Chapter 6
CHAPTER
SIX
ELLERY
Coop and I walk back out to the rooftop, and by now, it’s the seventh-inning stretch.
Bryce is talking on the phone, and as soon as we get to the seats, she stands. “I gotta go.”
“What? It’s not over and I thought we were going to go to dinner tonight?”
Bryce gives me the look she always does when work calls, but I can’t say I don’t understand. Being a doctor, I’m on call a lot. “I’m sorry. I guess some new guy just got called up to play with the Tundras and they want me to interview him for a piece tomorrow.”
“They can do that?” Coop asks.
I laugh because out of the three of us, he’s the one who’s been involved in the most interviews for sports magazines.
Doesn’t he realize how important it is for the first reporter to get the story before others?
But that’s Coop. He’s blind to his fame, which is something I’ve always loved about him.
“They do what they want. It’s Sportsverse, the biggest sports magazine in the nation.” Bryce hugs us both. “Love you both and we need to do this more often.”
“Now that you’re in our city, we can.” I grin. “You’re saving me. I don’t have to spend all my time with Coop now.” He doesn’t laugh or smile, so I elbow him in the ribs. “I’m joking.”
“I know,” he says but still doesn’t smile.
He’s been off all day for some reason.
Bryce’s gaze shifts between the two of us. “Okay, well, I gotta go. I’ll call you both soon.”
“Don’t forget first game of the season.”
Bryce nods, but I can tell she forgot. “Yeah, I wouldn’t miss it for the world, but…” She stops herself and looks at Coop.
Miles being on Coop’s team definitely makes things more difficult for Bryce.
The two of them supposedly have some hatred for one another, but I swear Bryce is withholding information from me.
But she didn’t say anything to Coop because she didn’t want Coop to automatically hate Miles when he was traded to the Grizzlies.
She went on and on about how locker rooms can be tough on players when they’re traded and she wanted to spare Miles any extra animosity since it’s hard enough leaving his crew on the West Coast. Which, if you ask me, doesn’t sound like something you’d do for an enemy, but what do I know?
I admit, hearing all of Bryce’s stories of going out with the women in San Francisco, I always had a little jealousy because I wanted to be the one she was having drinks and gossiping with, so I’m thrilled she’s back with me.
“Okay, I’ll message you to remind you,” I say.
Everyone has their roles in our friendship circle and mine is to keep us all intact.
“Great, I’ll get you guys in through the back,” Coop says, sitting down in his seat.
“Oh no. It’s fine. We’ll just meet you after the game.” Bryce is quick to decline.
Coop always gets me a pass to the locker room and stuff. Hell, Bryce is a reporter, so she probably gets them all the time too.
“What are you talking about?” Coop asks her, a perplexed expression on his face.
Sooner or later, Coop is going to figure out that Bryce and Miles have a huge dislike for each other that’s going to carry on here in Chicago.
She sighs. “Nothing. Yeah, passes would be great. Since Mila Thomas covers you guys for Sportsverse, I can’t use a work one.” She smiles and waves. “See you then.”
She walks down from the rooftop and I sit in my seat next to Coop. I swear he’s gotten bigger every year since graduation. He’s broader, more muscled, and just overall bigger. He makes me feel tiny now, even though I’m five-eight.
“So, the woman?” I turn in his direction.
He continues to watch the game since it just started again after the break. “She’s not my type.”
“You say that a lot, you know.”
“What can I say? The women who hit on me aren’t the ones I want to be with.”
My forehead wrinkles. “Why?”
“Because they don’t want me for me. They want me for my name, who I am in football. They want to brag to their friends. Siska might be okay with that, but not me.”
“So, you want something serious with someone?”
Which is the last thing I ever want. I’ve witnessed enough relationships crash and burn. I don’t see the point in marriage. Plus, with my schedule, no one would ever want to be with me because they’d barely see me.
“Doesn’t everyone?” He sips his beer, still solely focused on the game. “Well, except you.” He glances at me from the corner of his eye.
“If you’d lived through what I did, you’d feel the same way.”
His hand comes to my thigh, and he squeezes.
