Page 72 of The Rebound Plan

She goes out on the terrace as Shannon excuses herself as well, heading upstairs. I try to ignore the racing footsteps. I try to stay downstairs. But it doesn’t take long before I leave my teammates in the kitchen and follow her.

Knowing I probably don’t have a lot of time before her husband returns, I knock on her door, and it swings open.

She’s already packed, and she’s standing at the window.

“Can I come in for a minute?”

She nods, not looking back at me.

I stay on this side of the room, but I close the door behind me. Then I take a deep breath. “Are you okay, Shan?”

She turns, looking surprised. “Yes.”

“You sure?”

This time there’s a beat of hesitation. Then she exhales and comes around the bed to stand closer to me. Not close enough to touch, but enough that I can see her chest rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. Steady. “Yes. I am,” she says. “I’m sorry about last night.”

I frown. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

She swallows hard. Less steady.

I glance at the dark suitcase on the bed. His suitcase, that she packed for him. “Does he make you say sorry for things?”

“Don’t say it like that.”

I’ll take that as a yes. Fuck.

Her gaze flicks nervously to my mouth, which has tightened into a line, and I can’t help that. Then she looks back up to my eyes, and she slips on that mask that I’ve seen a dozen times before.

A bright, effortless smile. Clear eyes, all uncertainty wiped away.

“I know it’s hard to understand,” she says softly. “But I told you about my past. I know what I’m doing.”

“If you ever need anything?—”

For the second time in half a day, we’re interrupted by the sound of tires out front. This time, it’s her husband.

A visceral pain stabs through me at saying goodbye without a resolution, without being able to tell her everything I want to say.

She glances past me at the closed door. The message is clear.Get out.But her voice is soft and sweet, as it always is. “I’ll see you soon, Russell.”

I go to my own room. Emery has stripped the sheets off the bed, and the cleaning lady hasn’t yet replace them. I find them in the closet and make my own damn bed as I try not to listen to the sound of the Tilmans carrying their luggage down the stairs.

I wait until the last possible second before heading down to the front door to say goodbye.

Jenson and Ani are heading out, too, which makes the moment easier in some ways.

It’s still fucking hard to see Shannon get in Max’s car and drive away.

Then the young guys leave, and Hayden and Becca, and before long it’s just Emery’s rental car that needs to be packed up. Like a reverse of the start of the weekend.

She leans against her trunk and gives me her best sisterly inquisition look. “You okay, Rusty?”

I shrug. If I don’t get the truth out of Shannon, I’m not about to give my own to Emery. “Of course. The countdown is on to the start of the season now. You should come see a game or two.”

“I can’t be your plus one for the entire season.”

“I know. I don’t need that.”

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