Power Play (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 2)

Kiwi flavor.

She moves her hand up and down. “This is not proper attire for game days.”

I blink. “What in the hell am I supposed to wear?”

“Business attire. Suits, dresses, something fancy.”

I’m sorry, what? “Even when I have meetings and practice?”

She pauses and then nods. “True, I forgot you guys were doing all that today. I would have thought that was something to do tomorrow. But I’m not the coach, and as long as the boys get their naps in, they’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I agree. And I’ll wear something nice tonight.”

“And you’ll do your hair? And makeup?”

I make a face. Did she not hear me say I had on lip gloss? “No one is going to see me. I’m not on the bench.”

“I know, but you are a part of this team. It’s image, and we look damn good on game nights. You should have ordered a dress like this,” she says, posing ever so dramatically for me.

“I’ll pass,” I say as diplomatically as I can. I could have said something along the lines of how ridiculous she looks, but I don’t want to fight with her on my first day.

“Are you nervous?”

“I don’t think my heart has slowed down since I stepped in here.” I let out a long breath, and she smiles sweetly. The kind of smile she used to give our parents when we’d get into something we shouldn’t have. I have always been taller, and it was easy for me to lift her so we could get to the cookies on top of the fridge. I’m pretty sure Aiden is the one getting her cookies now.

I hardly eat cookies. I sure do miss those.

“I was terrified too, but don’t worry. You are a force to be reckoned with, and I need you to find the confidence you had to go to Colorado and use it here. These boys don’t even know what you’re about to bring to our team.”

I want to believe her words. I want to believe in myself, but I’m a little shaken right now. Apparently my sister is oblivious to my nerves, because she leans on my desk again, her gaze holding mine. “So, have you talked to Maxim?”

I look away. “No. I’ve ignored his calls and texts.”

“For the best. He doesn’t deserve you. I told you plenty of times to tell him how you felt so this wouldn’t happen. Instead, you embarrassed the shit out of yourself.”

And I was trying real hard not to fight with her. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Her face is scrunched up, as if she has eaten something sour. “What was his reasoning for not returning your feelings? It makes no sense. You’re amazing, smart, and way too pretty for him. So please, explain to me what he thought was wrong, because I want to kick his ass.”

Okay, maybe I won’t fight with her. I smile a bit as I shrug. “He said I wasn’t his type. He thought of me as a sister.”

She rolls her eyes, quite dramatically. “What a cum dumpster—”

I snort loudly. “What the hell? Cum dumpster? That’s new.”

“I know. Funny, huh?” She giggles to herself. “Anyway, he totally is one. He just couldn’t handle that you’re way more talented than he is. And not his type? He’s lucky someone like you wanted him.” She comes to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and hugging me tightly. “You’re too good for him. I promise you that.”

I lean into her. We’re sisters, we fight, but I love her. God, I love her. “He had Stella there.”

She leans back, looking at me with wide eyes. “No way.”

“Yeah, so it’s hard to feel like I’m too good for him when she’s there.”

She glares. “Stella is perfect in her own right, but so are you. Don’t let that get to you. So, he has a type. Who cares. There is someone out there way better and who will worship you—the amazing, gorgeous, smart you.”

“And pleasantly plump.”

“Hey, more cushion for the pushin’,” she says with a wink, and I grin.

“Thanks, Shelli,” I say, and she kisses my cheek. “Really. I needed this.”

She waves me off. “I love you, and if you’d listened to me, this embarrassing trip wouldn’t have happened. But then…you might have left this job for him. So, you know what? Good thing we got that out of the way. Now we shall find someone else for you. Aiden has tons of friends, and word on the street is Asher is coming home.”

I make a face as she waggles her brows at me in a cartoonish way. “And?”

“He’s hot. You can so hook up with him.”

I shake my head. I’m not the only one who got my heart broken in the last six months. Aiden’s younger brother proposed to his girlfriend, only to find out she realized she was a lesbian. Since he has a penis, that posed a problem. He told me he wasn’t planning to come back to Nashville, but maybe things have changed. “Shelli, come on. You know he and Allison have an agreement that if they are both single at forty, they have to hook up. I can’t get in the middle of that.”