“I know. Sorry, I’m just annoyed. Another magazine wants me to pose for a photo shoot and I’m sick of answering the same questions over and over again.
I mean, it’s only because they find me good-looking and has nothing to do with my skills as a quarterback. ”
I pinch his cheek. “They can’t keep away from these dimples.”
I remember the first time I saw Cooper in college.
He was walking across campus, and everyone knew who he was.
He was supposedly the top prospect in the nation and was going to be an amazing asset to the college’s football team.
We shared a class, and when he sat next to me, butterflies erupted in my stomach.
Then we started studying together to pass psychology.
Before I knew it, those butterflies disappeared and he wasn’t just the hot jock anymore—he was Cooper Rice, my best friend.
But I’m not blind. He’s drop-dead gorgeous.
Last year, women started doing all these video edits of him on social media, making him go viral, and now he’s on everyone’s radar. Which he hates of course.
“Yeah, well, dimples or not, I’m not into those women.” He sips his beer.
I face forward and we watch the game, cheering for the Colts. By the ninth inning, when the score isn’t even close, most people have left to beat the traffic or get an early seat at the neighboring bars.
Before the game is over, Miles Cavanaugh walks out onto the rooftop, taking in the scenery.
“Man, this is awesome,” he says, coming over to us.
“Isn’t it?” Coop says. “One of the great perks of living here.”
Miles sits one seat away from me instead of directly next to me. Then he rests his forearms on his knees and stares at the field. He’s as attractive as Cooper and Damon. It’s almost like you have to be in order to be a professional football player.
One thing I’ve noticed from being friends with Coop and meeting a lot of professional players is that most of them struggle with their success on some level.
Sure, they might be cocky to your face, but they have their own fears deep down.
I’m sure Miles has some big ones after being traded and his former team winning the Bowl.
There’s no way that isn’t crushing to an ego.
“What have you been doing since we saw you earlier?” I ask Miles.
“Just grocery shopping and getting my place together. I’m all about my routine.” He shrugs and chuckles.
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“I guess not. But I usually get razzed about it. That, and my clean eating.”
“Oh!” I shift into the chair between us. “Clean eating?”
His head rears back at first, but he nods. “Yeah, I do a lot of smoothies. Try to stay away from processed shit. Things like that.”
“Me too. I mean, I’m a doctor and if you would’ve seen what I did in medical school, it just sticks with you.” It made me neurotic for a long time until I realized that I could splurge on occasion. Come on, who can refuse sweets and fried foods for their entire life? Not me.
“Being an athlete, I just learned what my body needs for fuel to perform at my max level and it’s not cheeseburgers and fries.”
I nod. “We’ll have to exchange smoothie recipes sometime. What’s your favorite protein powder?”
We talk about frozen fruit versus fresh and all the different seeds and supplements we add in. Miles is easy to talk to and seems like a good guy all around. I’m finding it hard to understand why Bryce hates him so much.
“Game’s over.” Coop stands and holds out his hand. “Let’s go.”
“Oh.” I look up. There are lots of times we’ve stayed out on the rooftop after a game, finishing our drinks or just talking, but Coop looks as if he wants to leave right now. “I didn’t realize.”
“Yeah, because you and Cavanaugh can’t stop talking about chia seeds and shit.”
My eyebrows crinkle at him. What’s his problem?
“Shit, I should get going anyway. Early practice tomorrow.” Miles stands and puts out his hand to Coop, who stares at it for a minute before shaking it. “Thanks for having me here. I know Damon probably didn’t ask you. But it’s a great space.”
Cooper shakes his hand, smiling at Miles, his dimples indented to the sexy level. “Yeah. No problem. Welcome to The Den.”
Miles looks at me quizzically.
“That’s what the women call it. You know, because you guys are Grizzlies and—”
Miles laughs. “I get it.”
I nod.
“See you two later,” he says.
“See you,” Coop says.
After Miles leaves, Coop moves out of the way for me to go first.
“What was with the attitude?” I ask.
He sighs and walks behind me off the rooftop. “I’m just tired.”
Coop acted like a jealous boyfriend, and I have no idea what that’s about since I watch women flirt with him all the time when I’m standing right next to him. How does he think that makes me feel?