Page 71 of The Double Play

The corner of my mouth lifts. That’s what Brock gets for teasing me.

“I don’t–” Brock begins and the others finish in unison “have time to date.”

“You say that, but you can make time.”

“Sure, I’ll just let all of my clients flounder in the media and handle their own contracts so I can go out on a date. I’m sure Emmett would love if I let the media eat Hazel alive because I was buying some former sorority girl a drink.”

“What makes you think you could get a former sorority girl to give you the time of day?” Jason ribs.

Laughter fills my headphones.

“This is why I didn’t want to get on here,” Brock grumbles.

“How is it that you’re grouchier than Emmett has ever been?” Shaw asks. “We’retalking,not performing a root canal on you.”

The line goes quiet for a moment.

“I’m sorry, guys. It’s just been a long day. I shouldn’t have brought your situation up either, Emmett.”

“It’s okay,” I say, because it doesn’t bother me. All of the guys know Hazel is June’s nanny and now my girlfriend. It’s not a secret that the media will twist that to implicate something it doesn’t.

“All right,” Jason says, and I think I hear him clap his hands. “Let’s give Brock a break and change the subject back to Emmett falling in love.”

“Or we could just play the game,” I grouse.

“Hmm I think this sounds more fun,” Shaw says.

“There’s nothing to talk about. We’re dating. That’s it.”

“Is it going well?” Miles asks.

“Yes.” The word comes out more clipped than I intended.

“Either you’re extra annoyed with us tonight or something’s wrong,” Jason says.

I sigh. “There’s just a lot going on right now. I’m trying to be good to Hazel in the midst of it.”

“Does this have anything to do with her mom being in the hospital the other day?” Miles asks.

I sigh. “Yeah. Hazel has been taking care of her younger sister while everything has been going on.”

“She told me yesterday that she was becoming her sister’s guardian,” Brock says.

I stiffen. “She told you that?”

“She didn’t tell you? I called to talk to her about dealing with the media.”

Why wouldn’t she tell me? And why does Brock know that she’s officially becoming Raven’s guardian before I do?

“It must have slipped her mind,” I say quietly.

Silence blankets the call.

“I don’t know what to do,” I confess, my voice barely above a whisper. I hate talking–period, and especially about feelings. But I’m desperate tonight.

“What’s really going on?” Shaw asks.

“I don’t know, at least not fully. She won’t talk to me about what’s going on, and every time I try to help in any way, she pulls back even more. I wanted to offer her my parents’ house to live in but–” I cut off, shutting my eyes.

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