Hard Pass (St. Louis Mavericks 3)

Picking up my phone, I texted him.

SARIAH: Hey, whatcha doin’?

ROB: Out to dinner with a couple of guys from work.

SARIAH: Oh, okay. I’ll leave you alone.

ROB: That’s okay. We’re at a sports bar and everyone is watching baseball. You don’t work for the Cardinals, do you?

SARIAH: No. LOL.

ROB: Are you ever going to tell me where you work?

SARIAH: Eventually.

ROB: Before we both die?

SARIAH: I think we’ll be okay.

ROB: What are you up to? More packing?

SARIAH: Already did that. I’m in the tub now.

ROB: That seems to be a thing with us, talking while you’re in the tub. Is that a hint that you’d like taking a bath together?

My cheeks warmed just thinking about it.

SARIAH: If we were in a relationship, then absolutely. It just won’t be at my new apartment because it doesn’t have a tub.

ROB: My place has a MASSIVE tub.

SARIAH: Now you’re teasing me.

ROB: Oh, baby, if I was teasing you, you’d know it.

SARIAH: Somehow, I believe that. Hang on a second.

I took the opportunity to get out of the bath, dry off, and wrap myself in a fluffy robe. I padded into the bedroom and stretched out on the bed, looking forward to a nice chat with Rob. I didn’t know what to do about him but I was warming up to the idea of us meeting. He seemed so genuine, and my gut rarely steered me wrong. I’d known something was wrong between Theo and me for months, but I’d ignored it because I’d thought the life we had planned was exactly what I wanted. With Rob, the only warning bells that went off were the normal ones related to being careful in a digital world where it was easy to pretend to be someone else. It just didn’t feel like he was anything but what he said he was.

SARIAH: I’m back.

ROB: I’m eating wings, so if there’s a delay between responses it’s because I’m trying to not cover my phone in BBQ sauce.

SARIAH: OK.

ROB: Did I tell you my mom called and really laid the guilt on thick about the anniversary party?

SARIAH: Ugh. What are you going to do? Are you going?

ROB: I don’t know how I can NOT go, you know?

SARIAH: But can you go and NOT out your dad?

ROB: That’s the problem.

SARIAH: If we get to a point where we’ve met in person by then, I could go with you. Keep you focused on your mom instead of your anger at your dad.

There was an extra-long pause before he responded, almost making me regret my offer.

ROB: You’d do that? Come with me?

SARIAH: If you wanted me to. If you thought it would help. I can’t imagine being in your situation, knowing something so damaging to your parents’ relationship and having to keep it a secret.

ROB: It’s been tough. It’s so fucking stressful.

SARIAH: When is the party?

ROB: Three weeks from this weekend.

SARIAH: That sounds doable. Maybe then you can come with me to my sister’s engagement party.

There was another long pause and I nearly held my breath.

What was I doing?

This thing between us still wasn’t real. We hadn’t exchanged last names or even told each other where we worked. We hadn’t met. I didn’t know for sure he was who he said he was, yet here we were making real-life plans. This was either going to be really great or the whole thing was going to blow up in my face.

ROB: This is a conversation for the phone, when I’m not at a bar surrounded by my coworkers.

SARIAH: You’re right. Let’s table this for now. I need to get some sleep anyway.

ROB: Talk soon, Sariah.

SARIAH: Good night, Rob.

I sighed long and hard as I put my phone down.

What had I just done?

Chapter Sixteen

Nash

* * *

“What the hell was he thinking?”

I put my head in my hands and groaned. Beside me on a bench in the locker room, Drew shook his head.

“I don’t know, man. But we don’t know anything yet. Let’s try to keep cool until we hear from him.”

Boone laughed, but he was anything but amused. “I’m about as cool as a whore in church, bro. If Wes goes on IR, we are fucked.”

He was talking about the injured reserve list. Yesterday afternoon, Wes was trying to get a Frisbee off the roof for Annalise and had fallen as he was climbing down the ladder. His ankle had swollen immediately, but being in complete and total denial that it was a serious injury, he had just iced it and kept it elevated all evening. When he’d woken up this morning, the swelling was worse, so he’d called our team doctor and they’d met up at the hospital. We were all sitting in the locker room waiting for news.

My phone buzzed with a text and I looked down at the screen.

DAD: Your mother needs to get final numbers to our caterer. Will you be at the anniversary party, and will you be bringing a date?