Chapter 9 Brooke
brOOKE
The day went by slowly. Given my early start, I was already exhausted by three.
The atmosphere at the club was different when the players were away.
It was quieter, less exciting. The players spent almost as much time inside the club as management.
In fact, whenever they weren’t away on a game, they were at the club, either training at the gym or in the arena, or in the video room, watching replays of games or discussing strategies.
The events team had their hands full, because a concert was taking place in the arena two nights in a row.
The arena was booked solid over the course of the year, providing an excellent source of income for the club.
In the beginning I’d wondered why the Lords had such a huge arena—more than half of the seats were covered up during the game because they were empty.
But because it had twice the capacity of a normal soccer arena, it was excellent for large-scale concerts, which was what Graham had had in mind all along.
It was one of the most popular venues in LA.
Since my workload for the day was light, I poked my nose in the events department, helping out here and there. I wondered if later on, after my initial six months had passed, I could take on additional tasks.
I wanted variety. This was one of the things I missed from working at my old job: being a jack of all trades. Booking ads had been my main responsibility, but I’d also taken on many others.
My stomach was in knots as my thoughts veered to Jace.
What had last night meant? How was I supposed to act around him?
I couldn’t figure out if he wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened or if he wanted a repeat.
I wasn’t even sure what I wanted. We’d grown so close that the mere idea of losing his friendship had me break out in hives.
Maybe I was worrying about nothing, and Jace wanted to forget all about it. I had to set things straight with him, but I didn’t know what to put in a text.
So instead, I daydreamed about our sexy time. I wanted to indulge in a little Jace-appreciation, just to brighten up my day.
Afterward, despite being on the phone for most of the time, talking to various sponsors, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jace.
Especially after he sent me a snapshot of San Francisco.
I only saw the picture and the text for a few seconds before the notification faded.
I was very tempted to end the call I was on so I could see what he’d messaged.
Sending me pictures of whatever city he was in was our usual modus operandi.
I breathed a sigh of relief that things were not awkward between us.
At the same time, I couldn’t help wonder if this meant Jace did want us to forget what had happened. I shook my head, attempting to shut down that little voice at the back of my mind while I continued the conversation.
When I finally did get to see his message, my palms were a little sweaty.
Jace: You’d like San Francisco. The bay is beautiful.
Brooke: Great view.
I hovered with my thumbs over the screen, unsure what else to add.
Jace: Can’t enjoy it too much. Coach is ruthless.
Brooke: Hope he isn’t exerting himself. I don’t like that he travels so much.
Jace: I’ll keep an eye on him for you.
I grinned at the screen.
Brooke: Thanks.
Jace: How is your day so far?
Brooke: Productive :-)
Jace: Mine’s not. I keep thinking about last night. About you.
I crossed and uncrossed my legs at the ankles, suddenly aware of a deep ache in my body. Sheila and Veronica were glancing curiously at me, because I rarely texted.
Jace: I can’t wait to be back. What do you want to do on Thursday evening?
Brooke: I have plans.
The next time my phone buzzed, it was with an incoming call. I headed out to the empty hallway so Sheila and Veronica couldn’t overhear my conversation.
“Tell me you’re joking,” Jace said when I picked up. His tone was so strained that I startled.
“About what?”
“About going forward with that date, Brooke.”
Understanding dawned on me. “Oh. No, I canceled that. But I still have something planned.”
“Okay. What are you doing?”
“I’ve cleaned up some of my old things and am taking them to a soup kitchen Paige mentioned to me.”
“Which one?” he asked. After I told him the address, he added, “Why don’t you bring them to the education center?”
“She said they had enough supplies.”
“Who is going with you?”
“No one,” I answered, confused.
“Brooke, you’re not going there alone.”
“Jace—”
“It’s a sketchy area. I’m going with you.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Brooke, I’ll go with you. I can help you carry your things and keep an eye out for anyone looking for trouble.”
His tone was determined, bordering on dominating, but I loved his protectiveness. I loved that he wanted to be part of this.
“What time do you want to go?” he asked.
“Does six o’clock work for you?”
“I’ll be in the parking lot waiting for you.”
“Okay. Thanks, Jace.”
“So your day is productive, huh?” His tone changed, moving from serious to flirty.
“Oh, yeah. Got a lot done. My mind has been laser focused.”
“I see. Nothing hijacking your concentration?”
“Nothing at all,” I teased.
“Let’s see what I can do about that when I return.”
I licked my lips, remembering our night. My entire body ignited, as if he was touching me. I leaned against a wall, fanning myself.
“You’re so bad for me,” I whispered.
He let out a low laugh. “I can’t wait to be back.”
Just then, Veronica poked her head into the hallway, and I had no choice but to bid Jace goodbye. He was on my mind the entire afternoon. Yep, the daydreaming was officially continuing.
Brooke: I’ll have you know that twice I almost sent an email to the wrong person. I think our phone call has something to do with that.
Jace: Music to my ears.
I smiled, shaking my head.
When I arrived home in the evening, I was ready to call it a day even though it was only eight. I’d already gotten into bed when I decided to check my messages. I had a new one from Jace.
Jace: How was your gym workout?
Today was usually a gym day.
Brooke: Didn’t go.
Jace: Knew you were only going there for me.
What could I say? He’d found out my secret. Just like that, I wasn’t feeling sleepy anymore.
Jace
“Are you sure your ribs don’t still hurt?” Hailey asked for the hundredth time the next day.
“One hundred percent.”
My sisters usually doted on me, but even more so when I was playing outside of LA. I almost never admitted that something hurt simply because I did not like them worrying for no reason.
