Page 31 of Begin Again Again

“None at all. Can we head home, though?”

Lara shook her head miserably. “I can’t believe this. Derek Hardiman is such a big deal. So many guys have his haircut. He’s got to be on a million dollars a year.More.”

“Hmm, you’d think he could afford to not be a knob.”

“He was a knob?”

“He wasn’t nice. Looming out of the shadows like some fucking Halloween monster, acting like I was a weirdo for being freaked out. He’s a big, strange guy and it was dark! When are guys going to realise we’re scared of them?”

“Half past never?”

Beth snorted. “The way he looked at me when I was leaving! Like I was there to spy on him or some shit… Although that does make sense if he’s some super footballer.”

Lara gave her a look.

“What?” Beth said, fed up. “Am I supposed to call him The Footballer Almighty Alpha Omega or some shit?”

“I guess not. I just realised that maybe it’s not just Derek that’s the super footballer?”

“Huh?”

“Byron,” Lara said. “What’shislast name?”

Beth’s gut contracted. “Thomas. Why? Do you know him?”

Lara scanned the horizon. “It’s not ringing any bells.”

Beth groaned. She wanted to be done discovering new patches on Byron’s ‘out of her league’ bingo card, not addingprofessional sportsman, of all fucking things.

“It would explain the house,” Lara said. “And that Derek Hardiman is his roommate. Maybe he’s in reserves? Working his way up?”

“He’s twenty-five. That’s gotta be too old for a come up?”

“Indeed.” Lara pulled out her phone.

“Put it away.”

Lara glanced at her. “Just a little stalk?”

“No! I’m not going to be that girl.”

Lara rolled her eyes. “What kind of ex-journo are you?”

“The kind who doesn’t like stalking people.”

“Come on, it’s harder tonotstalk people than it is to stalk them these days.”

“Please, don’t? I’m weird about this guy enough already. I don’t want to know things he hasn’t told me and get even more in my head about him when it’s going nowhere.”

“Okay, fine.” Lara shoved her phone back into her jeans. “But don’t assume it’s over.”

Beth snorted.

“I mean it. Don’t write him off. I’d be embarrassed if I passed out in bed with someone as hot as you. It might take him a while to work up the courage to ask you out again.”

Beth bit back objections about her hotness and Byron’s willingness to see her again. They were paranoid and pointless, and she didn’t want to give them oxygen. “We’ll see. Get going?”

“Sure.”

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