“Plane leaves at ten. Be there by nine thirty at the latest.” Phil, our team coordinator, keeps his pointed gaze at Dom.
“Why are you looking at me?” he innocently asks from his spot on the gym floor, sweaty from an early-morning practice.
“If you’re late again, I’m fining your ass.”
“Phil. Philip. My guy. You love me and you know it.”
“You’re the biggest pain in my ass and the reason I’m balding. My wife is pissed at you for pulling me out of bed last night.”
“Suzanne loves me too. And hey, at least I didn’t drink and drive. I was responsible and called you for a ride.”
Phil turns my way. “Get him to the airport on time, will you, Shay?”
“On it.”
Phil shakes his head as he walks away.
“Love that guy,” Dom sighs.
“Where’d y’all go last night?”
“Sway,” Ethan answers for him.
“You went too?”
“No way. Annie would’ve served me divorce papers if I went out partying the night before a road trip, but Dom was persistent in trying.”
“Oh.”
“Did you want to go?” Dom questions. “You almost never go out with us, so I didn’t think to ask. Sorry, man.”
I shake my head. “Nah, it’s cool. I wanted to be home.”
Ethan and I are the two homebodies on the team. Ethan because he has a wife and three children and me because leaving my house and risking negative headlines is almost never worth it. The last time was almost a disaster. I punched an old teammate for treating Stevie poorly, and thankfully, my sister’s boyfriend took the blame to keep the heat off me. But I didn’t realize I had declined my teammates so much already I was no longer getting invited.
Dom could’ve called me for a ride at least. Sure, he didn’t realize that I was wide awake most of the night wondering why my new roommate wasn’t home yet, but I was.
I have ten more minutes to ice my shoulder before I can hit the showers and head to the airport, so I stand around shooting the shit with a handful of my teammates. Dom recounts the hookup he had in the back of the club last night, and Ethan fills us in on how his oldest daughter’s dance recital went.
The two spectrums of our team. Sleezy hookups in a club and dance recitals with children. I don’t know where I fall between these guys. It’s hard to relate to anyone when the only thing I care about is getting this team to the playoffs.
“Ethan,” our GM projects from across the gym. “Caroline is looking forward to dinner on Monday.”
Ron Morgan wears the happiest motherfucking grin as he looks at the previous team captain at my side.
“Annie is stoked too,” Ethan replies. “Can we bring anything this time?”
“We’ve got it! Caroline is making that rhubarb pie you love so much.”
“Oh man!” Ethan’s head falls back. “I can’t wait.” He smiles, holding his hand up in a quick wave.
“What the hell was that?” I ask.
“What was what?”
“That. Caroline is looking forward to dinner on Monday.”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. His wife is looking forward to having dinner on Monday.”
“How did you get so chummy with him? He hates me.” Looking back, I find Ron speaking to the head coach. His creased forehead and disappointed features are back, quickly replacing the relaxed smile he wore while he spoke with Ethan.
“Exactly that. Caroline. The man goes completely soft when it comes to his wife, and she loves Annie. We’ve been doing date nights together for years now. You get in with Caroline, you’ve got Ron too.”
I nod my head. “Caroline is great. That should be easy.”
He laughs condescendingly. “Not a chance, man. She doesn’t give a shit about basketball. The topic never comes up at the dinner table and you don’t know how to talk about anything else. She’s big on family, they both are, and the only reason Ron invited us out the first time is because Caroline wanted to get to know Annie. She was and still is the only consistent woman around the team, so I should really be thanking my wife that Ron likes me as much as he does.”
“Holy mama,” Dom says loudly enough to pull my attention, his eyes glued behind me. The rest of the team follows suit, turning back towards the practice gym’s entrance.
“Hot damn.”
“Good God,” they echo.
Turning around, I’m not so pleasantly surprised to find Indy strutting into the building like she owns the place, wearing a soft purple sundress on this unseasonably warm October day. Her high-top white Converse are embroidered with colorful shapes, and her hair and makeup are re-done, looking like a completely different woman than I left at the apartment a few hours ago.
“Shay, you are the luckiest man alive. Please tell me you’re hitting that.”
My head whips around to my teammate. “Watch your fucking mouth.”
“Well, if you don’t try, I will.”
“Dom,” Ethan warns, trying to hold back his laughter. “Ryan is about to combust, so I’d tone it back there, buddy.”
Shifting my attention back to Indy, her eyes wander the practice facility. Even though she’s clearly out of her element, nothing about her stance seems nervous. And her being comfortable in a place where she has no business being is something else I’ve quickly learned about her. I don’t think the girl knows how to be embarrassed.
Multiple pairs of eyes stick to the blonde beauty as Ethan watches me with amusement.
“Stop looking at her,” I warn. “Go hit the showers or get to the airport or just about anything other than look at her. She’s not available.”
“So, you are hitting that.” Dom nods in approval.
