“I think so. Maybe. I don’t know. It’s hard to say how serious either of us can get with the careers we have. We’re both just so busy.”
Katie placed her drink on the table and leaned forward. “Oh, bullshit, Aubry. Stop making everything in your life about your work and take your career out of the equation. How do you feel about Tucker?”
She hadn’t said the words out loud to anyone yet, but she had to. She just had to. “I’m in love with him.”
Katie squealed with joy, got up and came around to Aubry’s side of the table, pulled her out of her chair and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you. Does he love you, too?”
Aubry laughed at Katie’s exuberance. They both sat down and Aubry moved her drink toward the chair next to Katie’s so she could be closer. “I don’t know. We haven’t said the words to each other yet. But I feel it, you know? I think he does.”
“If he agreed to the dinner-with-the-parents routine, trust me, he’s in love with you. It’s only a matter of time before he says the words.”
That was how she felt as well. “So now you know why I’m smiling.”
“And now you know why I’m going to glare daggers of hate and jealousy at you the rest of the night.” Katie lifted her glass toward Aubry.
Aubry laughed and lifted her glass, clinking it with Katie’s. “You will not because you’re my best friend and you love me.”
“Fine. Here’s to love and the lucky ones who manage to land the hot men.”
“I’ll definitely drink to that.”
TUCKER SAT IN HIS CAR IN FRONT OF VICTORIA BALDWIN’S office, almost too afraid to go inside to talk to her.
It had been four days since Clyde Ross had threatened to trade him. Four days since he’d last talked to Aubry. He was afraid to even text her, though he didn’t think her father monitored her phone.
He felt like a goddamned coward. But this was his career. What the hell was he supposed to do?
And that was the problem. He didn’t know. Right now he needed intel, so he got out of the car and went inside the building where Victoria’s spacious office was located. He’d texted her this morning and asked if she had some time to see him before he had to report to the stadium for his game today, and fortunately she did.
The receptionist led him to her office. Victoria looked gorgeous as always in her dark slim pencil skirt, white blouse and high heels that accentuated her killer legs. He had no idea about her age—late thirties or early forties maybe? It didn’t matter. She was beautiful, in that classic-beauty kind of way, her brown hair perfectly styled and brushing her shoulders in a wave of curls.
She was also a shark in this business, and that’s what he admired the most about her.
“Tucker,” she said, smiling as he entered. “I’m so glad you stopped by. Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m fine right now, thanks.”
“All right. Take a seat and tell me what brings you by today?”
His stomach jumbled and he didn’t want to have this conversation with her, but knowing was better than not knowing. “I was wondering if you’d heard anything about a trade involving me.”
Her brow arched. “A trade? No. Why? Have you heard something?”
“No.”
She leaned a hip against her desk and crossed her arms. “Okay. Then tell me why you thought there might be a trade in the works.”
He wanted to downplay this so she wouldn’t ask a lot of questions. “I was just wondering if you’d heard anything. You know, just to be safe.”
She pushed off the desk and took a seat in the chair next to his. “I don’t think so, Tucker. You’re worried about something. Did someone on the staff threaten you with a trade?”
“No. No one on the staff threatened me with a trade.” That part, at least, was honest.
“You’re obviously upset enough to have come here today to talk to me. Come on, Tucker, tell me what’s worrying you.”
There was no way in hell he’d tell Victoria about Clyde Ross’s threat. He knew Victoria. She was protective of her players. He’d seen her in action when she was negotiating a deal and she was a tigress, giving no ground where the best interests of her clients were concerned. If he told her what Clyde had said to him, she’d march right into his office and threaten him with trading Tucker, telling him what a loss it would be for the Rivers, when that was the last thing he wanted. Now that he knew Clyde hadn’t started trade talks—at least not yet—he was going to have to finesse his way out of this.
He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know, Victoria. I think it’s just all in my head. You know how it is. The pressure of the game, of wanting to do my best for the team. I had a couple of losses recently that I should have won. And my curveball sucks right now. I can do better.”