Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 105306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
She pulls another face.
I know she’s exaggerating for my benefit, but it’s true that the twins do not hold a candle to their older brothers. Dallas is the spitting image of the oldest Colter, Duke.
“What are you going to do?” my friend asks gently, setting everything aside, getting serious.
“What is there to do?”
“Do you trust him?”
Do I?
I thought so.
But do I trust other people? Next-Door Tiffany has clearly earned herself a spot on the shit list, deceptive and two-faced as they come.
“I don’t know.”
Winnie nods. “Don’t you think he’s worth giving a second chance? The two of you barely got started. It hasn’t been a week since you decided to take your relationship to the next level.” She bites her lower lip. “Hardly seems fair, does it?”
No, it’s not fair.
But fate is fate, and it done us dirty.
INCOMING CALL FROM: Unknown number
Normally I would never answer an unknown number, but for whatever reason, I’m feeling bold and reckless, in the mood to spar with a telemarketer.
“Hello?”
“Is Ryann available, please?”
A woman’s voice fills my eardrum, one that’s pleasant and soft-spoken.
“Who is this calling?”
There’s a pause. “My name is Posey Kettner.”
Posey.
Where have I heard that name before? Where have I heard that name before? My brain checks my memory bank for information, but I come up blank, no recollection of a Posey Kettner popping up.
“What is this concerning?”
I sound so professional.
“Dallas Colter. I’m actually family.”
Oh, shit.
Posey!
Posey Kettner.
My brain clicks, filing her under: Duke Colter’s girlfriend. The kindergarten teacher I’ve heard so much about.
Then my brain automatically thinks, Shit—what could Posey Summervale possibly be calling me for?
“Oh.” I breathe out, suddenly tense. “This is Ryann.”
“Ryann. So good to hear your voice.”
It sounds like she’s smiling through the phone, and from what I know about her, she most likely is.
“It’s a shame we haven’t gotten to meet in person, but I know how busy everyone is, especially with school and studying.”
I have no idea what to say to that.
“But. That’s not the reason I called. I know your time is valuable, so I’ll get to the point.”
A woman after my own heart.
Get to the point because the suspense is killing me.
“I called because I know a little bit of what you might be going through and suspect you feel like you’re alone in all this. So, I wanted to share an experience I had with my boyfriend, Duke—Dallas’s brother—that might help you understand the Colter men in general, and perhaps shed some light on what they have to deal with on a daily basis.”
I nod. “Okay.”
She sounds exactly like a kindergarten teacher, tender and kind.
Patient.
“While I haven’t been dating Duke terribly long—it’s been about a year—we had a hiccup at the beginning of our relationship that had me questioning myself and him.”
I open my mouth to speak but close it so she can continue.
“As you’re aware, groupies and female fans come with the territory, some of them harmless—some of them brazen and destructive. Unfortunately, they come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Hanging on her every word, I give a quiet hum so she knows I’m still on the line.
“Anyway. During the summer after school ended, I moved to Texas to live with him so we could try dating during the preseason. Me in Illinois just wouldn’t have worked, so I lived with him when we started dating, which isn’t typically done, but it’s what we needed to do. You’re very fortunate you and Dallas live close to each other.”
Dallas.
Hearing his name makes my stomach flip and my heart race.
“I heard about what happened,” Posey admits, sounding bashful. “And I know it isn’t my place to interfere—especially since we haven’t met—but I love Duke and I love his brothers, and sometimes when we’re on the sidelines watching the action unfold, it’s hard to observe and say nothing.”
“I understand that.”
I would do the same for Winnie.
“The first time I went to one of Duke’s games, I rode with the wife of one of his teammates because he wanted me to wait for him in the family room, then we’d walk out together.” Posey is choosing her words one by one, slowly and deliberately. “Everything was fine. Normal. Until we walked outside and there was a woman waiting for him. Once she saw him, she removed her shirt and only had a bikini top on.”
“But…” I sputter. “Weren’t you with him?”
“That’s my point. It didn’t matter that I was with him. She had a one-track mind: she wanted his attention and barely noticed I was standing there with my mouth hanging open.”
But who wants to live like that?
“I like to think people have more respect for the players than that, but the truth is, they don’t. This is par for the course. It comes with the territory, as terrible as that sounds. The fact is, these guys are just trying to play a sport. It’s beyond their control what happens off the field when those cleats come off.”