Page 134 of Over the Moon

A deep lump sat in my throat, making it hard to swallow. Clark knew what I needed, and even though I asked him to leave, he made sure they were here for me.

He loved me, and that meant everything to me.

I didn’t know what our future looked like, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt, that he loved me.

Lulu brought over the ice cream, and Henley grabbed four spoons.

“Okay, tell us everything,” Henley said.

I started from the beginning, when I’d just been called to Sebastian’s office. They listened to me, they cried with me, and they were angry on my behalf. I’ve never had friends like these three. They didn’t judge; they just supported me.

“Listen, this is bullshit. And if they let you go, you can come work at MSL with me until you figure out what you want to do.” Lulu wrapped an arm around me. “And if I see Randall ever again, I will kick him in the balls for what he said to you.”

“I mean, the fact that he went through your desk and took your notebook. How is that not a violation of the contract?” Emilia asked.

Henley had the contract on her lap as she read it in detail. “That would certainly be cause for termination, but you’d have to prove that he took it, as he’s claiming he found it.”

“I’m so sorry this happened, Elle.” Emilia leaned her head on my shoulder. “Love hurts, huh?”

“Well, I don’t know about love hurting, but this pint of ice cream is not sitting so well in my stomach. I think I’m lactose intolerant,” Lulu said, leaning her head against my other shoulder.

“You are not lactose intolerant. You just ate an entire pint of gummy bear ice cream, and that would make anyone sick,” Henley laughed.

“Agreed. Gummy bears don’t belong in ice cream,” Emilia said, peeking up at me. I forced a smile. It helped that they were here, but this deep sadness was still sitting on my chest.

I missed Clark. I couldn’t imagine how this would work if I had to move somewhere else for a job. He traveled with the team all the time. We’d never see one another.

A sob escaped my throat, and they all startled.

“Damn, you guys. The gummy bear ice cream distraction did not work. Our girl just needs to be sad.” Lulu wrapped her arms around me. “We’re here for you. Cry as much as you need to.”

And that’s exactly what I did.

thirty-three

. . .

Clark

I respectedEloise when she asked me to stay away, but I’d barely slept. I was grateful that Henley, Lulu, and Emilia were with her, and they sent me a few texts, letting me know she was doing okay.

Nothing about this was right.

I should be there with her.

I was not going to practice today. I didn’t see how it made sense that I was allowed to go to work, and she wasn’t. I poured myself a cup of coffee and glanced down at my phone to see texts from my brothers, my sister, my cousins, and my teammates.

I scrubbed a hand down my face.

I didn’t feel like talking to anybody right now, aside from the one person who didn’t want to talk to me.

There was a knock on my door, and I hurried over, a part of me hoping it was Eloise but knowing it wasn’t.

She didn’t think we should be seen together right now, and I knew she’d stand by that. Always putting everyone before herself.

I arched a brow when I saw Coach Gable standing on the other side of my door. “Hey, Coach. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

He walked past me. “Well, here I am. And I came to make sure you get your ass to practice today.”

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