The Other Game (The Perfect Game 4)

I looked out the window as the city flashed by, but was lost in my thoughts, not really seeing anything.

“You like her,” Jack said. “She likes you too. I see the way she looks at you.”

Frustrated, I waved my hand and said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

When it came to girls, he and I couldn’t have been more different. Everything about the opposite sex came so easily to Jack, but I always had to make sure any girl I was interested in genuinely liked me for myself, and wasn’t just using me.

Back in high school, I had my heart handed to me when I fell for a girl who was only using me to get close to my brother. When the truth came out, I felt like such an idiot for thinking that someone like her could be interested in me, but I didn’t know any better.

Despite all that, I was still far too trusting, especially considering how fucked up both Jack and I were over our mom abandoning us. I tended to believe the things girls said to me, and for that, Jack would call me a sucker. I probably was.

“Fine,” Jack said. “But you’re hung up on her is my point. You refuse to date anyone else because there’s a possibility that Melissa might like you back, and you don’t want to miss out on that.”

I stared at my brother in shock, wondering when he’d gotten so damn good at reading people.

“Am I wrong?” he asked.

I shook my head reluctantly. “You’re not wrong.”

“Then I think you should date someone else. See if it pisses her off. Try to get a rise out of the girl.”

“Seriously? Make her jealous? That’s your big plan?”

“Maybe it’ll knock some sense into her for once,” he said with a laugh.

I stared out the window and couldn’t believe I was actually considering it. Maybe it would work. If Melissa had expressed even an iota of jealousy, then I would know for sure that she was interested, no matter what she tried to say.

“It might backfire,” I said, my attention focused on the mountain range in the distance.

“Backfire how?”

“Maybe she’d date someone else then too. And I’d be pissed.”

“Well, maybe that’s what you both need.”

I shook my head, not wanting to hear any more.

“I have a question that actually matters,” I said, changing the subject and trying to pretend that I couldn’t care less about Melissa. We both knew that wasn’t true, but Jack humored me.

“Shoot.”

“I was thinking about asking Marc and Ryan if I could intern for them, but only if you’re okay with it. What do you think?”

I really hoped Jack wouldn’t think me being around his agents was weird, but I wasn’t sure. We were family, but sometimes people didn’t want to mix family with business, and this was definitely Jack’s business. If he told me no, I’d have to respect that.

Jack glanced at me, his eyebrows raised underneath his cap. “You think you want to be a sports agent?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I’d like to find out.”

Hell, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life when I finally grew up, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try new things. Maybe it would be nothing like I thought and I’d end up hating it, but I’d never know if I didn’t try.

After thinking it over for a few seconds, Jack nodded. “I think it’s a good idea. You care about people, and that’s important. I wouldn’t have signed with Marc and Ryan if I didn’t think they cared about me and my future, you know? If I was just another paycheck to them. I didn’t want people like that in my corner. I could find assholes like that on the street.”

He reached for the glove box to pull out a pack of cinnamon gum and put a piece in his mouth before offering me one.

I took it begrudgingly. Who loved cinnamon-flavored gum besides my brother? I didn’t hate it, but the flavor lasted all of ten seconds before disappearing and leaving you with that weird metallic aftertaste. But for him, I chewed the damn thing anyway.

“Do you want me to call them and put in a good word?” Jack offered as he snapped his gum.