Page 31 of Glitz & Goals

Tristan, my new favorite left winger, scoffs. “She hasn’t seenmine…but having shared the showers with the rest of you, I get why she wouldn’t be impressed.”

“You’re asking the wrong questions,” says a woman’s voice. “What I want to know is, where’s the vicious, self-serving coach who almost made my sweet Camden puke?” She walks up behind Camden and ruffles his hair. He squawks and tries to swat her away, making the other guys laugh.

I look up to see who the newcomer is, and I almost choke on my tongue. The woman standing behind Camden is looking around the circle in search of an unfamiliar face. Her eyes meet mine, and I fight the urge to slither off my chair and hide under the lip of the pool deck.

“Oh,” Vivian says. “It’s you.”

Chapter Ten

Vivian

Grady clambers to his feet and extends one hand toward me. “Grady Metcalfe. Vicious, self-serving head coach.”

I imagine that I can hear choirs of angels all around me, trilling their message in heavenly tones:What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fu-uh-uh-uk?

I smile and take his hand. “Vivian Abbott,” I tell him.

“Great to, uh. Nice to, uh.” Grady coughs and takes a quick sip of his beer. “So, this would make you Viktor’s sister and my goalie coach’s daughter. Awesome. Hello.”

Viktor whistles. “Shit, guys. Coach’s crabby face is back. We need a distraction. Camden, prepare to puke.”

Camden looks from my face to Grady’s. “But he said…”

The rest of the guys have picked up on the weird vibes and are tensed like gazelles ready to flee from an incoming pride of lions.

“Read the room,” Viktor hisses. Louder, he adds, “Who wants a beer?”

The team scatters toward the buffet table, leaving Grady and me by ourselves at the center of a circle of abandoned chairs. Dot and Sofia make sure to catch my eye as they retreat, and I wonder what my face is doing, because I must look… pissed, probably. Grady following me to the Mona Lisa was one thing, but this feels shady as shit.

Like he manipulated me to get in my pants.

As soon as they’re gone, I take a step closer to him and lower my voice to a growl. “What is this?” I demand.

Grady’s eyes flutter shut for a moment. “I was kind of hoping it might be a bad dream, but I’m guessing it’s not. Are you really Noah’s daughter? You don’t look that much alike.”

His words are like a jab to the ribs, but the way they roll off his tongue tells me that he really doesn’t know my story, which is its own kind of relief. “Sure am,” I tell him because that’s all he needs to know.

“I had no idea.” Grady pinches the bridge of his nose. “Is that why you were in the arena that day?”

“He left his tablet at home,” I explain. “And he wanted to impress you, so… yeah.”

“That explains some things.” He pauses for a beat. “Although I guess I still have questions.”

“About the tail?”

“That, too. But also, who did you think I was?”

I lift one shoulder in a noncommittal gesture. “Scout. The press. Vendor. Investor. Agent. Someone new to the front office. I see dozens of new faces every time I’m there. But I knew you were too old to be a player.”

“Ouch.” Grady laughs, but it’s weak at best. “Listen, I understand if this is a dealbreaker, but…” His throat bobs.

I think of how he was last night, how he never pushed things too far. How he tried to give me exactly what I wanted. We had chemistry, dammit. It was some of the best sex of my life.

And not just the sex. He was kind, too. Affectionate. Thoughtful. And he knows my family. Usually, that would sound like too much commitment, but seeing him here among my people makes me think it could be nice to have a guy in my life who isn’t constantly trying to measure dicks against my dad. Being the son of a pro athlete can put a lot of pressure on them to perform, but being a hall of fame goalie’s daughter comes with its own challenges. I’ve hooked up with guys who weremore excited about my dad’s career than about anything to do withmylife. At the very least, Grady isn’t like that.

“It’s not a dealbreaker,” I say.

Grady’s shoulders slump with relief. “It’s not? Thank God. Scout’s honor, I had no idea who you were. Until right now, I only had your first name. But I don’t want this to be over before it’s barely begun.”

---