She cuts me off again, rising to her feet as she keeps talking. “It’s okay. Really. I need to use the restroom.”
I watch her take off, my appetite leaving with her. This is a mess. If she really likes Cade, I don’t want to ruin her chance with him. But does he like her? Or is he totally into me and won’t even give Lena a chance? And then there’s Jordan…
Grabbin
g my phone, I flip it over to find I have a voicemail. I immediately check it.
Hey Mandy. Wanted to see if you and your boyfriend wanted to come to my game tonight. I left suite tickets at roll call so if you’re interested, just give them your name at the window. Maybe we could catch up after the game? See ya.
I set my phone down on the table, my head spinning. Okay. I don’t think I want to keep dating Cade, but I am so bringing him to this football game tonight. I’ll just tell Lena I’m not into him later.
“You want to go to the game tonight?” Once we returned to work, I went in search of Cade and found him sitting in the break room, watching an old episode of Jerry Springer on TV and scrolling through his phone, an empty bag of snack-sized Doritos sitting in front of him.
He lifts his head, his gaze meeting mine. “You mean the football game?”
“Yeah.” I nod enthusiastically, flashing him a smile. I am a bad person for using him like this, but come on. He’ll want to go. What guy doesn’t love football? And once we go to this game, I’ll cut him loose. Maybe Lena and Cade can end up together and it’ll be a beautiful, magical thing. “The Niners are playing.”
“I know,” he says carefully, studying me like I might have a mental problem. “This game has been sold out for months.”
“Really?” I had no idea.
“Really. How did you get tickets?”
“I have a connection,” I hedge.
“Who’s your connection?”
Why is he asking so many questions? “Um, you’ll never believe who it is.”
“Try me.” He crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair.
“Jordan Tuttle—we, uh, used to date.”
Cade sits up straight, his mouth hanging open. “You dated Jordan Tuttle?”
I hate this. The notoriety that comes with dating a well-known athlete, even though it’s been years and we were together before he became a big deal. I wonder how all of Tom Brady’s exes feel. I find it a complete pain in the ass, if I’m being truthful. “It was a long time ago. High school stuff,” I tell Cade.
“And he just so happened to give you tickets for tonight’s game.” The doubt in his voice is clear.
“We’ve, uh, recently reconnected.” I’m not explaining it any further than that. I can’t tell him Jordan FaceTimed me during our date. That’ll sound crazy. “He offered me two tickets to tonight’s game. In one of the suites. They’re holding the tickets at will call. Would you like to go with me?”
His answer is immediate. “Sure. Definitely. Maybe I could meet Tuttle, or any other Niner who’s around.” He rises to his feet, smiling down at me. “You like football?”
“I love football.” This is not an exaggeration. I’ve loved the game since I was little. I watched so many games with my father, even went to a few live ones, but those were rare since they’re so expensive and we were a family on a budget. I swear I joined band just so I could go to all the games in middle school and high school.
“Great.” Cade’s smile grows. “We should leave from here then. We won’t have much time to get over to the stadium.”
Crap. Cade’s right, I know he is, but I wanted to go back to my apartment and change first, reapply my makeup and maybe even take a quick shower. I want to look damn good for my first encounter with Jordan after all these years. Not see him wearing an Atlas Wellness Center red polo and a pair of black pants I bought on clearance from Athleta. My hair is in a high ponytail and I didn’t wash it last night…
I am definitely not my best self right now.
“Yeah, okay.” I don’t have a car. Cade does, but do we want to deal with parking, or just take the BART?
“I’ll drive,” he offers like a mind reader, and I nod.
“Okay, yeah. Sounds good. Can’t wait.” I offer up a wan smile. I really should be more enthusiastic about this, but now I’m just a bundle of anxiety. “We’ll leave around five then?”
“Yep. I’m really glad you asked me to go with you, Amanda.” He leans in and drops a quick kiss on my cheek, smiling at me. “I’ve got to go. I have an appointment arriving in five minutes.”