Page 62 of False Play
“How’s the roommate situation going?” Val asked then quickly shook her head. “Actually, how’s thedatingthing going?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve managed not to throttle him. So, good news all around.”
“Whenever you want to talk about what’s happening there, I’m here for you.” She dropped a hand on my thigh and squeezed gently.
A pang of hurt hit me out of nowhere. I wanted nothing more than to talk this out with her. But being open had never been one of my strongest suits. The shell I kept around me was ironclad for many reasons, and it had gotten worse after breaking up with Joe.
I pushed down my feelings. There was no time to dwell on anything. My life was what it was, and I needed to learn how to live with it.
My eyes flicked to her hand when I went to wrap mine around it, and I gasped when I saw the shiny, bright diamond. “Val!”
Her eyes followed my sight. “Oh, yeah. That’s what I came here to tell you. He asked me yesterday.”
“Why didn’t you call me as soon as it happened?” I reproached her as I grabbed her hand to inspect the ring. It was…big. I knew my best friend, and she was a simple girl. This diamond screamed the exact opposite.
“I was going to, but his parents were there, so I had to play host and sort of forgot.” She forced a laugh.
I cringed. “How was that?”
She sighed. “Honestly? Exhausting.”
Val and Charles’s mother hadn’t always gotten along. And Charles was a certifiable mama’s boy.
I hummed in understanding. “Have you told anyone else?”
She shook her head.
I frowned. “Not even Owens?”
“Especially not Owens,” she muttered.
It was no secret Owens hated Val’s now fiancé. The guy could be a presumptuous asshole sometimes, so I couldn’t even blame the grumpy goalie for not liking him.
“Why are you here, then? You should be celebrating with your man!”
“Parker had a photoshoot, and Lucas told me to run it. We finished a few minutes ago.”
Lucas was the director of marketing and Valentina’s boss. He was just another mediocre man in the world of sports who thought he was hot shit because he had a penis. What else was new?
“Wasn’t Lucas supposed to be taking care of that?” I asked.
“You know how it works around here.”
I rolled my lips with a clipped nod. It was no secret that Val did half of the things Lucas was supposed to be doing as the marketing director, and he always took all the credit.
“And Charles didn’t mind you working today?”
She crossed one leg over the other and gave me a small shrug. “He went out of town for one of his friends’ bachelor parties or something like that.”
My heart tugged hard in my chest at the tone of her voice. It was soft, and when you spent time around a girl like Valentina, you knew she was usually full of life and energy. There was an underlying sadness to her. One that had become more and more obvious with each passing day. She should have been excited about this engagement, but it was obvious she was withholding some information.
“Anything you want to talk about?” I asked softly.
She shook her head a little too quickly as she stood. “No. I’m fine. I promise. We should hang out on Sunday. Go have brunch or something.”
“I wish.” I slumped my shoulders. “But I have plans.” I kept my words vague, because Val had strong opinions about me hanging out with Evelyn. I knew she meant well, but part of me was still struggling to let go of what little people I had left in my life.
She slumped her shoulders, too. “Aw, okay. Maybe nexttime. I gotta go. I’ll see you later, babe.” She threw me a kiss and strode to the exit.
