Chapter 3
“Hey, Birdie girl,” I say through a yawn as I reach for my phone on the nightstand.
I feel her tiny paws kneading on the comforter by my thigh. “Making biscuits this morning, are we?”
She faintly meows as I sit up, lean against the headboard, and take a deep breath.
There’s rain gently hitting the window outside, and I can hear a low rumble of thunder as I sit there staring at an email from my agent.
It’s short, but I’m hung up on the words “after this season” because I didn’t realize how quickly we were approaching the end of my contract.
Playing anywhere other than Tampa seems fucking crazy to me. I can’t picture it. And I’m sure the fans would feel the same way. But I shake my head out of the looming thoughts, I can’t let any of that cloud my mind and distract me from the season at hand.
Tonight is Ford’s surprise party, and I’ve been tasked with helping Nate set up this afternoon.
The girls have given me crumbs on party details.
Something I’m told was intentional because of a surprise I ruined a few years ago.
How the hell was I supposed to know that Summer would use her icy blue eyes to trick me into telling her about the celebratory dinner Abby was throwing her after landing a nursing job here?
Birdie follows me from the bedroom to the living room, making her presence known the entire way with small meows and little sprints between my strides. As I’m making coffee, I hear the same knocking sound I’ve been hearing for a week straight, and I almost lose it.
“There it is again, Birdie. What are we going to do about this guy?” I motion her to the window where there’s a bird pounding its beak into the eaves of my building.
It feels like this fucking bird has been trying to become my new neighbor ever since the apartment next to mine became empty.
Taking a seat at my breakfast nook, I watch as Birdie paws at the sliding glass door. Her tiny body pounces and makes sounds at the bird beyond the glass as I sip my coffee and scroll through my phone. This has practically become routine at seven in the morning these days.
Coffee—black. Bird—annoying. Kitten—rambunctious.
A post from the Tampa Wildcats pops up, and I stop my scroll to look.
It’s a carousel of the top ten most iconic plays in recent history from the team.
The Wildcats are Tampa’s less than stellar basketball team.
Sure, they’ve got talent, but their management has no fucking idea how to run a team, and it shows.
A highlight of Brandon Nells, the team’s power forward—and Demi’s ex-husband—drills a slam dunk over two opponents after a sweet rebound.
He’s talented. And someone six foot eight should be, considering he was the talk of the town when he first got drafted.
It’s a shame he’s such a piece of shit human, otherwise I could’ve been a fan of his.
Shaking my head, I scroll past and put my phone down so I can get myself ready for the day.
“Keep at it,” I say to Birdie as I head into my bedroom.
“Are we sure about the quiche?”
Abby, Mia, and Summer all turn their heads slowly in my direction as I close the oven in Ford and Abby’s kitchen after peeking my head in.
“Yes. For the third time, I’m sure about the quiche,” Abby clips.
“Do you even know what quiche is? Your continuous questions make me think you don’t understand how popular of a dish it is.” Summer’s ring-clad fist taps me in the chest as she walks by.
“Of course I do.” Shrugging, I take a piece of cheese from the platter on the counter. “I know food.”
I break the piece of cheese in half, popping one in my mouth and handing the other half to Nate and Mia’s son, Luke, as he rolls by on some toy car and into the living room where his brother and CeCe, Chase’s daughter, are playing.
“Oh.” My eyes light up when I notice the tray Abby pulls out of a giant white box. “Can I have one of these donuts or are they for later? What’s inside?”
“As much as we are loving all your questions…” Abby walks to my side and rubs my arm. “I think Nate could probably use your help now with those folding tables outside.”
I feel a subtle nudge as she tries to move me toward the door.
“It feels like I’m being kicked out of the kitchen.”
“No—”
“You are,” Summer cuts in, speaking over Abby.
“Fine.”
Taking the not-so-subtle hint, I make my way outside, expecting to find Nate hard at work setting up tables, but I couldn’t be more wrong.
As I close the door behind me, I let it slam a little, startling Nate awake as he’s lying on the chair next to the pool.
“Sleeping on the job. Abby is going to kill you.”
“I wasn’t sleeping. I just needed to rest my eyes.”
I shake my head and take a seat on the empty chair beside him.
