Page 51 of Regards, Mia

“Don’t fuck with me. You know who?”

Thatcher had a lady neighbor who had been occupying his mind. She would have been sitting at the table with Mia and her book club friends.

“I don’t know.” The President of the United States could have been sitting at the table with Mia and I wouldn’t have noticed him.

“Can you go check?”

I leave the locker room, promising to return with news. Cassandra is waiting outside the locker room for me, insisting I make more rounds. We stop by a few more tables, getting closer to the table Mia occupies with her friends. I make an effort to look for Thatcher’s woman, but she isn’t here yet.

Mia meets my gaze, and I feel like I’ve been clapped with a bolt of thunder. I haven’t seen her all day, and it feels like it’s been years.

“I want to introduce you to a potential sponsor,” Cassandra says, steering me away from Mia’s table.

“No.” I say it with more force than necessary.

“Jay.” Cassandra touches my shoulder. “You’re paying me to help you.”

I nod stiffly. “I know.”

She flashes her perfect smile. “So let me help you.”

I can’t help but remember the brief period we’d given dating a shot. We had fizzled out, not because of the distance between our homes, but because the chemistry was severely lacking. Although Cassandra was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, there was no spark between us.

“Give me a minute,” I say, glancing in Mia’s direction.

“It’s your dime,” she says, backing off.

I make my way over to Mia’s table and give George a squeeze on the shoulder. “Everything look okay?”

He nods, taking his eyes off Mia for a moment to watch the fight. “Gemma is kicking ass,” he says.

“Watch your mouth.”

George smirks. “Sorry, Coach, but she is. Look at her go!”

I watch Gemma kick some serious ass before sitting astride the chair next to Mia. “Thanks for coming,” I say. The phrase sounds more sincere than it has all night.

Mia’s brows pull together in a frown. “How’s Thatcher?”

I cover her hand with mine. “Don’t worry. He’s ready.”

A tight smile stretches her mouth. “Who’s that?”

I follow her gaze to Cassandra and see her through Mia’s eyes. Cassandra is gorgeous. Her dark brown skin shines under the bright lights of the gym, and her killer body, poured into a neon pink dress that fits her like a glove, turns every head as she walks by.

“That’s Cassandra Darling, my publicist. She handles all the media.”

Mia pins me with a curious gaze. “Is that all she handles?”

I hear the jealousy in her voice, and it tugs at my heartstrings.A grin lifts my lips, but I force a neutral expression before Mia can spot it.

“These days? Yeah,” I say, enjoying the fire dancing in her eyes. I link our fingers for a brief moment and squeeze.

“She’s gorgeous.” Mia’s gaze is trained on our joined hands.

“It’s not like that between us. Not anymore.”

Mia turns her attention back to the fight. “You don’t have to babysit me in public,” she says, dismissing me.

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