8. Chapter 5
Sloan
Not to my surprise, the little scandal with Oscar’s ex pissed Tanner off and changed his entire demeanor towards me and my podcast like I could have somehow predicted he’d walk in on two people mid fuck.
He overrode Ali—of course—and scheduled an interview next week with the Kicker who replaced me on the Moonshines… asshole.
“I’m so sorry, Sloan, I tried to tell him it was insensitive, but he just brushed me off.” Ali winces as we sip our coffee.
“Maybe we can convince him to run this episode on Spotify only—then the fans won’t see my sour ass face the entire time I’m trying to make it through this interview on socials,” I say, taking another sip and letting the hot liquid burn on its way down.
“We have time, I’ll try talking to him again.”
“It’s ok, he’s playing this off as a way to boost trust with fans, to show I’m still cheering on my old team, even my replacement.” I sigh.
“He seems like he still cares about you,” she says through a half hearted smile.
“Don’t let him fool you. This is his way of justifying what he did to the world, so he’s not the asshat who cheated on Sloan Barrett.
He thinks if he plays his cards right, people will remember him as the one who saved my career.
” I roll my eyes. If my lawyer had better news I’d already be done with this dickhole.
The contract is ironclad. Nothing she can do.
That thought makes my heart sink.
Bzzz.
I look down at the text on my phone.
Mare: Jax and Oscar are having people over tonight. You should come. You can meet my best friend Sadie.
Mare is the new choreographer for the Moonshots who replaced Tatum. Her and I have had a few conversations around the field since she was hired and are starting to build a friendship
Would it be weird if I texted one of my old teammates to come with me so I have someone to talk to so Mare doesn’t feel like she has to entertain me? Yes. I haven’t exactly kept contact with any of them.
I turn towards Ali, “Want to go to a little party with me tonight?”
“Sure.” She smiles. Nowadays, she’s who I spend most of my time with anyway.
I’ve gotten a few calls from the guys on my team, a few of them visited me in the hospital right after the accident, but it’s hard to build real friendships when all of their girlfriends and wives are worried I might move in on their man.
Most of them already kept me at arm’s length, so keeping distance has been easy.
When we walk into Ozzie and Jax’s apartment, I can’t help but look around. It’s so much homier than I expected it to be, and Jax is a fantastic host, bringing us drinks, offering me snacks, hanging around visiting with Ali and I, regardless of all the other people here.
“I think he likes you,” Ali coos over the music.
My eyes followed him across the room when he stepped away for a minute to talk to Oscar. He doesn’t seem very happy that Oscar disappeared with some redhead.
“Don’t you think?” Ali says when I don’t answer.
“He thinks I’m hot. That’s it,” I tell her, remembering the conversation I overheard between him and Rikki my first day.
Ever since Tanner and I broke up he’s made it very apparent that my looks are all he thinks I have going for me now that my football career is over, so anyone making similar comments gets under my skin.
“No… this is more than thinking you’re hot. There are plenty of hot girls here, and he’s not giving them the time of day. Look at him, Sloan.” She tilts her chin in his direction trying to be discreet.
I wait a second and then turn in his direction.
When I do I can’t help but take in his tall muscular figure.
He’s not as bulky as some of his teammates, he’s more on the slender side.
He looks like a typical pitcher. His dirty blond hair is messy in the most perfect, intentional way, and his piercing blue eyes can be seen from a mile away, but damn, his jawline covered in scruff takes my breath away.
“He could have anyone he wants,” she whispers. “And he wants you.” She barely finishes her sentence before he appears behind her.
“Water, ladies?” he asks, smiling while he holds out two bottles of water.
“Thanks,” I say back, and when his fingers dance with mine around the bottle, butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“Are you having fun?” he asks, making such direct eye contact, I can’t help but meet his gaze.
I believe in good eye contact, it’s been drilled into me as a female athlete in a predominately male sport by every coach I’ve ever had. My high school coach would say, “If you want them to listen to you, you have to grab their attention.”
Jax must have received the same message, because shit, I’m listening to every word he says beneath those bright blue eyes.
“Yeah, it’s been nice to get to know some of the guys outside of an interview.”
“I think everyone likes getting to know you too. I’m glad you came.” He offers me a soft grin. “I’m going to go talk to a few people, but I’ll be back. Don’t leave, beautiful.”
That last word is like cold ice poured over my heating insides.
“I told you,” Ali says, pulling at my sweater like a giddy school girl.
“I’m not getting involved with an athlete. It would become messy, and that’s not my style.”
Just then my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I open it to a picture from Rikki’s social media Tanner sent.
It shows Rikki taking a selfie with some of the other players, and in the background is me on the couch looking awfully seduced by Jax’s charm, staring right into his eyes.
Tanner: This is not good for your career. You can’t be seen all cozy with some baseball player, Sloan.
Me: I can’t be seen all cozy with some baseball player, or you don’t want to see me all cozy with Jax?
I use his name to crawl under Tanner’s skin. He’s such a douchebag.
Me: Last time I checked I’m a grown ass adult, and you don’t have a say in anything I do.
Tanner: When I’m in charge of your social image I absolutely get to have a say in everything you do.
Me: I’m in the background of someone else’s photo, it’s not on TMZ. Go take your girlfriend out on a date, and stop stalking me.
That seems to shut him up, until my phone rings.
“What?” I answer.
“Jax is a flirt. He’s only talking to you because he thinks you’re hot. He’s not good for your image,” he says, and it internally stings, but I will never let him know it.
“Why don’t you let me decide who is and isn’t good for me and my image. It’s hard to take your advice when you cheated on me, even though that’s not good for your image.”
I hang up the phone and find Ali staring back at me all wide eyed with a big smile.
“Oh, he’s going to be pissed about that one.”
We both break into laughter, and it’s honestly the happiest I’ve felt in a long time.