Page 25 of Game Changer

The best thing to do would be forget we ever met.

It’s why after returning from the stadium, I tried to scrub the number from my hand.

Clay wrote it in Sharpie.

Two days later, it’s starting to fade, but I still keep my hand clenched tight when I’m around Mari.

“Nova has a boyfriend. He’s perfect. We spent time with him at Christmas.”

I snap back to the present.

“Oh?” Brooke says.

“I keep telling her she needs to get him to propose.”

“No pressure,” Brooke weighs in, misunderstanding my silence. “I don’t even know if I want to get married. Of course, my parents would love it. But I’m twenty-three. I have at least another ten years before I need to figure anything out. If they want grandchildren, they’ll wait for Jay to provide them.”

“Do players date?” I ask, relieved for the change of subject. “It sounds like they’re on the road all the time and it would be hard to keep a relationship going.”

Brooke shifts on her seat. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“My brother and Chloe.”

My eyes widen, but my sister nods.

“They had a thing back in college," Brooke says. "Neither of them will say who dumped who, but I still give him shit about it.”

Wow. A breakup is hard enough, but seeing the person you loved every single day would be so much worse, especially if there were unresolved feelings.

Brooke spears a bite of another cake. It falls off her fork, misses the table and hits the floor. “Whoops.”

Mari looks offended, but Brooke only shrugs.

“We’ve done way worse.” I stab another bite of cake, holding it in my fork in a catapult position directed at my sister. “Remember when we used to have food fights?”

“Outside, when we were ten. Don’t you dare,” Mari hisses.

Brooke laughs.

My grip slips and the cake shoots toward Mari, landing in a plop in front of her. My sister jumps from her seat, emitting a screech as she wipes delicately at her dark sweater.

“There’s no way I got you.”

“There’re a spot of lemon right here.” She points at an invisible dot on her sleeve.

“Well, if it causes you so much stress, you should probably get the lavender.”

Brooke tosses her head back and laughs.

* * *

As I'm leaving the bathroom after a shower, I find Mari next to my closet.

“Hey, Mar? What are you doing?”

She straightens, holding up something in her fingers. “I was looking to see if you had that bracelet of Mom’s. I was thinking I might wear it for the wedding.”

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