“What happened that you couldn’t start school this year?”
She blushed, but it wasn’t from embarrassment this time. Anger and disappointment combined to just make her look sad. “Alize was going to pay for school, and I had everything ready. I’ve been accepted, and my class schedule was set. On the last day tuition was due, Alize changed her mind. She said that she, in good conscience, couldn’t support me in tossing my life away.”
“The bitch.”
Eliana laughed, but the sound was bitter. “Yeah. The thing is, if I’d known she was going to go back on her offer to pay for school, I could have made other arrangements. Scholarships. Loans. Found another job. But because she pulled out on the exact day of the deadline…” she lifted a shoulder.
“You were screwed,” I finished for her.
She nodded. “Pretty much. So now I’m working and saving every penny that I can. I’ll also apply for loans and scholarships. I have expensive clothes and purses,” she pointed at the one beside her, “that Alize bought, and I’ll try to sell. I have options. It will just take me a little longer to get started.”
“Did you ever consider moving to Tennessee and staying with your grandparents? You could go to school there.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I’d love that more than you’d ever know. I stayed with them every summer. I wanted to live with them full-time and go to high school there, but Alize thought people would feel poorly about her if she didn’t bring me back.”
Right. Image is everything.
“My grandpa was a vet, and I got to be his ‘assistant’ when I was there. They were both so wonderful, and they were going to fight Alize for custody, but there was a fire, and…” She shook her head sadly, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders again.
“Why homeless animals?” I asked in order to change the subject.
She sniffed hard and her forehead wrinkled. “One day about a year ago, I was passing by an alley and heard this man screaming and a dog barking like crazy. It turned out that somebody reported the man to the local humane society, claiming there was no way he could take care of the dog on the streets. The man, his name is Joseph…”
Ah. Joseph and Target.
“He was devastated and crying so hard, it cracked something inside me. I went to the shelter and adopted Target and took him back, promising to feed him every day. After that, I noticed more homeless dogs and…”
“You take them all food. Treat them for fleas. Stuff like that.”
“Yes. And if I can’t for some reason, my roommate, Zoe, does. She’s going to vet school too. She actually did get to start this year, so I help her study which helps me better prepare for when I get started. It works out great.”
“And you’re able to pay for all this on your own? Grooming dogs?”
She smiled. “Long Islanders are crazy about their pooches and pay a crazy amount to make sure Fluffy’s fur is perfect. The business is incredibly lucrative.”
The pride in her eyes made me smile too.
“You seem very determined.”
“I am. And I actually like that I get to do it on my own. One less thing I’ll feel indebted to my mother for.”
“And when you graduate?”
“I’ll open my own clinic and offer free services to homeless dogs. Then I’ll get to do more than provide a meal.”
“I’ll talk to Katrina Delaney about what you’re doing. She’s the Beasts’ PR director, and I’m meeting with her this afternoon. She’s always looking for stuff the players can do for the community.”
Dammit. I hated thinking about my stupidity of last night, the real reason I was meeting Katrina.
Eliana’s smile lit up her face. “That would be wonderful.”
An idea sprang to life. “What time do you get off work?”
“Not until about nine tonight. One of my dog moms needed a late appointment. Why?”
“Well, I was going to leave you a ticket at the will-call booth. If you were able to come to the game tonight, I’d introduce you to Katrina. Hell, I would have introduced you to Ace Newman too. He does a bunch for homeless vets, and I heard him talk about pet therapy for vets with PTSD. I’m not sure, but there might be some way shelter dogs could be trained to help?”
“That’s brilliant!”
“Maybe another night? I’m leaving tomorrow for a nine-game road trip. There will be a couple home games before the gala. Maybe you’ll come then?”
“Yes, I’d love that. I’ll go online and look at the schedule to see if something works. Could I bring Zoe too?”
“Of course. Just text me, and I’ll leave you both tickets. Don’t eat beforehand because there will be tons of food available in the suite.”
“Suite?”
I grinned at her. “Yeah, it’s where all the players’ wives and fake girlfriends sit.”
She bit her bottom lip, and I realized I was jealous of her teeth. I wanted to be biting it, sucking on it, slipping my cock... Shit. My ability to concentrate was whacked.
“And…” she said, looking worried, “if I’m able to come to a game, we just go in? Start munching on the buffet?”
“Yep. Eat, watch the game, then I’ll introduce you to Katrina and Ace afterward.”
“That actually sounds like fun.”
It was my turn to preen. She laughed. “Good. Then we can work on our ‘how we met’ story before we hit the red carpet.”
I hadn’t even noticed that the waiter had taken my card until he brought it back with a ticket for me to sign. I paid for our meals but wasn’t yet ready to say goodbye.
“Well, I better go, dear,” she said. “I have a labradoodle in twenty minutes.”
Reluctantly, I slid from the booth and extended my hand to help her out. Our fingers linked together as I walked her to the door. At the entrance, an older woman was smiling at us both, and she gave Eliana a long wink. “You two have a good day.”
“Thanks, Helen. You too.”
On the sidewalk, we were still holding hands, and I was still reluctant to let her go. “So… see ya soon?”
She nodded, another blush creeping onto her cheeks. “Yes. And thanks again. For everything. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for what you did in there.”
I took a step closer and bent down, placing my lips to her ear. “Get that Brazilian at the spa.”
She gasped and giggled and coughed all at once. Pulling back, she looked up at me. Even in the heels, the top of her head only came to my shoulders. “I didn’t think fake boyfriends got to even see things like that.”
My cock twitched. “Maybe we can break the rules?”
Her eyes darkened until the sky turned into the sea. “Well, I’ve heard that’s what’s supposed to happen to rules.”
“I’ve heard that too.”
She lifted herself up to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. “I’ll let you know next Saturday.”
Then she was gone, leaving me with a hard-on and a view of that swaying, very sexy, ass.
And I knew I was totally screwed.
***