“No, I’m not hitting that. And neither are any of you. Stop looking at her or she’ll be the last thing you ever fucking see.”
“Ooooh. Protective Shay is here, and his sister is nowhere to be found. Someone write this date down. History is being made, people. Ryan Shay gives a fuck about someone other than Stevie and something other than basketball.”
“Dom, you’re about to get your ass kicked. If not by Ryan then by me.” Ethan shakes his head at our big man.
I ignore the retort Dom comes up with as I quickly make my way to Indy while she wanders into our practice space.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, taking her arm to pull her into the corner of the gym.
“Well, hello to you too.”
“How’d you get in here? This is a closed practice.”
She circles an index finger around her face. “Charming. Remember?”
Of course, my overconfident roommate could talk her way past security and into our closed practice while the gates outside are lined with eager fans, hopeful for a photo or autograph.
Her eyes fix to the ice bag strapped to my shoulder. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Indy, you can’t be here.” I want to add especially not looking like that but she could be wearing a potato sack and all my teammates’ eyes would still be on her.
She holds out a key. “The key you made me didn’t work. I went to buy curtains and when I got back, I couldn’t get inside.”
“You’re sure?” I take the key from her.
“Positive.”
“Okay. I’ll get you mine, but we need to get you out of here.”
“Shay!” I hear my name coming from the offices that line the top half of the court. “Come here for a moment. I’d like a word.”
Ron Morgan stands in the doorway of his office, hands tucked in his suit pant pockets.
“Fuck,” I exhale, turning back to Indy. “Stay here. Don’t move, and don’t talk to anyone either.”
“Cranky this morning,” she mutters under her breath as I jog away from her.
I hold my hand out when I reach the office. “Mr. Morgan.”
“Shay, I’ve known you for four years. Call me Ron.” He puts his hand in mine.
“With all due respect, sir. I’d prefer to call you Mr. Morgan.”
“Of course, you do. With your sirs and ma’ams. You’ve always had those Southern manners.”
He stares up at me, eyes narrowing, and I’d be lying if I said this man didn’t intimidate me. He might be smaller than me, but he holds my future in his hands. I’m here as long as he wants me, and the moment he doesn’t, I’ll be traded. That’s how this business works. I’m worth a pretty penny and my salary takes up a good amount of his budget. I’m acutely aware that I haven’t delivered him a championship or even a playoff berth in return for his investment.
“We have a press conference booked before the game tomorrow night. It’ll be you and me fielding questions about your captaincy and what we expect to see from the team this season, so be prepared for questions.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Shay, try to have a personality while you do it. Yes, we’re going to talk basketball, but you’re the face of this team now and they want to know about the real Ryan Shay.”
“What kind of questions should I expect?”
“I don’t know. Things about your family. How much you enjoy your city. How you feel about your promotion. How I feel about your promotion.”
Time freezes with the unspoken innuendo in his voice.
Fuck it, the moment is here. May as well ask.
“How do you feel about my promotion, sir?”
He exhales a deep, resigned sigh. “I’m sure you know how I feel about your promotion.”
I shake my head. “What did I do to make you dislike me so much? Is this all because I didn’t want to continue seeing your niece? It truly had nothing to do with her—”
“No. God no. How petty do you think I am? I don’t dislike you, Shay, but I also don’t think you’re cut out to lead this team. Being the captain is about more than being the most talented on the court. It’s about family, camaraderie. You’re a lone wolf, which is fine, but that’s not the type of leadership I’m looking for in my organization. I wasn’t upset that you didn’t want to continue seeing my niece. She’s a handful, even for me, but I know firsthand the effects a woman can have on a man. I was hoping maybe you’d meet someone along the way, and you’d change. That you’d be ready for this role when the time came. Take Ethan for example. The guy is a hell of a shooter, but his real talent is being approachable to his guys, and I know a lot of that came when he met Annie. I don’t think you’re ready for this, Shay.”
Well, shit. Tell me how you really feel.
As if he didn’t just make me feel two feet tall, he smiles and waves as Ethan leaves the gym.
Honestly, fuck this. I work harder than any other guy on this team. I’m better than any other guy on this team, but Ron has an issue with me because I don’t have a girlfriend? Or that I’m not soft enough because I don’t have a woman in my life.
The smallest part of me wants a trade. If that’s how he really feels about me, then trade me. Then there’s the reminder that Stevie lives here now and she’s not going anywhere since Zanders signed a seven-year deal with the Raptors, so I need to make this work. I need to make this right.
“Actually, sir. I did meet someone.”
What the actual fuck just came out of my mouth?
Ron laughs. “What?”
Instead of responding because I can’t find it in me to repeat the lie, I quickly nod.
“Shay, you’ve played for me for four years. I think I’d know if you were seeing someone.”
“It’s new.”
“Well, is it serious?”
Is it serious? It’s seriously delusional just like me because I’m a fucking idiot thinking I could pull this lie off.
