Page 58 of Lucky in Love
On her last attempt, the ball bounced off the rim, shooting straight up into the air. The crowd held its breath as the orange orb paused dramatically in midair before rushing back down and slipping right through the hoop. The stadium erupted, and Alex threw up both hands triumphantly.
“Oh, my gosh,” Ken called breathlessly. “She did it. She did it!”
He walked over to where Alex stood. “You undersold yourself, young lady.”
Alex smiled demurely and dipped into a quick curtsy.
Caught up in the excitement, Brody screamed and clapped with the rest of the fans. She might only be his fake girlfriend, but his heart still beamed with pride.
Alex followed Ken to the sideline, where he counted out the money.
“Come on, Ken,” Nick said. “Now twenty thousand people know she’s carrying a wad of cash. Why don’t you just stick a ‘rob me’ sign on her back?”
“Good thing she's got two bodyguards,” Tess said.
Alex grabbed the microphone. “I’ll just have my friend, who’s apolice officer, hold this for me.”
“Attagirl,” Nick said. “She’s no dummy.”
Alex shoved the bills into her bra and gave the crowd a wave before returning to her seat for a round of accolades.
“Never doubted you,” Faith said.
“Easy money,” Tess agreed.
“Like taking candy from a baby,” Alex said, pulling the money out of her shirt and fanning herself with it.
“The look on poor Ken’s face.” Juliet laughed. “Priceless.”
“Not bad, Gray,” Brody said as Alex sat back down. He was rewarded with a smile that did something else to his heart. Something different than pride. Something like admiration, or perhaps, attraction.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
On Wednesday of the following week, still high from her big-money win at the game, and thinking her luck was finally back on track, Alex was hit with bad news.
“This won’t be good for business,” she muttered.
She and Lauren huddled around the office computer watching the weather forecast. An early but severe snowstorm had come in off the Atlantic, and Green Valley Falls sat dead in its path.
“No,” Lauren said. “We had another cancellation this morning.”
“Can’t really blame ’em,” Alex said. “Going without the internet is one thing. No electricity or heat in the freezing cold is something else altogether. In fact, anyone who doesn’t cancel for this weekend, we should call and offer credits for another time. I can’t be responsible for their safety up here with no power.”
The storm was expected to hit later that night, and countywide power outages were predicted. Everyone was cautioned to shelter in place with multiple days of food.
“I’m gonna go check on Pops. Make sure his generator is gassed up and that he has everything he needs. Get home before it hits and don’t worry about coming in again until it’s clear.”
“Think Brody knows about it?” Lauren asked.
“Probably, but I’ll double-check.” She couldn’t let her pseudo-boyfriend die in the cold after all.
Conveniently, Alex ran into Brody in the parking lot.
He’d been on the dock taking pictures, noticed her, and walked over to greet her. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she replied. “You hear about the incoming storm?”
“Hard not to. It’s all anyone in town is talking about.”
