I took the phone. “I’m fine. I was calling for him, but it’s not needed. Thank you.” I hung up and frowned at Nate. “What are you doing? She wanted a cab.”
“Where is she?”
The toilet flushed down the hallway.
He looked that way. “Oh.” Then he leaned closer to me. “I’m not doing anything shady, but I’ll take her home. I don’t know who she is. I want to find out a little more about her before sending her on her way.”
“Why?”
“The bar was filled with reporters last night.”
I touched my chest. “Because of me?”
“What?” He frowned, shaking his head. “No. Not you. That’s not news yet. For the game. I don’t remember a lot about last night, so I want to make sure this chick isn’t a reporter.”
The door opened then, and Valerie came out. Her hair had been smoothed; it was even glossy somehow. It had looked mostly blond before, but I saw some reddish tints to it now. Her dress was back in place and covering all it was supposed to be covering, and her shoes were on. She had a clutch in her hand that I hadn’t seen before. She started toward me, but saw Nate and jerked backward.
“Oh.” She caught herself on the doorframe to keep from falling. “Oh, hey.”
He waved to me. “I hope it’s okay, I had her cancel the cab. I’ll give you a ride home.”
I hit his arm. “The game.”
“Yeah.” He pushed my hand away distractedly. “We’ll be fine. I’ll be back.” He gestured to her. “Is that okay? Can I give you a ride home?”
“Sure.” She came forward a few steps, walking stiffly. She held onto her clutch with both hands in front of her. “But I don’t go to Cain U. I don’t live here. I’m in town with some friends for the game.”
“You are?”
His relief was evident. I hit him, just because.
Nate shot me a look. “What?”
Her eyebrows drew together again, and she lowered her head slightly.
I gestured to her.
Understanding dawned. “Oh! No. I thought you were a reporter. If you’re with friends for the game, I’m hoping you’re not a reporter.”
“Why would you worry I was a reporter?”
“Because there were a lot at the bar last night.”
She shook her head slowly, like she was trying to remember. “I think that’s why my friend wanted to go to that bar. She has a thing for one of the ESPN commentators.”
“But you’re not a reporter, right?”
She shook her head. “No. I go to Gammit.”
That was the team we were playing today.
I forced a smile, grabbing onto Nate’s arm. “Do you mind if we have a moment?”
She stood there.
So did we. And then her eyes got wide again. “Oh!” She pointed to the door. “You want me to—okay.” She power-walked to the door. “I’ll be right out here. Don’t forget about me.”
As soon as the door closed behind her, I let go of Nate’s arm. “You like her, don’t you?”
He lowered his voice, sneaking a look at her on the other side of the door. “The sex was really good last night.”
“Good enough that you want to threaten Mason by telling her who you are?”
“How would that threaten Mason?”
This girl was a stranger. He might want to stay in her pants a while longer, but there was a reason we were a tight-knit group. Not just anyone got in. And this wasn’t normal for Nate. I felt an underlying alarm to press this point to him.
“Nate.”
Then he held his hands up. “Okay. Okay.” He backed up, and his tone was serious. “I got it. I know what you’re saying. She won’t know anything about Mason.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.” He lowered his hands, letting out a sigh. “I won’t tell her my last name. I’ll give her a ride back to the hotel, and I’ll distract her the whole time. It’s obvious she’s not like us. She’s not guarded, so I can ask her questions without telling her anything. I’ll keep her talking, and I’ll get her number without her having any clue who I am.”
And that meant who he was in relation to Mason.
“Okay.” Good. It might not be anything. She could be an ally, but why risk it? This girl could be a one-night stand. Or a two-night stand. He didn’t have to make it anything else.
“Okay.” Nate nodded again, collecting his keys and wallet. “I’ll call when I drop her off. Let me know the plans from there. Traffic is going to be a bitch today.”
“Garrett said we could all watch with him in his firm’s private box.”
“Your bio dad?”
I nodded and pointed upstairs. “I’m waiting for the Sex Machine to finish before telling them too.”
He grinned. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll call you guys.”
“Hey.” I stopped him as he went to the door. “I can tell you like her. I’m not saying not to like her or pursue anything. I’m just saying—”
“I know. Be cautious. Be smart.”
“Yeah.”
He opened the door. “I’ll call you in a bit.”
“Okay.” I waved at Valerie, who turned toward us as we opened the door. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too!” She waved back, then asked Nate, “What’s her name?”
“Just a roommat—” The door shut, and I couldn’t hear any more.
“Yo!” Logan came down the stairs.
I turned and grinned. “That was quick.”
He braked on the last step. “Ah. Not funny, Sam. Not funny.”
“I thought I was funny.”
He glanced around. “What’s going on? You don’t usually knock on my door.”
I filled him in on everything, and he agreed it was a good idea to head out as soon as we could. He went to get dressed for the game, saying he’d let Taylor know the plan too, and I went back to my bedroom to change. I’d pulled some things on in a rush, thinking I was way behind schedule. Now that I had a moment, I grabbed different pants that were still comfortable but a little more fashionable.
I knew my biological father and his wife. They ran in elite circles, and that meant they were always dressed so they looked wealthy without trying to look wealthy. It was a skill. Sharon was nice, but she was one of those socialite types. She looked beautiful and put together every time I saw her. And now that I thought about it, Malinda was too. I always forgot about that. Malinda was just Malinda to me. Loving, warm, and sassy, but she could play in those top circles too. She had more bite than Sharon, but this was Garrett and Sharon’s alma mater. I had no doubt they’d be seeing old friends.
All in all, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the day.
Forty minutes later, Logan, Taylor, and I were heading to the game with instructions to pick up Nate at the hotel where he’d dropped Valerie off. We figured it was easier to go in one car because we were already going to be meeting both sets of my parents there.
I talked to Malinda. She and David would meet us at the stadium. And since we were going to Garrett’s box, I assumed we’d meet him and Sharon there too.
After picking up Nate, it took another half hour to get to the stadium.
Swarms of people were already descending on the stadium, and by game time, it’d be filled to the max.
“Hey.” Taylor pointed to a group going in through the same entrance as we were. “Look.”
Faith and Nettie were there, along with a bunch of other girls from the team.
“I don’t see Courtney and Grace,” she added.
I frowned. “Were we supposed to invite them with us?”
She shrugged. “I’ll text them and mention that we saw Nettie and the other girls at the game, see if they’re coming too.”
We hadn’t talked much about it last night. Everything had mostly been about the meet, but as we followed the group inside, and then proceeded to continue following them, I realized they were in the box next to us.
I stopped Taylor. “Did you already text them?”