Page 146 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
Freddie nodded slowly. “Yeah. But you were so good. It seemed a waste. I sort of figured your parents didn’t let you.”
I stared at him. “If you did, then why were you so mean?”
“A lot of it was Chet. He was hurt. Not only that you’d waste your talent like that, but how you treated your coach. Keeping Chet happy meant that he’d get me a good contract, and Southern United isn’t bad.” He shrugged, leaning against the wall of the hotel, braced by one leg, hands in his pockets, dark hair in his eyes.
“Which is why you want to be traded now?” I gave him a look.
“It’s a business, Ver. Chet fucked with my career, and now I have to get it back on track. You know Derva and I go way back. You fucking with your coach like that hurt her. It was like you were doing it to be mean to her,” he added.
“Um, I did it because his actions were inappropriate and creepy, not because I have a vendetta against her. Which I don’t. Though as I said, I didn’t try to get him fired. It just… happened.” My brain went fuzzy. What was he talking about? I didn’t enjoy working with Derva, but I didn’t hate her.
While I vaguely recalled Freddie knowing Derva, I had no idea what she had to do with my collegiate fútbol coach. While I was getting a degree, playing fútbol, and taking modeling gigs for funsies, she was living in New York, modeling her ass off.
“Also, you can’t seriously be with those hockey players. This is a rebellion thing, right? You can finally date, so you’re with the absolute antithesis of everything your parents stand for?” His eyes gleamed with jealousy.
“No,youwere the antithesis of everything my parents wanted for me, which was part of why I dated you.” It might be a bit mean, but it was the honest truth. He was a beta literature major who played fútbol and wanted to go pro then write adventure novels. Blasphemy in my family.
Though I hadn’t dated him because of that. I’d dated him because he was hot. Fit. Knew a million ways to fuck. Was super fun as long as everything went his way.
Grif’s rain scent tickled my nose as his arm snaked around my waist. “Antithesis is big word for a fútboler. Hey, Kitten. We should go to dinner.”
“That sounds good. It’s cold out here.” I leaned into him as if I could absorb his warmth.
“Who’s in charge of this weird-ass relationship, anyway?” Derva leaned in the doorway to the atrium, the neckline of her dress so plunging I’m sure she had to tape her tits in.
“Oh, Derva.” I shook my head.
“Save your patronizing bullshit, you fucking life ruiner. It wasn’t good enough that you had to ruin my dad’s life because you can’t take a joke. But no, you have to ruin my sister’s, too.” Absolute vitriol laced her voice as the spicy scent of anger rolled off her.
I sucked in a breath. “Are you related to Coach?”
It was the only thing that made sense. Coach’s kids weren’t around much. They were off living their lives.
“Are you that dumb? Of course, I am. Freddie and I met because my dad used to coach him at summer camp. Then my dad moved us to Research Circle so he could be a head coach in fucking humid, giant bug, sweet tea land.” She shuddered. “I was lucky I could live with my sister so I could keep modeling. Did you think when you’d run into me in Research Circle I was there to torment you?”
“I never thought that. Everything that happened with Coach had nothing to do with you personally.” Oh shit. My old coach was her dad. How had I not known that? But then while we knew Mrs. Coach, and that he had grown kids, he didn’t talk a lot about his personal life.
She snorted. “Um, yeah. Just like you think you’re better than all of us because of your fancy fucking education. You play withflowers, for fucks sake. That doesn’t make you special.”
“Well, of course not.” I frowned. Did some of the models I worked with think I thought I was better than them because I was getting a PhD? Hopefully it was just Derva.
Grif gave her a look and pulled me closer. “Yeah, we should go inside.”
“Wait, what do you mean about your sister? Isn’t your sister older? I remember how she used to go to modeling jobs with you before you were eighteen. How did I ruin her life?” I was so confused.
“Oh, wait.” She focused on Grif, eyes narrowing. “That’syou.You ruined her life. You had her husband put injail.It’s leaving her career in tatters.”
“Your sister’s married to Chet.That’show Coach knew him.” The pieces fell together. Huh. Small world. Grif had mentioned Chet’s pregnant wife being in tears at the hearing.
“Oh fuck,” Grif muttered.
“Their marriage was happy. Sure, Chet made a few bad choices, but he didn’t deserve to go to jail. She and my nephews shouldn’t have to suffer.” Anger continued to roll off Derva. “But no, you had to ruin it.” Derva lunged at Grif.
Grif put his hands up, not wanting to hurt her, and she knocked him off-balance. He stumbled back into one of the tables, knocking over a chair. A burst of surprise came through the bond from him.
She pulled back her hand.
“Derva, stop this right now,” I snapped, not about to let her hurt my Grif.
