Page 18 of Fumbled Beginning

She rolled her eyes. “I ran a bar for twenty-five years, remember? Now tell me who this mystery man is.”

Inhaling deeply, I leaned back in my seat. “He played football with my brother, so he’s pretty well-known.”

Hell, his picture was basically on every billboard in the Atlanta area.

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting something so juicy.” She set her glass down and rubbed her hands together. “Which player is it?”

I had no idea what possessed me to even bring this up, but there was no way to avoid this conversation now that I opened my big mouth. I sighed and prayed that I wouldn’t regret this. “JP Watson.”

She was smiling so big that I felt the need to help myself to a drink. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of pinot I already had opened. I didn’t even bother with a glass; I pulled the cork out and brought it back to the couch.

“All right,” she said, downing the rest of her glass. “Let’s talk about this because I gotta be honest, that man is easy on the eyes, especially for an older lady like me.”

She was right, but he had so much more going for him than that. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s attracted to me.”

She nodded. “I’m assuming the feeling is mutual, because hello, who wouldn’t be attracted to that man. So, what’s the problem?” Her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

I set the bottle on the table and folded my legs underneath me. “For starters, he’s Maverick’s friend, which complicates things. And I’m not sure what to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I want tonotbe so affected by him. He’s not the relationship type, and I’m done with casual hookups. I’m not getting any younger, so the next guy I decide to spend time with will be with someone who wants the same things.”

She leaned forward with a look of understanding. “Ahh, I see what this is about. You don’t want to waste your time if it’s not going to go anywhere.”

“Exactly! I’ve been brushing off his flirting, so he doesn’t catch onto the fact that I actually like him. He’s a no-strings kinda guy and I’m afraid I’d still get tangled up somehow.”

“What if he’s not the man you think he is? What if he’s more?”

My eyes popped open. “That thought scares me even more because I’d probably end up with a broken heart.”

She flattened her thin lips. “Only one way to find out.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

I never should have let her follow me into my house tonight. And tomorrow, I was going to Home Depot to buy a new lock for my front door.

“Rylee, he probably doesn’t know where he stands with you either. Let him sweat it out a little bit longer. Men like him get handed things way too easy, they need to be challenged.”

“I don’t like playing games,” I said automatically, letting her know that I didn’t agree with her suggestion.

“This isn’t a game. This is real life. There is no harm in playing it cool. Do you want to keep wondering if he’s just playing with you, or do you want to find out if he’s being genuine?”

I hopped off the couch and made my way into the kitchen. I placed the bottle back in the wine rack and pushed away whatever thoughts she put in my head away.

I would not allow myself to get giddy over a man I didn’t see a future with.

CHAPTER6

JP

This fucking sucked.I turned sideways so the photographer could get a better angle. My dress shoes pressed into the green turf, and the stadium I’d called home for the past eight years was all around me, but at that moment, it didn’t feel like anything close to home.

“Lift your chin up,” the photographer said, pointing to the sky like I was an idiot who didn’t know what direction he meant. “Put your hand on your hip so we can see the watch,” he said in between clicks of his camera.

I did as I was told because I wanted the damn thing over with. Normally, these endorsement deals were fun, and I typically didn’t mind doing them, but knowing I would meet with the team management after this wrapped up, had me on edge.

I shifted uncomfortably as the guy kept clicking away at the camera. My agent, Robin, beamed from the sidelines. She’d flown in from New York last night, and we spent most of it going through every scenario possible. The team had expressed an interest in extending my contract for two more years, but nothing was a done deal until my name was signed at the bottom of the page. There were a couple of trade options on the table, neither of which interested me, but I had to prepare to walk away if it came to that.

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