Page 3 of Players and Pages
“Of course, anything you need," she said as she moved to take my place like she’d done countless times before. We all worked well as a team, which was a relief. The three of us had just hit it off so well. There was no drama or bullshit and we helped where we were needed.
That made all of this run so much smoother and with the new expansion, it was wonderful, but there was a hole in my life that needed to be filled.
I wasn't jealous that Taryn was living the dream, however, I couldn't help but wonder when it would be my turn.
It didn’t take long to get my work done. I was already heading for the front when someone crashed out of the back offices.
Taryn was wide awake now, an excited grin on her face.
“Bea! Dani!”
I waited, a bit confused and startled, until all three of us were gathered by the counter.
“So, Dani,” she started, breathing heavily and cheeks glowing. I didn’t even need to know what just happened back there to make her this happy.
It was written all over her face.
“Yes?” I questioned, unsure where this could possibly be going.
“Bea and I were talking and you’ve been a bit down lately and doing all the extra work with the arrival of the twins. It’s meant so much to me. To us. We wanted to do something for you, so I had the guys find these.”
She handed over an envelope. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked up at her. “I don’t need a thanks for being a good friend.”
“Just open it, woman,” Bea demanded with a laugh.
I couldn’t resist any longer, ripping it open. My jaw dropped the moment I saw the tickets in my hand. The Knuckleball Knockouts logo was right there in all its bright blue and silver glory.
“No,” I gasped. “You didn’t!”
“We did!” Taryn grinned and did a little happy dance. It wasn’t until she was moving, that I realized I was already bouncing up and down.
“I’ll take it the squeals mean she liked it?” Mathias joked as he came out, eyes sparkling as he watched us.
“Yes! Thank you so much!” I said, breathless and so excited. Then my eyes locked on the date. “Tomorrow?!”
“Yup! And Mathias promised to watch the front for us so we can go. It’s an earlier game, so lunch out and the game after. They also got us these!”
She snatched a bag out of Mathias’s hand and pulled out three bright blue shirts, tossing one to each of us. They were jerseys. My cheeks burned at Cy’s name across the back.
“He’s your favorite, right? Might as well represent him,” Taryn teased. It was then that I realized though they were the same color, she and Bea simply had team shirts, not player ones.
I wasn’t about to complain though. Cy, Griff, and Jackson were my favorite. They were always at the center of the dance videos and antics. The way those men moved should be illegal.
And they were a pack.
Just thinking of them had my cheeks flushing and I hid it by sliding the shirt on to make sure it fit. Of course, my best friends made sure it did, the soft material hugged me in all the right places.
“Okay, unfair. How do you make that look hot?” Bea accused, gesturing to her shirt that was just as cute, just longer. She was insane.
“Oh stop,” I laughed. “You’re cute as hell and you know it.”
“We should go all out,” Taryn said as she slid hers on. “I bet the craft store would have some fun accessories to match.”
“We close in an hour,” Bea said, glancing my way. “You free?”
“I’m definitely down,” I said, before crushing them both in a hug. “Thanks for always having my back.”
“Today is our lucky day, guys, I can feel it! The sun is shining, the temperature is great, and we are going to crush the Strikers tonight!” I called out to the team, my voice echoing through the locker room. The words earned me a few whoops and hollers from the guys, though Griff and Jackson just rolled their eyes. They were used to my brand of… enthusiasm.
