Page 125 of Spotlight
“That long?” His eyes widen.
I love him for that reaction. Here I thought he would be excited for a kid-free week to do whatever we wanted. I should have known better. That’s not Flynn’s style.
“Yeah. She’s excited. They’re going to Sea World and the beach and…anyway, I was thinking we could have our own adult vacation, so we don’t spend the entire time feeling sad and lonely.”
His brows lift and a smirk plays across his face. “Good thinking. What did you have in mind?”
“A weeklong sleepover where we only leave the apartment for food and mandatory activities.”
“Mmm. Thinking, thinking,” he says playfully as he pulls his phone from his pocket. “Let me ask Everly if I can call in sick to my games that week.”
He holds up a finger as if to signal one second, and then puts the phone to his ear. “Hey, Ev. Good timing.”
His laughter trails off and slowly his expression changes. I scoop another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth and glance at Greer. She has a look of deep concentration on her face as she moves the crane over to a stuffed blue bunny.
“Are you serious?” Flynn’s voice pulls my attention away from Greer.
The happy, playful expression is gone and in its place is one I can’t make out.
“That’s…” He doesn’t finish the sentence. Instead, his throat works with a swallow.
Goosebumps travel up my arms. There’s something in his voice that has me on high alert even though he sounds…happy.
“Okay. Yeah, that sounds good,” he says, nodding. His leg starts bouncing under the table. “Thanks, Ev.”
Flynn moves the phone away from his ear with a dazed expression. He stares straight ahead like he’s completely forgotten where he is in this moment.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
He blinks and then turns to face me. “A trade offer came in today. The Renegades want to buy out my contract.”
“Next season?”
His head shakes side-to-side. “No. Like…now.”
“What?!”
At my panic, he seems to snap out of it. “Their pitcher is out the rest of the season with an injury. Everly made sure we had a no-trade clause as part of my contract with the Mustangs so I wouldn’t end up in another situation like last season. That means it’s my decision if I want to go or not.”
He stares at me, seeking some sort of reaction.
“That’s…amazing.” I force a smile because itisamazing. This is exactly what he wanted, and he worked hard for it. I wrap one arm around his neck and hug him. I spot Greer and a lump forms in my throat. She’s going to be devastated. Tears prick the back of my eyelids. No. Not now. Later I can be sad, but right now I just want to be the support he needs.
“Congratulations.” The word is barely a whisper. “I knew you could do it.”
31
OLIVIA
“Okay, this is seriously cool,” Ruby says as she walks around the bookstore.
It’s the night of the book signing for the debut mystery author I read and loved. I put so much work into planning the event. I really want it to be a success, but I hadn’t predicted that the rest of my life to be in chaos. It’s a good distraction, at least for a few seconds at a time.
“Jealous?” I ask, arching a brow at my sister.
“A little bit.”
“We’ll throw an even better one for your next release.” I adjust the bookmarks and stickers on the swag table. “Speaking of, did you write the ending today?”
