Page 57 of Rafferty

I hold my breath, but Tempe doesn’t. She lets out a relieved sigh.

“You believe Tansy really fabricated these drug allegations because you ended whatever arrangement she thought you had?” Brienne asks, piecing together the motives behind the scandal.

“Yes,” I confirm. “I mean… I can’t say one hundred percent for sure, but no one else would do this to me. I hate to say it because she’s your cousin, and I’m sorry if this offends, but I’ve only seen her be vindictive, and I can only assume she did this to retaliate. To be clear, I’ve never taken any performance-enhancing drugs. The evidence against me, whatever it is, has been falsified.”

Brienne taps her fingers on the table, her expression thoughtful, then looks directly at me. “If what you’re saying is true, we need to act swiftly to clear your name and handle the person responsible.”

“I’d appreciate that,” I say, although I’m not quite sure what that means.

Callum nods, his mouth set in a grim line. “We’ll need to investigate, get our legal team involved, and verify everything you’ve told us. We’ll also need to manage the PR aspect carefully.”

“No.” Brienne straightens and walks to her desk. “I’m going to call Tansy to come in and meet me right now. This gets settled today.”

Oh shit. NowthatI didn’t expect.

Brienne grabs her phone but looks back at me. “Are you okay with that?”

“Do you want me here when you speak to her?” I ask, not really wanting in the fray but absolutely willing to call out Tansy face-to-face.

“No,” Brienne says quietly. “This will be handled privately between me and her, but I want you to know a few things. It’s true that she’s my cousin, which is not something I publicized, and that’s because I had nothing to do with her being hired. I don’t play favorites and no one works for this team who isn’t qualified. She was hired by our chief marketing officer and I had no input. I have no supervisory authority over her and trusted that she would do a good job. By all accounts, she has, but I won’t tolerate this type of behavior by her or anyone. You should have trusted me on that, but I also understand you’re new to the team and don’t know me that well. I hope you’ve learned something from this.”

Yeah, I’ve learned that Brienne Norcross has my undivided loyalty until the day I die. “Consider me educated,” I reply solemnly. “And I’m sorry for everything. I handled it poorly.”

The corner of Brienne’s mouth tips up, her eyes going to Tempe, then back to me. “I think some things seemed to have worked out okay.”

More than okay.

Tempe and I rise to leave, and Callum promises to keep me updated. He won’t commit as to when I will be cleared to return to the team but says he’ll let me know something by the end of the day.

“Go enjoy yourselves tonight. Celebrate the new year,” he says as he walks us to the door.

That’s the last thing on my mind at this moment, but I’m sure we’ll still go to Foster and Mazzy’s party. I thank Callum, and Tempe and I head to the elevator hand in hand.

As we wait for the car to arrive, I turn to her. “Thank you for talking me into that.”

She smiles, leaning in to give me a kiss. “I planted the idea. You decided to go for it.”

“We make a good team, huh?”

“The best.”

CHAPTER 23

Tempe

As Rafferty andI step into Foster and Mazzy’s sprawling Squirrel Hill home, the ambiance shifts from the crisp winter air to a warm, festive interior that buzzes with the promise of a fresh start in the new year. The large foyer opens into a spacious living room where the holiday decorations mingle with festive New Year’s Eve embellishments. Strings of silver and gold garlands drape from the ceiling, adding a sparkle that competes with the twinkling Christmas lights still wound around the banisters wrapped with fresh pine boughs.

We greet several players and their SOs as we head toward the kitchen where we’ve been told to fill up on food and drink. Only the players were invited to this party, so there’s no chance Tansy will be here.

Food is top of the agenda because we’re both starved after not eating all day. After we left Brienne’s office, we ran a few errands and then stopped by my house to hang with my mom and Cooper for a bit. We ended up watching a football game and I’m not sure who fell asleep first, but all I know is that when we woke up, we had to rush back to Rafferty’s place to get ready.

The kitchen is so lovely. The expansive white granite island, streaked with black and flecked with silver, serves as the centerpiece for the night’s festivities. It’s laden with an array of finger foods and a punch bowl filled with a fizzy red concoction, surrounded by crystal flutes. A massive silver tub on a pedestal holds bottles of champagne, presumably chilling for a midnight toast.

Rafferty and I fill our plates, ignore the punch for the time being and head out onto the back deck that’s covered with dozens of strands of Edison lights wrapped in more silver and gold garland. Several gas heaters are positioned every few feet, so it’s quite pleasant as the chilly air just barely reaches us.

We eat and chitchat with some of the players, exchanging pleasantries and holiday wishes. The women are all in glittering dresses and the men in sharp suits, and I find it interesting that no one brings up the drug allegations. I mean, the team has clearly rallied around Rafferty and no one believes the accusations, and maybe that’s why it’s not a subject of conversation. In everyone’s minds, there’s nothing to discuss.

A rapping on the living room window gets our attention and I see Willa and Mazzy, peering out at us. They grin and motion for me to come inside.

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