Page 87 of Imperfect Player

“You have no idea how excited I am about this,” Yolanda says when I meet her at the location of the shoot.

We’re sitting across from each other, coffee in hand.

“Ethan was a genius idea,” she tells me.

I smile, genuine as I can, considering I’m starting to think that maybe he isn’t the best candidate at the moment. Maybe this is too much pressure for him.

Is that what has him drinking?

“Everly?”

“Hmm?” I ask.

“When does Ethan get back?”

“Oh, uh, day after tomorrow. They have one more game, then they fly home.”

“Great. So the shoot on Thursday won’t interfere with anything.”

“No, it’s their off day,” I say absently.

“Are you okay?” Yolanda asks.

“I am, sorry. Just a bit distracted.”

“I would be distracted too if I was dating Ethan Ambrose.”

She raises an eyebrow in my direction, a sly smile on her face.

“It’s not why I suggested him, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I don’t care why you suggested him. He’s a perfect fit, so all is right in the world.”

God, I hope she’s right.

“So, tell me about it,” she continues.

“Tell you about what?” I ask.

“You. Ethan. What’s he like—personally, not professionally.”

Broken. Scared.

“He’s amazing. A real gentleman. Sweet. Sexy, obviously.”

She fans herself as though my vague description is enough to send her right over the edge and straight into orgasmic bliss.

Thanks to the detour of questions regarding Ethan the man, not the player, the walkthrough takes longer than I expect.

Exhaustion takes over the minute I step into my apartment. As does the grumble of my stomach.

Kicking off my shoes, I make my way to the kitchen and pour myself a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch then curl up in my bed. As I eat, I read through the texts from Ethan. The ones I hadn’t expected.

They said he missed me. Asked where I was. Why wasn’t I answering him. Questions filled with worry. A pang of guilt settles in the pit of my stomach for not responding. For making him worry.

How was I supposed to know that he would be concerned rather than assume that I was busy at work?

I text him back immediately, apologizing for not responding sooner.

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