Page 19 of Sportsball is for Lovers

“Great. No delays. Yours?”

“A little bumpy.” Lu shrugs. “My books made it, which is all that matters.”

The last signing we went to, her luggage didn’t arrive in the airport on time, so she scrambled at the last minute. It’s not always feasible to ship books to the host hotel ahead of time. It was a whole thing.

Lu and I chat for a bit, and as more of our friends arrive, we greet them and catch up. It’s a weekend-long party. These people are my friends. My coworkers. My community.

After a while, it’s time to get ready for the evening. Yoni is in bed scrolling on his phone when I get back to the room.

“Have a good nap?” I ask him.

He nods, his eyes still sleepy. “Thanks for letting me.”

I scoff. “I don’t let you do anything. Aside from the hour I need you tomorrow, you’re free to do whatever you want.”

Yoni sits up. “In that case, is it cool if my brother comes to visit tonight?”

I know he wanted to see his brother tomorrow during the event.

“Sure. The more, the merrier. It’s open admission.” As I grab my bag, I turn back. “You okay if I take a shower first?”

He nods. “Go ahead.”

Running through my routine, I wash my hair and style my curls for presentation.

Calling them curls is a bit generous. My hair is wavy, and with a lot of product and manipulation, I can get soft curls for a few hours. By tomorrow morning, they’ll already be flat waves, so I’ll redo it for the event. Normally, I don’t wash my hair two days in a row, but when I have to be “on” and presentable…

Yoni takes his turn in the shower as I apply my makeup and finish getting ready. My outfit for tonight is a silky gray dress with a low-cut neck, floor-length hem, and gauzy sleeves, and it makes me feel like a floaty princess. I’ve paired it with olive green heeled booties—my favorite.

As I’m trying to fasten my necklace, there’s a knock on the door, and expecting Lu, I open it to find the most handsome guy I’ve ever seen.

It’s J.

Mr. Tall, Dark, and Gorgeous blinks at me. “Oh. I think I have the wrong room.”

Fully clothed, he’s about half a foot taller than me, which makes him average height, with a spare tire and then some around his waist. His eyes glitter brightly behind black plastic hipster frames.

Propping the door open with my hip, I cross my arms over my chest. “Who are you looking for?”

He almost looks like Yoni… but like, ten times hotter. Not that my friend and assistant isn’t attractive. He’s plenty good-looking.

This guy? Whew.

And he smells good, too. Whatever soap he’s using, they should bottle it and sell it.

My face scrunches. Of course they bottle and sell it. It’s soap.

He frowns at me. “Is Yoni Aviyente here?”

“He’s in the shower.”

J looks me over again. His eyes linger on my face, then on my chest, then down in a sweeping gaze more intimate than a caress.

“You’re Sadie?”

Nodding, I step back. “I’m guessing you’re the brother?”

He nods. “Jared Aviyente. Nice to meet you. Officially.”