Page 50 of Ruthless Court

She looks at the water.

I glance toward the party.

This conversation has reached its natural end.

“Nice meeting you…?” I say.

She holds out her hand.

“Sandy.”

I look at it before shaking.

Her fingers are cold from the ocean.

“Kane.” I release her hand.

“You don’t know who I am?”

“I told you. I got here today.”

“Right.”

She waits.

Recognition usually arrives before I introduce myself. Apparently, the giant glasses block sports news along with peripheral vision.

“If this season goes the way it should, everyone in America will know my name.”

She looks me over.

“Football?”

I let out a short laugh.

“Basketball. Starting point guard, baby.”

Her gray eyes widen behind the tortoiseshell frames.

There it is.

She knows now.

Interest flashes across her face, sharp and immediate.

I give her the smile that usually closes the distance.

Instead, her expression shuts down.

She steps back.

“Right.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

She slides her Birkenstocks onto her feet.