Page 45 of The Fine Line
The shot goes down like water.
“I had no idea you’d be down there. You told me you got the analyst gig?—”
“I never said that,” I cut in.
“But you didn’t not say it,” he counters. “You ambushed me in the middle of my first game?—”
He doesn’t say “as captain,” but it hangs there between us.
“You shoved a mic in my face and smiled at me like you didn’t hate me for once?—”
“Well, that’s why they pay me the big bucks,” I deadpan, nodding to his untouched shot. “You gonna drink that?”
He hands it over wordlessly. I down it too.
“It just slipped out,” he says.
“Sorry, which part? The flirty shoe line or the nickname? Actually, never mind. Doesn’t matter. Both made me look like a joke. So, RIP my career, I guess. Goodnight?—”
“Whoa, hold on,” Rhett says, reaching to stop me.
He doesn’t have to try hard. My heel catches on a table leg and I stumble—straight into his chest.
I gasp as his arms catch me. I look up, ready to tell him off, but I freeze.
We’re close. Too close. His hands are warm on my arms. My breath catches when my eyes meet his—flecks of green and gold I never noticed before.
I should step back. I don’t.
Maybe it’s the alcohol. Maybe it’s something else entirely.
But then I hear Mick’s laugh across the room, and the spell shatters. I straighten sharply and pull away, glancing over my shoulder. He’s facing his group, not looking at us.
I tuck my hair behind my ear. “I gotta go.”
I barely get two steps before Rhett blocks me again.
“I know you’re not giving up that easily.”
I blink. “Excuse me?”
“Why are you leaving?” he asks, glancing toward the group. “Who are they?”
“How should I know?”
He tilts his head. “Baby Bear, you say you see through me. Don’t be surprised I can see through you too.”
He steps closer.
“Don’t bullshit me.”
I sigh. “Former classmates,” I admit, motioning to the group. “Including my all-time favorite, Dick Davis… I have no clue how he found out about this place.”
“Wait,” Rhett says, frowning. “You mean Mick? The new TV guy?”
My eyes narrow. “Yes. The new TV analyst.”
His face twists. “Oh. Uh… I might’ve invited him.”
