Page 33 of Scoring Grey

“Yes, ma’am.” I stretch my arms above my head and lie back down. She may have left my bed, but her scent and warmth remain, and I know I’ve already pushed her boundaries as far as they will extend for today, so I let her go. Today is a win. My girl was in my bed and now she’s staying at my home. There will be no going back. This time she’s staying for good.

10

ELOISE

“Thanks for taking me with you today. I doubt I would have ever seen those parts of the islands were it not for you letting me tag along.”

“As if I’d say no. You’re letting me stay at your place for free and I like the company.” Dash throws me a cheeky wink. “Of course I was going to take you. I would have let you tag along before today had I known you were interested. Traveling with a companion is always more fun than going solo.”

I flip through the pictures I took on my phone this afternoon. “I needed to finish the painting I’ve been working on. Getting out and stretching my legs, even though it was cold as fuck, was good. However, now the picture I thought was complete will require a few edits.”

Dash looks over at me as we stop at a streetlight. “I thought Cal was letting you use his vehicles. You can get out and get inspired anytime you want. Surely, he didn’t expect you to come to Canada during the season and stay inside his condo the entire time.”

“Even if he wasn’t letting me use his truck, I know I can come and go as I please, but like you said, going out hits differently when you have someone to do it with.” I look out the window on my side. “We haven’t really had time to go out. When he’s not playing games, he’s practicing, and the hours spent in between are enough for nighttime strolls to dinner and hanging out with you.”

“Hey, I can stay out of your hair if I’m encroaching. I know you’re supposed to be up here working on your relationship.”

I start to unlace my boots. “Navigating visitors and maintaining friendships is part of our relationship. Choosing to be together doesn’t mean giving up our bonds with other people.”

“If you say so. I’ll be out of your hair soon enough anyway.”

“Really? You’re leaving already?”

“Maybe. My new boss knows I have zero experience in journalism or photography, so my assignment this week was to show her Toronto. She grew up here, so the ask was big. ‘She said show me what I haven’t seen.’”

“What’s your boss’s name?”

He rubs his chin. “Diana… Diana Rubin. Why?”

I expel a long sigh and move to the laces on my other boot. “I was wondering if perhaps the name would be familiar to me. If she was a friend of my mother’s, maybe we could draw some kind of connection, but that name doesn’t ring any bells.”

Our night of drinks and shared truths didn’t reveal anything insightful aside from the fact we learned why we’re such close friends. We’re both July birthdays, but for some reason, I always assumed he was a year older than me. Turns out he’s a year younger. Oh yeah, and we discovered we both prefer our coffee black, burning the midnight oil and oysters. Like I said, nothing helpful.

“Hey, don’t take those off. I have one last place I want to take you. As for your mother’s evil plans, I wouldn’t overthink it. What harm can come out of offering me a job? She couldn’t have known I’d say yes. What if I’d said no? This wouldn’t even be a conversation. If anything, it’s a distraction.”

A distraction. I hadn’t looked at it from that perspective, and I’m not sure he meant it in the same way I’m taking it, but that’s because he doesn’t know Ada Beck intimately like I do. My mother knows Iverson and I are keen on her ways. She’s making a move, and Dash is a decoy. How could I have missed that? I pull out my phone and shoot my brother a text.

Eloise: Dash is a distraction. He’s a decoy to make us look the other way.

Ugh. I impatiently wait for dots to appear, telling me my brother received my text, and when they don’t, I stuff my phone back into my bag. If he’s the decoy, I need to let this go. Looking up, I see that we’re pulling into the stadium.

“Dash, what are we doing here?”

“Helping you get out of your own way.”

“The team is practicing right now.”

“Exactly, they’re practicing. It’s not a game. Baby steps.”

That’s another thing that slipped out during our cocktail session. My reservations about attending Cal’s games. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that Cal has invited me to every game since Dash has been in town and I’ve yet to go.

“I don’t think we can just waltz into practice. It’s not like it’s open to the public.” I try in one last-ditch attempt to get him to turn the car around as I rub my anxious palms on my jean-clad thighs.

He reaches across the console to open the glove box and pulls out the VIP pass Cal has kept on the table since I arrived. “You are not the public. You’re Callum Balfour’s girlfriend, and I’m not going in.”

I hold the lanyard. “This is a game pass.”

“I know what it is. I called in a favor. I sent the guy at Gate A your picture and told him you’d have this as proof you are a VIP.”

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