“The girls are ruthless.” I pout, nudging my chin toward the house.
Nate barks out a laugh before pulling himself up to a seated position.
“You normally like when women are mean to you.”
“Well, not these women.” I brush nothing off my shoulder.
“You love them and you know it. Quit your bitching.” He shakes his head at me, and I smile to myself.
“Yeah, yeah.” I nod and slap Nate’s outstretched hand as we both stand to our feet.
“All right, let’s set up these tables before they yell at us.”
Nodding, I point to him. “If they do, I’m telling them you fell asleep on the job. Take some of the heat off me.”
“Fine.” Nate sighs.
Between the two of us, we set up several tables, chairs, and two large white tents in the backyard of Ford and Abby’s house. The pool has a volleyball net set up in it along with an inflatable beer pong table and beach balls are floating all around.
“I’m fucking sweating. And I’m hungry. I’m going to run home to shower and change real quick, then I’ll be back.” I pull my T-shirt from my body and wipe the sweat from my face.
“Mia had me bring clothes to change into,” Nate says, pulling his T-shirt off before he makes a splash in the pool. “And this will be my shower,” he says after popping up.
“Yeah, wish I would’ve thought of that,” I grit out as I turn toward the house.
It’s loud and chaotic when I re-enter through the sliding glass door.
Mia is sitting on the floor with one baby attached to her chest and two toddlers rolling around in front of her.
CeCe has crayons and coloring sheets scattered all over the coffee table, and Abby and Summer are going back and forth about an episode of Love Island they saw last night.
“I’m going to head home to change. I’ll be back,” I say into the noise, barely expecting anyone to hear me.
But all three of them stop what they’re doing and look at me.
“Okay, don’t be late,” Abby urges.
“And don’t talk to Ford in the next hour and forty-seven minutes,” Mia adds.
“I’m not going to ruin the surprise.”
There’s a thud from the door behind me as Nate walks in with wet hair, holding up a bleeding thumb.
“Abby, your pool thermometer is the fucking worst. I’ll buy you a new one,” Nate whines, and confusion covers Abby’s face.
Mia stands and walks over to him with a loud sigh.
“Did you break their thermometer? There’s a Band-Aid in the diaper bag. Go,” she orders, pointing down the hall, and like an obedient puppy, Nate abides, kissing the top of her head.
Mia mouths, sorry, to Abby as he passes.
“He’d never survive without you.” I raise my eyebrows at Mia as I’m about to walk toward the front door.
“Oh, please. None of you would,” Summer chimes in, perched on one of the barstools with a glass of champagne in her hand. Her blue eyes staring me down.
“I’d be okay,” I say, knowing it’s probably not true. These women have become some of my favorite people in my life. They’re badass, but soft and gentle. I admire the hell out of them. “Three less people being mean to me.”
Mia chokes out a laugh. “Would a mean friend invite the woman you’re obsessed with to this party?”
My head whips around to Mia as she stands there and smirks when she realizes she has my attention.
“Demi’s coming?” I smile as my pulse begins to race.
“Yes,” Abby confirms.
Unless it’s been a work related event, I’ve rarely interacted with Demi outside of the football field or the facility.
She attends charity events and dinners that are put on by the team or by the community, but she’s always in work mode.
And most of the time, she had her plus one with her.
Something that she definitely won’t have if she comes tonight.
It could be my only shot to actually talk to her about something other than work, and it’s a good chance to see how she’s doing.
“Cool,” I say, knowing the girls see right through my nonchalant demeanor.
No way in fucking hell I’d just be cool knowing I might get the chance to hang out with Demi tonight. Even just being in the same room as her outside of work is enough to excite me.
“You can rush home now and freak out. Get yourself all dolled up and handsome for her. We know you want to.” Summer grins, sipping her champagne.
I take a few steps back around the kitchen, ruffling the hair on top of Summer’s head with one hand and pulling Abby in for a hug with the other.
“God, you stink.” Abby shoves at my ribs, pushing me away from her.
“Maybe I’ll just freshen up a bit, yeah.” I smirk, giving Mia a kiss on the top of her head as I pass by.
“Mm-hmm,” Summer hums. “Wear something pretty,” she teases as I’m already at the front door.
“I always look pretty,” I shout, as it closes behind me.