Page 190 of The Fine Line
And then Bryan’s voice snaps me back to the job.
“Thirty seconds, Caroline. Are you in position?”
I turn to leave, but Rhett catches my arm again.
“Caroline—”
I yank free. “No.” My voice cracks.
His eyes plead. “I need you to believe me.”
I stare at him, my heart splintering in real time. “Yeah, well, I can’t.” I shake my head once. “There’s no point. It’s worthless.”
His face goes blank. Like I gutted him. He releases my arm.
I swallow the lump in my throat, casting him one last look before I force myself to walk away.
He doesn’t move. Just stands there—shocked, hurt, and hollow.
And I feel his stare burning into my back the entire way.
forty-seven
RHETT
Eleven Years Ago
Chicago, IL, USA
I stare down at my phone, eyelids heavy, watching the three-dot typing bubble flicker on and off.
“Dammit, Sid,” I mutter, dropping the phone onto the high-top table and pressing my palms to my eyes.
“You good, Sutty?”
I blink up at my goalie, Jimmy, until his face comes into focus.
“Yeah. All good,” I lie.
“You get something to drink?”
“Yep.”
And that’s exactly the problem.
I hold up my glass full of ice that used to have tequila in it. “Was just about to head to the bar for a refill.”
My phone buzzes. I don’t check it right away. Jimmy’s always been decent to me—one of the few who’s even tried. I don’twant to be a total asshole. Especially when my current friend count hovers around half of one.
“Okay, good,” Jimmy nods, scanning the room. Silence settles between us. Another buzz comes from my phone. I almost reach for it when he speaks again.
“Tough game tonight.”
Like all of them lately.
But this one cut extra deep.
Last game of the season. Home crowd. And still, we couldn’t pull it off.
