21. Brooke
21
brOOKE
“I t’s got to be here.” Chloe rifles through the back of her sleek white SUV.
“What are we looking for?” The back is piled high with clear bins, but because there must be a dozen or more, it’s hard to find one in particular.
“A box of special edition uniforms the guys wore last month. Worn merch always makes the most at the charity auction.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I get that fans want original jerseys, sweat and all—but clearly none of them grew up with a basketball player leaving gross dirty clothing everywhere.”
When I found out that Chloe was organizing the charity gala, I promised to help. It took my mind off things with Miles and my brother.
The jerseys turn up in two separate bins, and we carry them into the hotel via the back entrance.
Members of the Kodiaks organization, including the players, are distributed amongst tables for dinner. Chloe already had my brother sitting with an avid outdoorsman so they could talk about their love of camping, but I noticed that Rookie and a local CEO had attended the same college, and suggested it made more sense to put Damon, the new recruit who was boasting about his new microbrewing project, with the retired pharmaceutical exec who spends his winters skiing in Colorado and his summers at his vineyard in Sonoma.
The gala is in a massive ballroom. Staff are completing a final review of décor just as caterers are starting to circulate with canapes and VIP guests are arriving.
It might not be the worst idea that the players are split up. I see my brother on the other side of the room in what looks like a tense conversation with a couple of other players.
Not going there.
Next, my gaze lands on another tall, athletic form that’s almost directly opposite my brother.
Miles.
There’s no mistaking the dark, wavy hair, the broad shoulders in that perfectly cut tux, or the sound of his laugh amongst the small group of non-Kodiaks he’s entertaining.
Unlike my brother, he gets it. This is about the community, not the team.
I’m filled with gratitude, and pride.
As if feeling my attention, he turns. His gaze lands squarely on me.
In an instant, he excuses himself from the conversation he’s in. He stalks toward me, leaving the ballroom for the hallway even as I take a step back.
“Princess.” His eyes are a thousand feet deep right up until his attention drops to the bin in my arms. “You giving away my clothes so you can take the entire closet?”
“Close. Setting up auction items in the next room.”
He nods, and I hand him the bin.
“Nice game the other night,” Chloe says.
He blinks when he realizes she’s there. “Thanks, Chlo.”
“You’ve been working hard. Except for the media stuff about houseplants. Don’t go off script like that tonight.”
“No promises,” he deadpans. “I’ve been known to say some crazy shit.”
“Yeah, no more houseplants stuff. Keep the gardening private.”
I narrowly avoid tripping on the carpet.
Chloe looks at Miles, then me, then shake her head, sending her shiny black hair sliding over her shoulders.
We walk to the next room, a smaller ballroom setup with auction items. The Kodiaks do a significant amount of charity work, and tonight is one of their major initiatives in support of the Kodiaks Camp for children.
Miles sets the bin where Chloe directs him.
“I have to get to James. The owner’s been blowing up my phone for half an hour,” she says.
“I’ll finish putting these out,” I promise.
“Really? You’re the best.” She squeezes my arm with a grateful smile.
Suddenly Miles and I are alone, or as alone as we can be with tuxedo-clad staff bustling around the beautiful hotel.
His gaze lowers to my outfit. “You look beautiful.”
My fingers slip on my task. “Thank you. You look all right yourself.” He’s in a navy suit that highlights the blue of his eyes.
I set out the jerseys, fussing with them so they’re displayed to their best advantage.
“You okay? I was worried when you didn’t come home last night.”
Home.
Is it crazy that part of me wishes it was? That a temporary landing spot feels more and more like the kind of sanctuary I never realized I wanted?
“Jay came over to my mom’s last night.”
I spend a little extra time on Miles’s jersey, feeling the fabric between my fingers. Someone’s going to buy it tonight just to have a piece of him.
Miles shifts between my task and me, forcing me to stop. “If he was an asshole?—”
“He had a few thoughts.”
Miles’s jaw flexes.
I don’t need him to stand between me and my brother, but before I can say so, we’re interrupted.
“Guys!” Chloe calls from the doorway. “James is getting started.”
We follow her into the ballroom, where the team’s owner is calling everyone to attention. Dotted around the room are the Kodiaks, management and coaching staff, plus significant others.
“You better get back to your assigned seat or Chloe will have your ass,” I whisper to him.
For a moment, I think he’s going to say “Fuck it,” but he reluctantly heads toward his designated spot.
“Tonight is about the city and the team,” James reminds the room. “There are five hundred VIPs out there, so everyone needs to be on their best behavior. The stakes are getting higher at this point in the season. The all-star game is coming up soon, and after that, the playoffs. We need everyone to pull together on this.”
Appearances matter.
I focus on that.
I float around, being an extra Chloe and making sure the donors are having a great time. I head over to the auction room, adding color commentary to the items to help get the bids up.
“You need a drink,” a familiar female voice says at my back, making me turn.
“I need a few,” I respond under my breath.
Nova beams. My friend looks stunning, her blond-and-pink hair pinned up on her head.
I wave over a bartender dressed in a black tux who serves us champagne.
Once we’ve clinked glasses and taken a sip, Nova say, “Have you talked with Jay since last night?”
I shake my head. I filled her in on everything last night when I stayed at her place.
Her eyes cloud. “What did Miles say?”
“He was in team meetings all day today, so the first time I saw him was here. Maybe we should talk about something else.”
“Like my business? I already have more shows lined up for the new year than ever.”
Pride for my friend rises up. “You’re incredible.”
“We make a good team,” she corrects.
I excuse myself to go to the bathroom to freshen up, still thinking over her words about making a good team.
The Kodiaks make a good team . Good enough to win a championship.
Unless something does irreparable damage.
I haven’t seen Miles and my brother within twenty feet of each other all night. Not that I’ve been watching for that, exactly, but it’s on my radar.
When I re-enter the ballroom, the countdown to midnight is on. The team is together, hollering and raising their glasses. A couple of gazes fall on me, new guys on the team, curious rather than friendly.
Like I’m a story they’ve heard about rather than a real person.
Discomfort has me vacating the ballroom for the smaller auction room, which still has guests, but far fewer.
And no prying eyes.
In my Kappa days in the aftermath of Kevin’s drug issues, I felt that way all the time.
“You ran out of here pretty fast.” Miles is behind me.
“Normal need-to-fix-my-lipstick speed.” I glance around us. “Figured you’d want to watch the ball drop with the team.”
“Don’t blame me wanting to be close to the most beautiful woman in the place.”
My chest warms.
“What did he say to you?” His brows form a dark slash across his handsome face.
“Nothing I need to repeat.” I paste on a smile, aware of everyone around us. “I love him, even when I wish I didn’t. But he’s always had this way of dismissing things that mattered to me if he didn’t understand them, or they didn’t fit with what he wanted.”
“All right, then I’ll tell you what he said to me. He told me to stop. To end things with you.”
His words make the breath stick in my throat. “And what did you say?”
“I’m not going to do that. You matter. We matter.” Miles captures my wrists loosely in his huge hands. “I can’t be sure of everything in my life right now, but I want this.”
My heart kicks so hard I think my ribs will bruise.
“Jay’ll have to get over it.” He strokes my skin with his thumbs. “Because Princess, I don’t want to get over you.”
The backs of my eyes sting.
We’re surrounded by people but he’s the only one I see.
This man who’s been in my life for way too long, but somehow snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking.
“Three! Two! One!”
The crowd choruses, jumping in on the countdown.
I’m lost in Miles’s eyes.
When the clock hits zero, I press up on my toes and fist my hands in his white shirt.
He’s already kissing me back.