Double Score

She huffed. “That’s what it says.”

“You don’t know?”

She lowered the coffee to the desk. “There’s a file on every single man on the team in that safe,” she answered.

“But Luke is married to Lexi. They have a baby. This is damaging. Ludicrous.”

She closed her eyes, opening them again slowly. “I looked at the dates. It seemed to coincide with when he started dating Lexi. There is also a copy of an invoice from Charlie Maine. She came in and handled the situation according to the notes.”

I closed the file. I didn’t want to know what else was in it. But I was relieved Luke hadn’t cheated. I could only imagine the implications. And I hated to think what it would do to his young family.

“Why did you bring this to me?”

“There’s a file on Dylan James in there. Your dear fiancé. All of them. They have secrets. This entire team is built on secrets and lies.” She pinched her red lips together.

I didn’t know whether to dig through the safe looking for Dylan’s and Isaac’s files so I could keep them safe, or find them so I could read every detail. But I heard the hurt tone in her voice.

“You didn’t know?” I whispered. “You didn’t know this safe existed, did you?”

“I’m learning there are a lot of secrets in this family.” Her voice was monotone.

I had a deep and sudden pit of guilt in my stomach. I was one of them.

“But Grammy, I’m sure he just didn’t want to involve you in team problems. There’s nothing good in these files.”

“Is that how you think your marriage will work? You are ok with years of lies between you? You think it’s ok for a husband to hide things from his wife in a vault? Tell me, Nessa. Are you ok with Dylan keeping secrets? Having another life? Maybe another family?”

“Another what? What are you talking about?” I was buzzing. I’d never seen her like this. Everything about this conversation was out of context. The anger started to make more sense now. As she was going through Granddad’s things she was learning new information—information she didn’t like.

I had too. Like how cheap he was with the team. How he treated the players. How everyone in this building had practically hated him. It wasn’t easy to stomach.

“I thought you needed the safe. And I think you need to bring Charlie Maine in. I like that girl, even if she did keep secrets from me. Stev

e is a weasel. She’ll know what to do with it. Give her the safe and ask her.”

Grammy pushed back from the desk. I was bewildered.

“I don’t understand. You haven’t even finished your coffee. Grammy, don’t go like this. We could still spend the morning together.”

I shouldn’t have missed our time together last night. She was feeling lonely and neglected. I had compounded that by making her feel unimportant. It didn’t help that Steve’s press conference was the way she discovered my engagement. I could only imagine how that must have made her feel with the revelation of the safe.

“I’m so sorry I missed last night. Truly. Please stay and talk to me.”

“I have more business to attend to, dear.” She reached up on her tiptoes to kiss me.

I offered my cheek like I always did.

“Is it something I can help you with?” I asked. “Is it at the attorney’s office. I’ll ride with you.”

She stopped at the door. “No. I don’t need your help with this, Nessa. I think I may have found your brother.”

With that she snapped the lock in place and was gone.

I stared at the closed door.

What in the hell was going on?

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