“Do you have some time for your dearest sister on Saturday? I could use some help repairing that old shed.”
“I’ll be there. I’ll call Will and Landon and ask them if they have time too.”
“You don’t trust my skills?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Hey!”
“Just being honest. Whenever we’re working on something, I do most of the work.”
“But I keep you entertained.”
I laughed. “True, but I also need help doing the actual work, so I need reinforcements. How is work going?”
“Oh, you know. The usual. Love some clients, want to throttle others. Everything is in balance.”
She sounded content, though even if she weren’t, she wouldn’t outright say it. Hailey was a bit like me. I always considered things internally, without voicing my thought process. Probably why Val and Landon had gotten so good at needling information out of someone.
“And speaking of clients I want to throttle, one is calling right now. Talk to you later?”
“Sure.”
After hanging up, I dove right into the apple pie in front of me. I was with the team in one of the hotel’s conference rooms, enjoying a short break from watching yesterday’s game.
I loved having Hailey back in LA. Before taking this job, she traveled a lot as a business consultant.
She was usually in LA during weekends, but sometimes I was away for games, so there were stretches when I hadn’t seen her for weeks.
Even though she was two years older than me, I’d always considered myself in charge of her, probably because I’d always been much taller than her.
I still had a few minutes left of the break and used the opportunity to send Brooke a message.
She and I had texted constantly over the last couple of days. I was mostly sending her small updates, asking for the same in return. She always answered right away, as if she was looking forward to my messages as much as I was looking forward to hers.
“Boys, five minutes left of the break,” Coach barked.
Even though we’d won the game yesterday, he wasn’t going easy on us.
I had no doubt that he wouldn’t be thrilled about me and Brooke.
Unfortunately, Coach had had a front row seat to my personal life over the past few years, at a time when I’d enjoyed parties and no-strings trysts.
But I’d never shied away from a complicated situation.
I couldn’t wait to be back in LA, to pick things up with Brooke where we’d left off. My phone lit up with a message.
Brooke: Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail.
I’d asked her how her day was, and my girl was clearly not having a good time, so I excused myself from the room and called her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as soon as she picked up.
“Oh, nothing in particular, just a so-so day. Can’t wait for it to be over.”
“You’re watching SNL tonight, right?”
“You remember that?”
“Of course. I’ll call you, and we’ll watch it together?”
She laughed softly. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I want to spend time with you. Even if just on the phone. Besides, I have a great record of entertaining you.”
“Well, I can’t disagree with that.” Her tone was playful, and fuck if I didn’t miss her even more than before. I wanted to see her. I needed her. “Tell me what you’re wearing right now.”
“Jace,” she chastised.
“Tell me.”
“No! I’m at the club.”
“Tell me. I want to know what you’re wearing,” I insisted.
“A skirt and a blouse.”
“And under those?”
“Panties and a bra,” she whispered.
“Describe them. In detail.”
She made a small sound, like a groan. “Black. Silk and lace.”
“Babe…”
“I’m not telling you anything else.”
“We’ll save it for tonight.” I smiled, imagining her blush.
“Oh, Jesus.”
“Have to go back anyway, before Coach comes out to drag me in the viewing room. Talk to you later.”
“I can’t wait.” She sounded far more excited than when she’d picked up, and knowing I was responsible for the change filled me with euphoria.
I couldn’t wait to spend one hour of quality time with her.
I also wanted us to have a serious conversation about where we were and where this was going, but I’d wait until I was in LA and we could talk face-to-face.
I wasn’t a fan of away games. Being on the road was tiring, and no matter how often I’d played in a rival arena, it still felt foreign. I also had very little time on my own. Back in LA, soccer talk ended when I left the club, but during away games, the boys and I were joined at the hip.
However, this time we were in San Francisco, where I actually had family: my Bennett cousins.
After coach finally released us, I headed to Pier 39, where I was meeting Pippa for a quick brunch before flying to Michigan where we were playing a friendly game with a local team.
Out of all our cousins, we were closest to the Bennett clan. I was sort of regretting there weren’t any more weddings to be had on their side of the family, and none planned on ours, because over the past couple of years, we’d mostly seen each other during weddings.
Pippa was already sitting at a table, bent over a piece of paper, sketching. She was the head designer at Bennett Enterprises, and she liked sketching by hand.
She jumped up upon seeing me.
“Why do you never stay with us when you’re in town?” She gave me a kiss on the cheek before we sat down at the table.
“I don’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense. We’d have more time with you.”
“Cousin, I have full confidence in your abilities to lure every single piece of news out of me in the hour we have today.”
She gave me a small smile. “Well, that’s true.”
Of course, half an hour in, we were both up to date, which was when Pippa brought up the subject of my love life.
“You know I’m always happy to lend a hand.”
“Pippa….”
She liked to dabble in matchmaking, especially during weddings. But instead of insisting, she sat up a little straighter.
“Wait a second… you’re up to something.”
Pippa could read people like no one else.
She glanced at my hand, which was on my phone.
“Hmmm… you’ve checked your messages quite a few times, and you’re not proclaiming as usual that you’re happy with your single status.
Dear cousin, are you telling me officially that my meddling isn’t necessary? ”
I was in a pinch. Whatever I told her would go straight back to my sisters, and things between Brooke and me were so fresh that I wanted to keep everything to myself for a while.
“Can I go with no comment?”
She gave me a knowing smile, and I was certain she’d inform my sisters about this right away. “That just answers my question. Someone has you all tied up in knots.”
As usual, Pippa was right. By the time I returned to LA on Thursday, I needed to see Brooke badly.