Sitting in a suite watching the Giants game is a lot like sitting in a suite watching a Nighthawks game. But without the stress of seeing Caden play.
I’ve never been much into sports. Growing up in Okoboji, Iowa didn’t lend itself to it. We had one hundred and fifty students in my entire high school—not much to pick from if you wanted an award-winning football or baseball team.
Still, I find sports are kind of growing on me. Maybe it’s from working at the gym and seeing all the sports stars come and go. I glance over at Caden, who’s deep in conversation with Kyle and Chad as they discuss Mason’s last play.
“Which one are you ogling?” Lexi whispers, coming up beside me to catch me staring.
I snap my eyes to hers. “I wasn’t ogling,” I pout.
“It’s okay to ogle, you know. They’re all hot, if I do say so myself.”
I glance back at the three men. She’s right. The amount of testosterone and unbridled attractiveness there could bring any woman to her knees. Mallory’s husband, Chad, laughs loudly and I turn back to Lexi. “You could have warned me that your brother-in-law is a Hollywood A-lister.”
“A little star-struck, are we?”
I shrug. “Maybe just a little. I mean, he’s been in like ten movies, Lexi. Good movies. Movies you stand in line for on opening night. Isn’t that unreal? And here he is just laughing and watching football with the rest of us like a regular guy.”
She studies me, shaking her head. “Says the BFF of one of the hottest sports stars in New York.”
“That’s different,” I say. “And we’re not BFFs.”
“That’s up for debate,” she says. “But either way, do you go around introducing yourself as ‘the best friend of Caden Kessler of the Nighthawks’?”
I cringe. “Of course not.”
“Then why would I introduce myself as the sister-in-law of the famous Thad Stone?”
I nod. “Touché. But I think it was the name that threw me. I’d heard Mallory talk about her husband, Chad, before. I guess I didn’t realize he was the same guy.”
“Are you two talking about my husband?” Mallory asks, joining us at the bar.
“I think Murphy was a bit star-struck to find out who Chad is.”
“You wouldn’t feel that way if you had to use the bathroom after him every morning.” She waves a hand under her nose, making us laugh with her.
We’re watching the guys interact with each other when a woman comes up to them, asking not Chad, but Caden, for an autograph.
“See?” Mallory says. “I love it when that happens. The girl didn’t even notice Chad. Keeps his ego in check.”
I can’t tear my eyes away from Caden and his fan. Kyle takes a few pictures of them with the woman’s phone. Then she hugs Caden and he hugs her back. It reminds me of last night, watching Caden with Kate. They didn’t touch much, maybe a hand on an arm or an elbow to the ribs. But the fact that I noticed every little touch was surprising. And the fact that it bothered me was bothersome.
Brady was quite the gentleman for the most part—when he wasn’t staring at my chest that is. He earned more than a few kicks under the table from Caden when he was caught doing it. It was almost comical how Caden was trying to protect me from the man-whore of the western world. He must have felt bad knowing he assured me our date was platonic. I guess he thought it was his duty to uphold the ‘platonic-ness’ of it.
Caden glances over and winks at me. Then something happens. Heat creeps up my face and my heart stops beating for just a fraction of a second. That’s all it took really, just a fraction of a second to realize that what I’m feeling for him is not what one friend feels for another.
It was an innocent gesture on his part. I’m sure he winks at everyone. The fan who is now sitting back with her friends on the other side of the suite—did he wink at her? I think back to last night and try to remember if he winked at Kate. Surely, he must have.
A glass is shoved into my hands. Lexi laughs and says, “Looks like you need this more than I do.”
I take a drink of her beer and then turn around and focus all my energy on the game.
I concentrate on the game so my mind can’t fester over the fact that my pulse races every time I’m near him. Or the fact that when he left another hat at my place last night, I secretly wondered if he did it on purpose as I added it to my growing collection. Or the fact that seeing him with another woman last night made me jealous.
Or the fact that I’ve fallen for my best friend.
No. This can’t be happening. I down the rest of Lexi’s drink and go to the bar in search of another.
Hands come up and touch my shoulders, causing shivers to travel down my spine. “Having fun?” Caden asks, in a deep masculine voice that twists my insides into knots.
My eyes close and I’m glad my back is turned to him so he can’t see the visceral reaction my body is having to his words. His touch.
I stiffen and try to compose myself. “I am,” I say. “Thank you for inviting me.”
He starts to massage my shoulders. “You’re so tense, Murph. Everything okay?”
I take my beer from the bartender and turn around, shrugging his hands off my shoulders in the process. If he only knew what his touch was doing to me, he wouldn’t have put his hands on me. “Yeah. Just tired, I guess.”
“Tired? We left your place before eleven.”
“I stayed up too late watching TV,” I confess.
“Me too.” He laughs quietly. “They had a late-night Murphy Brown marathon.”
My face heats up. I’m not sure why knowing he was watching the same show embarrasses me, but it does.
“What?” He sees my reaction. “No way. Really?”
I shrug. “Had to see what all the fuss was about. I mean, it is your favorite show and all.”
“I haven’t watched it in years,” he says. “But, yeah, it might just be my favorite show.” He winks at me.
“Why were you watching TV?” I ask. “Didn’t you and Kate … um, didn’t you go out for a drink or … something?”
Oh, God. Could I be any more awkward?
Caden laughs. “No, we didn’t go out for a drink or … something.”
I try not to smile too broadly at his admission. I try not to think about how I watched TV last night to get my mind off what he and Kate were most likely doing after they left my apartment. And now, knowing he took her straight home—it feels better than the day I got that modeling contract.
We walk over and sit down to watch the second half of the game.
“Speaking of baseball,” Caden says.
I look at him and roll my eyes. “We weren’t speaking of baseball.”
“Yeah, but now we are,” he says, elbowing me in the ribs. “When is your next day off?”
“Not until next Sunday,” I say. “I picked up some extra hours this week to cover for someone.”
Caden looks disappointed. “You work six days in a row?”
“Yes. But they aren’t all full days. I only work until noon on Thursday.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up at the gym at noon on Thursday.”
I look at him sideways. “Are you going to tell me why?”
“For your next lesson.”
I laugh. “I’ve seen you play plenty of times, Caden. I believe I’ve gotten the gist of it by now.”
“But you only went to two games. And the first one doesn’t count since you didn’t even watch it.” He cringes and I know he’s thinking about his ball hitting me. Then he stares me down, a slow smile dancing up his face. “You watched my games on TV, didn’t you, Murphy Brown?”
“I may have caught a few on ESPN,” I admit, more heat creeping up my face.
He slaps his knee in excitement. “I knew it! Come on, fess up, it’s a great game, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure I’d call it great. But it is growing on me.”
“What’s a walk-off grand slam?” he asks me.
“Um … some sort of home run?”
He laughs. “Some sort? Yeah, you need another lesson. Thursday. Twelve o’clock.”
“Fine. But you have to feed me first,” I say.
“I know just the place.”
The suite erupts in cheers and we look down to the field to see that Mason has just thrown a touchdown pass. Caden jumps over the back of his chair to go high-five the other guys.
He leaves me to my thoughts. Thoughts that convince me I’m going on a date on Thursday. A date with my best friend.
Lord help me.