The boys could very well speak up for themselves, but that tended to create tension. If I played referee, the players didn’t have a chance to get pissed off.
It was Jace’s turn now. Edith was just as ecstatic as the photographer had been when she’d gotten to snap pics of Jace.
“Do you need water? Or a coffee? If the couch isn’t comfortable enough, we can find you a chair.”
Jace threw me an exasperated glance. It had been clear since we’d arrived that the magazine was mostly excited about Jace. The rest of the boys had laughed this off, except for Levi, who only displayed contempt from that point on. His interview had been the most difficult to referee.
I thought his frustration might be partly because he wasn’t having a great season. His stats had started strong but had worsened considerably over the past few months.
Jace had taken everything in stride, but I could tell that the constant attention was slowly starting to suffocate him.
“Couch is good, Edith. Don’t need water, or coffee. Let’s get started.”
I had kept my distance from him until now, not wanting to give him the chance to lay out all the other things I hadn’t explicitly mentioned in our agreement.
I’d made an exception during the photo shoot, of course, because well... I was human. I couldn’t very well let this opportunity pass. I listened closely during his interview. Edith began with a standard set of questions, including:
“Has soccer been something that always came naturally to you?”
“I’ve been into it since I was a kid.”
Jace cast his gaze toward me for a split second before focusing on Edith again. He didn’t mention his dad. Had he shared that only with me? I was certain he knew what I was thinking about because vulnerability flashed in those deep green eyes. It made me want to come up with an excuse to steal him away and hold him close.
As the interview progressed, Edith pushed harder, culminating with a question I had made clear was not allowed.
“Are you single, Jace?”
I spoke before Jace even opened his mouth.
“Edith, skip that question. I told you the team’s personal life would not be a subject of the interview.”
“Off the record, then? Everyone here is dying to know.”
I took a look around. The technical assistants were practically eye-fucking Jace. I wondered how many of them would show up at Jace’s door tonight if he said he was single.
“Edith!” I warned.
“That’s okay,” Jace said good-naturedly. “I can answer that. I am single, but I won’t be for long. There is someone special I’m fighting for.”
Chapter Fifteen
Brooke
Oh, wow. Wow. I couldn’t believe he’d said that. As the interview wrapped up and we bid everyone goodbye, I could feel Jace watching me. We headed straight to the hotel afterward, and I was having a hard time keeping my eyes off Jace.
“Who’s hungry?” Andrew asked after everyone checked in. The team answered in a chorus of “Me!” Sometimes I forgot they burned—and needed—more calories than the average person. I had been counting down the minutes until the moment I’d be alone in my room. I planned to nap right until I had to take the boys to the bar.
But instead, I whipped out my phone and said, “What do you want to eat? I can call and make you reservations.”
Everyone star
ted talking at the same time, but I got the message: they all wanted different things.
Jace pulled me a little further away from the group.
“Brooke, we can get our own food. You’ve been running around all day. Get some rest. Want me to buy something for you?”
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry. If I change my mind, I’ll buy something later.”