Page 29 of Grizz

“You’re going to get traded if you don’t settle down,” she chides, but that’s as far as her advice will go.She once tried to get into it with me and I quelled her well-intentioned wisdom, much the way I silenced Daisy the other night.Both women are clear; my demons take priority.

“I got a new PR rep Langley is insisting on,” I say, unsure why that popped out.It’s typically information that would be irrelevant to meaningful conversation with my sister since she knows I burn through them pretty quick.

Her attention is piqued.“Oh, do tell.What’s so special about this person that you’d mention… her?”

“Yeah, it’s a her.”

“Aah,” she drawls knowingly.“A girl.”

“Woman,” I correct.“Her name’s Daisy and she’s an investigative journalist who got fired from her last job and used some type of connection to land as my babysitter.”

Eliza is silent for a moment before she says, “I’m understanding the words, but the tone… you don’t sound bitter about it.What does that mean?”

“No fucking clue,” I admit, and then tell my sister an honest truth because she’s the only one who has earned my full trust.“There’s something about her I like.”

“Like?”she asks curiously.“Her methods, her delivery, her zest for life?Or… romantically?”

I snort a laugh.“Not romantic, and to answer your question, I just like her as a person.”

I don’t dare say that I think Daisy is gorgeous and sexy because Eliza would give me shit.I sure as hell won’t mention that I kissed her in a bar to get her to shut up.Besides, that’s not the issue.The problem is in her character and the fact I find her genuine is cause for concern.A woman like that could be a danger to my carefully erected walls.

“Well,” Eliza drawls dramatically, “sounds to me like you should enjoy working with this new PR person.And… if it just so happens to turn into something—”

“Goodbye, Eliza,” I say, cutting her off.I don’t want to hear about such things, especially when I’ve been thinking about that kiss Daisy and I had as much as how smoothly she absorbed the information about my father.

“Okay, fine… Try to get some rest,” she says softly.“And stay out of trouble, Grizz.”

“I’ll do my best.”

We both know that’s a lie.

“Love you,” she adds before hanging up.

The line goes quiet.

I continue toward my hotel, caught in a stream of pedestrians all gawking at the lights shimmering against the desert night sky, artificial and perfect.

Vegas isn’t Paris.It never will be.But for a moment, I can almost hear my mom’s voice, full of wonder, sayingLook at it shine.

Chapter 10

Daisy

Thehalloutsidethelocker room smells like rubber flooring and post-practice hockey, a toxic scent I’ve grown accustomed to in the last few weeks.I’ve been pacing it for ten minutes, phone in hand, checking the time every thirty seconds.It’s been four days since the Vipers returned from their West Coast road trip and not much seems to have changed.

Grizz McAvoy is late again.

He’s also still completely hardheaded, combative, and unwilling to make my job a tiny bit easier.What’s worse, he seems to have selective memory and has forgotten the fact he kissed me in a bar.And he’s most definitely playing dumb about that night at the club where he blurted to me about his father.

Of course, I haven’t pushed either of those issues, although I can’t stop thinking about them.Grizz’s protective wall is higher and stronger than ever, and frankly, I probably have no business trying to scale it.

My latest project is to get Grizz to a press shoot at Bartiz, the hottest new fusion restaurant downtown.It starts in twenty minutes, and the Vipers have spent a lot of time and effort securing the restaurant’s hospitality group as a new concessions partner.The chef’s expecting Grizz.The PR team’s expecting him.Everyone is expecting him, and yet the only person not concerned is the one being paid (a lot) to show up.

I spot Tanner coming down the hall, towel over his shoulder, earbuds dangling around his neck, totally unbothered.

“Tanner,” I call.

He glances up, grin in place.“Morning, sunshine.”