Page 54 of The Player's Obsession

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense, I love you, Mom. It’s always good to hear your voice.”

“Penelope, you need to come with Oliver when he comes to visit us next.”

“That’s fine,” I reply. I’m not sure what I’m getting into, but if Oliver is with me, I’m sure it will be required. He owns my time for a month.

“I’ll talk to you later then, bye-bye,” his mother replies cheerfully before she disconnects from us.

“You’re going to visit them after your next game?”

“It depends on if we win or lose.”

“Right. Do you visit your parents often?”

“As much as Michael and I can with our schedules. The off-season is easier for him because he’s on the West Coast.”

“He plays for the Seattle Seagulls,” I say, and when he smiles, I assume I’ve impressed him.

“Yes.” I like making him smile. I’m surprised he’s not been difficult to get along with, but we’re at the first stage of a long weekend. It’s as if I’m rooting for him to surprise me. Maybe he’s not as egotistical as I thought.Is it possible that he loves Melanie?

And it’s not a power play to get what he wants? My heart sinks into my stomach. This is crazy. I don’t have feelings for him. We don’t know each other. I found as much as I could about him online. It was a sick obsession that lasted an afternoon when I should have been working, but I got my work done quickly. I have an uncanny sense of numbers.

“So, you and Lucinda met and became friends. Why did you leave New York?”

I look at him, and when our eyes meet, I lift my eyebrows.

“Oh, your brother?” he guesses.

“Yes, and parents. Dad has a drinking problem. I never dreamed my brother would follow me here. It appears he finds the unsavory characters he loves no matter what city or state.”

“That’s how it works. It’s what he knows, and you will never make any sense out of it.”

“You’ve seen this before?”

“Sure. We have programs for players who run into trouble with alcohol and substance issues. It’s an avenue to get players back on track before their life blows up. Most of the time, their terrible performance and the risk of getting cut motivate them to seek help. For others, it never happens.”

“I doubt Carlo will find his way out.”

“If he doesn’t, I’m sorry. But I’m glad he won’t pull you down with him.”

We’re both quiet for a moment, and then it dawns on me we didn’t talk about his mother. That’s a box on the dating checklist that needs to be ticked. Not that we’re dating, but technically we are. This is weird sitting beside a man who is known nationally. I can’t begin to guess how many women would want to be me right now. Lucinda is a given.

“Your mother…”

“Oh, no.”

“What?”

“Mom is off-limits,” he chuckles.

“Why?”

“She’s Mom.”

“Yeah, so I talked about my parents.” I’m not letting him slide on this.

“Fine. What has your brain fired up?”

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