“Mm-hmm. Yep.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” he continues, eyes narrowed. “Next week. At the fall banquet. Where your attendance is mandatory, and you’ll bring your girlfriend. I know Caroline will want to meet her too.”
I’m fucked. Utterly and completely fucked. How was having a fake girlfriend my solution to this? Why couldn’t I have just offered to work on my leadership and that be it?
I can’t even use the excuse of taking my sister instead of my nonexistent girlfriend because the fall banquet is a fundraiser hosted by the four major sports teams in Chicago where Stevie will be in attendance with Zanders.
A flash of blonde hair and lavender fabric catches my attention as Indy stands where I left her, lightly swaying her hips and bobbing her head as she scrolls on her phone.
My face screws up with regret. This is a terrible idea, but fuck it, I’m in it already. “Or you could meet her right now?” I motion to Indy as she entertains herself, completely oblivious to the colossal lie I’m creating about her.
“That’s her? Well, introduce me, Shay.”
I clear my throat. “Indy,” I call out, waving her over. “Will you come here for a second?”
She heads towards us with a bit of a skip in her step and I hope she can see the apology in my forced smile.
“Indy, this is the General Manager of the Devils, Ron Morgan.”
“Nice to meet you,” she says with a bright beaming smile because of course she has no problem meeting strangers.
I place my hand on her lower back. It’s the first time I’ve really touched her, and she instantly stiffens from the contact. “Mr. Morgan, this is Indy…my girlfriend.”
My roommate’s smile instantly drops.
“So wonderful to meet the woman who finally caught the attention of our Ryan Shay.” He studies her and though Indy might not be able to tell through his tone, I know he’s trying to figure this out. He’s trying to catch me.
Please go with it, Blue, I beg through my eyes.
She stays silent in shock.
“I’m sure she’s happy to meet you too,” I quickly interrupt the stretched silence. “But she’s heading out right now.” Using my hand on her lower back, I turn her towards the exit.
“Oh, already?” Ron asks. “What a shame.”
“Yep. She’s got to go.” I push against Indy’s back, needing her to get a pep in her step and get the fuck out of here.
“Not so fast, honey bun.” She snaps out of her trance, stopping me as she wraps both arms around my waist. “How am I supposed to be without you for two days? We’ve never been apart, cupcake. I’m going to miss you so much.”
She nuzzles her head on my un-iced shoulder, looking up at me with a wink.
I’m going to kill her.
“Well, aren’t you two the sweetest,” Ron laughs.
“Oh, it’s all him. Sweetest man I’ve ever met. And emotional! Did you know he was so emotional?”
“I had no idea. Shay is always so composed around here.”
“Oh, he’s emotional all right! Huge crier too. He sobbed the first time we made lo—”
I slap a palm over her mouth. “We’ve got to go. See you on the plane, Mr. Morgan.”
I don’t let go of Indy as I turn us around and march towards the exit.
“I look forward to seeing you again at the fall banquet next week, Indy!”
Indy waves at Ron over her shoulder like a woman gone mad, but she can’t respond because I refuse to uncover her mouth until we are away from my colleagues.
“What the hell are you doing?” I snap once we’re alone in the empty hall outside of the gym. “And what the fuck is with the food nicknames?”
“What am I doing? What the hell are you doing? Your girlfriend?”
“Fuck,” I exhale, pacing the small hallway. “I panicked.”
“Well, go un-panic and correct him.”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t?” She laughs condescendingly. “What do you mean you can’t?”
“Look, Indy. That man in there holds my future in his hands. I can’t exactly go tell him I lied to his face. He just told me he doesn’t think I’m cut out to lead this team. That I’m not approachable and that I spend too much time alone.”
“Sounds like he knows you too well.”
“I need his support. I can’t spend the rest of my career playing for a GM who doesn’t think I’m the right man for the job. I just need you to go to this event with me, get his wife to fall in love with you, and Ron will change his mind about me. Caroline is his weak spot. If she’s a fan, then he will be too.”
Indy laughs. “And you call me emotional and dramatic.”
“I’ve never once called you dramatic.”
“I know.” She pops her shoulder. “I added that in because I wanted a reason to call you dramatic. Which you are. Go take that robotic personality of yours and set him straight.”
I take a deep breath. “Indy. It’s one night. One event. Help me out here.”
“No. That’s so weird! I can’t pretend to be your girlfriend.”
Okay, I lied. She is dramatic. This isn’t a big deal. “Do you want me to get on my knees and beg or something?”
“Now that you say it.” She cocks her head to the side, eyes roaming my length. “I wouldn’t mind knowing what you look like on your knees, Shay.”
“Indy, please.”
“This is ridiculous. We can talk about it when you get home.”
“Perfect. Great. All I’m asking for is one night.”
“Go get me your key so I can go crash in my new expensive bed.”
“What an amazing guy to buy you a bed. Probably makes you want to return a favor. He seems like a wonderful person.”
Indy rolls her eyes. “He’s on my shit list at the moment.”
