For some reason Tara was pleased that Mick didn’t seem happy. And she was doubly pleased when he slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her next to his side, a movement that made Liz narrow her eyes.
“I had some paperwork I needed Gavin to sign, and he insisted I attend his birthday party tonight.”
“Insisted, did he? You and Gavin being so close?”
Liz threw her head back and laughed. “Why, we’re practically married, didn’t you know?”
“Elizabeth, no man wants to be married to you. You’d eat him for breakfast.”
“Mick, why would you say that? Someday I hope to settle down and raise two point two children as is expected of my gender.”
Mick snorted. “No. Can’t picture it, sorry. You love your career and all the money all your clients make you. Can’t see you giving that up for any man. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dating any man. You don’t have time for love in your life, Liz. You’re too busy chasing money and success and trying to beat the big boys you compete with.”
Liz laughed. “You’re probably right. What would I do with a man other than slap a contract in his hand and hope to God he could do something with a ball or drive a race car, right?”
Tara caught a flash of something in Elizabeth’s eyes, but just as quickly it was gone. It might have been regret or sadness, but she didn’t know the woman all that well, so she couldn’t be sure.
Liz turned back to Tara. “So, I hear you have a little boy?”
“Teenager, actually. Nathan. He’s over there in the Saint Louis jersey hanging out with Mick’s cousins.”
“Oh, I see. Well, you must have started when you were young.”
“Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. I was pregnant at fifteen.”
Elizabeth arched a perfect brow. “Are you from a ... rural area?”
“Liz, Jesus. That’s enough.”
“No. From a fairly large city, actually.”
Elizabeth waited, no doubt thinking Tara was going to spill her guts about her background. Wrong. It was time she told Mick about it, though.
“Hey there, gorgeous. Glad you came by.”
Gavin spun Liz around, and Tara’s jaw could have dropped at the way Elizabeth’s face changed. The haughty, holier-than-thou cemented expression disappeared and the icy chill in the air melted. The woman even sported a genuine smile. She looked about sixteen years old when she smiled at Gavin. Her eyes just melted.
Holy cow.
“Hi, there, handsome. Happy birthday.” She did maintain distance and gave him what Tara would consider a professional hug, but Gavin pulled her into his arms, put his lips on her, and gave her a kiss that wasn’t at all professional. When she pushed back, her cheeks were flushed. She licked her lips. And she couldn’t quite tear her gaze away from Gavin’s face.
Well, well, well. So the ice queen was human after all.
“Come with me,” Gavin said. “Some friends of mine are here I want you to meet.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and said, “The things I have to do to keep a client happy. Ta-ta.”
Gavin took her hand and tugged her along.
“Oh. My. God,” Tara said, watching Liz disappear into the thick crowd with Gavin.
Mick scratched the side of his nose. “Yeah, I know. Liz can be a real bitch sometimes. Never thinks before she speaks. Hell, you should hear the insulting things she says to me. But she’s really good at her job and—”
“No, Mick. Not about that.” Tara waved her hand, dismissing his worries about Liz’s nasty comments. “That didn’t bother me at all.” She lifted her gaze to Mick. “But did you see the two of them together?”
“The two of—” He followed her gaze. “Gavin and Liz? Oh, yeah, she represents him, too.”
She shook her head. “Not what I meant. It was like as soon as he showed up, a switch went off inside her. Total personality transplant. She went warm. Melty, womanly warm. You know what I mean?”
“What?” Mick shifted his gaze to where Liz sat at the bar next to Gavin and his friends. He looked back at her. “No. No way. Liz doesn’t have feelings.”
“Yes she does, Mick. She has them, and she has them big. For Gavin. I mean, I don’t know her at all, but I can read a woman’s signals with a man, and her signals were pinging loud and clear. She’s in love with him.”
Mick frowned and shook his head. “Liz doesn’t love anyone. Liz loves money. And her career as a sports agent. Believe me, I know. She’s been my agent and Gavin’s since we started out. Besides, she’s older than Gavin by like ... four years. She’s like ... thirty-two or something.”
Tara laughed. “So?”
“So she doesn’t have those kinds of feelings, I’m telling you. Gavin’s a commodity to her. We all are. And if you thought all the stories about me being a man whore were true? Trust me, the ones about my brother are true. He goes through women like he goes through shirts. He doesn’t see Liz as anything but his agent. He’s sweet to her because she helps his career. There’s nothing between the two of them.”