Page 14 of Bluffed By the Offense

“It's fine. I know why you're loyal, Declan. And I love that about you. And I'm sure Marcus’s ego and bossiness find a great outlet on the field. Those qualities obviously have served the Thunder. I'm just not a fan. Not after meeting him in person.”

“I can’t argue the way he is around you. It’s … extra.”

“I think you’re just used to him. You’ve learned to live around his dominance.”

Declan nods. “Maybe. I’m not denying that he takes charge.”

I’m fine with people taking charge. My boss and our agents would tell anyone who will listen how good I am at taking direction. And I don’t want or need the spotlight. I’m a team player. It’s the way Marcus takes over that unnerves me. And now it’s so much more. The more I get to know him, the more glaring red flags I see.

“I don’t need someone overriding this project.” I glance from Winona to Declan, hoping they’ll see my point. “Porch Light is about serving the underserved. The focus is on the people in our town who have deep needs. Whoever volunteers will need to check their egos at the door. I'm not convinced Marcus Delaney is capable of that.”

Winona sits on the stool next to me, silently studying me. I get the feeling she’s scheming some way to bridge the gap and show me the light. Declan takes the food out of the oven and sets it on the counter. He grabs three plates out of the cabinet and starts serving us.

“Please, both of you,” I say. “Let Marcus and me be what we are. You’ve got a wedding to plan.”

“A wedding where you and he are both in the wedding party,” Winona says with a sigh.

And she’s right. For some reason, Marcus Delaney seems to be entering every corner of my life lately. He’s like a rash, spreading and irritating.

If only there were a prescription ointment to make him go away.

Chapter 4

Marcus

If you catch me in a bad photo, that’s not on me.

~ John Mulaney

“Ayyyyeee,” Harris says to O’Connell from across the locker room after practice the next day. “Delaney got paired up with your future sister-in-law.” Treyvon laughs the laugh of a man who actually enjoyed his photo shoot. “We all know how fond they are of one another.”

“According to social media, they are very fond of one another,” Keller says, tossing Treyvon his phone. “Check that out.”

Treyvon catches the phone in one hand and looks at whatever’s on the screen. Then he raises his voice into a falsetto and says, “I see sparks! The way they look at one another? Be still my heart.”

He thumps his heart and bats his lashes. Then he starts to read something else off the phone.

I snap off the bench where I’d been tying the laces of my Nikes. “Give me that.”

Treyvon holds the cell overhead. He tosses it to Keller, who makes the catch. I dart over toward Keller. He pitches the phone to Pierce, who immediately sends it flying to Declan.

Declan holds it out to me.

“O’Connell! What’s your problem, man?” Trey complains. “Have you never played keep-away?”

“He deserves to see it,” Declan says.

No one questions Declan. My eyes shoot to the screen. The post has photos of Cass and me—on the pathway, on the bridge, on the blanket. In every one, she’s looking at me adoringly, and I look like I’m head over heels for her. I’ll give it to Bryce, the photos look amazing.

“Read the comments, QB,” Treyvon says.

The first one is the one he already read out loud. And the rest are more of the same. Over one thousand comments, all of them feeding off one another—all of them saying we’re obviously a happy couple. Some say ridiculous things—like one total stranger saying she wishes she were an ant on the same picnic blanket as me. One woman says she needs therapy now that I’m taken. She’s not exactly wrong. Anyone who thinks they need therapy over this, just might.

“I have to fix this,” I say. I catch O’Connell staring at me. “What does Cass say about all this? Did Winona tell you?”

“I don’t know if Cass has seen it yet.” His lips thin. “And I don’t know if there’s anything to be done. You may just have to ride the wave. At least they’re only saying you’re dating her. It could be worse.”

He would know.