Page 26 of Play Maker

She brushed her hands together. “Done. The new buyer wants in as soon as possible. I’m donating the stock to a women’s shelter in Dallas, and the fixtures are going to Sally over at Wildcat Boutique. You can relax until the move, minus all the packing of course.”

“Of course,” I muttered.

Mom hugged me again. “It’ll all be worth it in the end.”

I highly doubted things would work out as well for me, but I wasn’t going to spoil this moment for her. “It’s going to be great.”

* * *

I didn’t makethe conscious choice to join Adam at Johnny’s. Most of the day was spent alternating between making a packing spreadsheet and looking at rooms for rent in Addison, with the occasional break to stare hopelessly out my tiny window.

Without a car, I was at the mercy of places to live within walking distance of TU, and none of them were in my price range of zero. My small savings wouldn’t last more than a few months, even with Mom’s stipend.

In the end, I grabbed my wallet and went for a walk in the evening heat.

Twenty minutes later, I regretted my snap decision when I got to the bar with sweat slicked between my thighs and the beginnings of a blister on my foot. Johnny’s was a squat building with posters and beer signs filling the front windows. The half-full parking lot lined up with a section of trees which offered some privacy from the rest of town only a few blocks over.

Adam might not even be inside. I hesitated, but I didn’t feel like walking back to an apartment that wouldn’t be mine much longer. Getting sweaty hadn’t magically produced a solution, might as well try to take my mind off the situation instead.

The last time I’d been at Johnny’s, the place had been packed and covered in glitter for an event. On a normal Tuesday night, only half the tables were taken, and the dim light didn’t penetrate the shadowy corners.

I had no trouble finding Adam, surrounded by a group of women wearing short dresses and heels. The whole star athlete situation hadn’t really hit me, mostly because we spent time together away from the hype. A quick scan of the room assured me none of his close friends had shown up.

The discrepancy felt weird until I remembered his early morning text.Just you and me.Maybe he hadn’t invited anyone else even after I’d turned him down. Of course, showing up alone didn’t stop him from being surrounded by people.

The air conditioning made my shirt feel clammy where it stuck to my back, but Adam spotted me almost immediately. His smile widened as he dragged his gaze over my torso. I glanced down, unsure what shirt I’d thrown on with my shorts after my shower. A dark red TU football logo stretched across the heather gray background.

Notmy shirt, after all. Eva must have left it at my place one of the nights she stayed over. We were almost the same size, so I hadn’t noticed. Honestly, the material was super soft, and I didn’t hate repping for the football team now that I’d gotten to know some of them.

When I glanced up again, he raised a brow in question. I had no trouble interpreting the expression.What are you doing here?

Good question. I braved the circle of women and planted myself next to him.

His attention returned to my face, and I realized his smile before had been polite and distant, but right now, his eyes lit with mischief. “I thought you weren’t coming tonight.”

“I promised not to hide, no matter how much I regret my request, so here I am.” It was at least partially the truth. Hitting bottom apparently made me desperate for a distraction. Might as well go with the one I’d already set up.

“Come on.” He laced his fingers with mine and tugged me across the room to the bar where the music was slightly quieter.

I stroked the cracked pleather of a barstool as we passed, trying to think of a non-offensive way to ask my next question. “Why do you come here?”

“Lars, the owner, lets me and Alex use the sound system to do our own thing. Usually karaoke events, though Alex has to go solo on the End of Summer Cosplay Karaoke because I’ll be too busy being a football god.”

I didn’t comment on his football god status. “Why is this place called Johnny’s if the owner’s name is Lars?”

“Have you tried to say Lars’s? Plus, the sign was already there. No point buying a new one.”

Finally, logic I could understand. We found a spot next to a group of women surrounding a single guy in a backward cap. Adam sent him a short nod, and the guy shifted his harem over a little to let us have a second seat.

“You know him?” I asked.

Adam took the chair closest to them. “That’s Holbrook, our former running back. He just graduated, but he’s hanging around for the summer.”

The bartender greeted Adam and started setting up a series of shots in front of the group, mixing with one hand while lining up glasses on the bar with the other. I stared for a long moment, impressed despite myself.

Adam gave him a friendly smile. “Can I get a water? And put whatever she wants on my tab.”

I hadn’t planned to drink, but I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to drown my sorrows without resorting to eating ramen for a week.

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