Page 52 of The Catch

"That makes sense." Evie takes the mate from me. "He's told me he's very careful about letting dates believe there's a future with them and, somehow, the jersey is part of that."

I rub my lips and pretend the comments haven't made me dizzy. So much meaning could be garnered from them, but I'm not ready to face them.

"So how are things going since the breakup?" Pen asks.

I mask another deep breath in a long sigh. "They're okay. The biggest issue is still my business. We filmed that episode with Saint for the streaming service that I'm really hoping will help bring in cash and opportunities. It's coming out tomorrow if you want to watch it."

"We'll watch it!" Nat says, and Pen and Evie agree.

"I appreciate it." I smile. "I have this fantasy that if the episode does well, I'll get to ask the producer for leads and options. Otherwise I really need to start thinking about loans."

"Did you like recording it?" Evie asks. "I can always find other shows like that for Saint. I'm sure he'd invite you each time."

I chew the inside of my mouth. "I really enjoyed it, actually. It felt like I was cooking with Saint for friends that were about to arrive. Even having to talk to the cameras. It was like sharing my thoughts and feelings about cooking and food and community… It was great. But let's not push Saint. Let's see what happens with this show first. My focus should be on my business, anyway."

A lot of it is going into managing this raging crush on my brother's friend instead. No matter what my feelings are and the number of fantasies they plant in my mind, a relationship with him is not one of those branches I'm hoping for.

He dates plenty, current break notwithstanding. Jersey with his name aside. He's never been known to date long-term, and I won't have anything less.

Except Saint is a feast himself, and there's nothinglessabout him.

The true problem here is that I'm nowhere near ready for another long-term relationship. I need to figure out who I am first.

"How's your ex behaving?" Nat asks. "When Damián and I got together, my ex said some pretty horrid things, from what I heard afterwards."

"Saint and I are not together—" I feel the need to clarify— "but Aidan got jealous when he learned I'm staying with Saint."

"That's good, right?" Pen asks. "Fun, at least. He's a well-known musician I think? It has to have hurt his ego that you moved in with someone with so much to offer like a pro-athlete. And Saint is cute."

More than cute, but all I do is nod.

The Strike intercept and we jump to the window again. My hands latch in front of my chest, and I squeeze hard enough to rub my bones together, watching the scramble on the field.

"How do you do this all the time?" I cry. "My stomach is twisting!"

But when the cornerback manages to score the touchdown, Saint celebrates on the sidelines and dances with his friends, and the warmth it evokes could make me melt.

Until he turns toward the suite and points at us. He keeps on moving to music only he can hear, and even from this distance I know he smiles.Meltingis too soft a word for what I feel now. Whether he pointed at the group or at me, the heat at every nerve ending can't be any less than ignition.

Chapter 18

Saint

Two of the touchdowns are mine. It’s a good performance, but a voice deep within my skull nags me that I need to push for more. Nothing less than exceptional sportsmanship will convince the team to keep me. I better break a couple of records or I won't get a chance at the MVP award, and that's a risk I can't take.

I don't let myself worry too much about it tonight. With this win, we're basically guaranteed to make the playoffs. I let myself celebrate it with everyone in the locker room, before heading up to the suite.

Ames will be there, and I can ignore my fears of a trade for a bit longer, if I can focus on her.

I follow the guys to the top-most floor, and I enter the room last. Bear and Pen already laugh over a joke I didn't hear, and he takes her face in his hands and kisses her forehead. For a quick second I assume they're about to kiss, but no. It's a sweet, tender moment, and I look away. Logan and Evie embrace and do in fact kiss, but I skip over them too. I seek the sight of Ames.

She stands near the TV, gazing at me with nerves and expectation. The voice in my head disappears. Warmth infuses my blood. My chest opens, ready to welcome her into me.

I take slow steps toward her, our eyes locked. I gaze at her, thankful she's here, and hungry for a reaction— anything— from her. Eventually, I stop less than a stride away. It gives her room to decide the next move.

It's a good move. She takes a step closer to me. Like she assessed our distance and deemed it immense. Like she wants to fix it, only I'm not sure what that entails. I cock my head and smirk, watching her make up her mind.

Her eyes glint. "Congratulations, Gael."