’s not only too easy, there’s just something off-putting about her aggressive behavior. Not that I like women meek and mild. To the contrary, I was totally digging how confident that woman in the grocery store was last night.

Tempe.

Total turn-on that she stepped right into the role of my “girlfriend” and she did it with such self-assurance, I was boggled.

Tansy is before me, and thoughts of the grocery store melt away.

She smiles, and it’s all business at first. “Just a reminder about the marketing promo photo shoot on Monday. You’re scheduled at eleven a.m. and I’ll be sending out a packet of materials you’ll need to go through. We’re doing some videos and you’ll have some speaking parts.”

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