The Game Changer The Final Score - By L.M. Trio Page 0,36

this long because you two idiots keep telling me I have time.”

She reluctantly agrees and dials her number while I hover over her.

“Hey, JJ, are you still up? I just wanted to tell you what a great time we had tonight. We’re really proud of you… You’re welcome… Uh huh… He’s here… We’re watching TV.” She rolls her eyes at us. I give De a signal to keep the conversation rolling, I want more info. “What are you doing? Are you with Frank? What did you do after we left?” I’m practically in her face, telling her to ask more questions, De is shushing me away. “Oh my God, really? He was staring at you all night… He is really handsome…” I hold up my hand as if I’m slicing my throat. Is my sister really going to go there with me sitting right next to her? The last thing I need is De encouraging the relationship. In my defense, even Mikey slaps her on the leg to shut her up. “Alright… Are we still meeting before the game?... Oh… Okay…. He’ll leave them at the window. I’ll meet you there… Love ya.”

“Jesus, De, hang me out to dry, why don’t ya. I thought you were going to go on and on about what a great guy he is.” Mikey agrees with me as we gang up on her.

“Are you satisfied, you idiot? Why didn’t you just pull the phone out of my ear? She seemed suspicious. See, nothing happened. They had a drink at the gallery and then he brought her home. I hate to tell you, though, she cancelled on me tomorrow. She’s running errands with him before the game… and, she’s bringing him with her. They’re going to meet me there. I’m not going to get a chance to talk to her about you,” she says sympathetically.

“Shit. I need to talk to her before things go any further between them. At least she’ll know how I feel. Then she can decide what she wants to do.”

“What if she doesn’t choose you?” Mikey asks casually.

“Then I’ll be crushed and have to return to therapy,” I joke. “Well I’m not goin’ to make it easy on her. I’m not goin’ down without a fight.”

“Luke I need to warn her that you are here. I’m sorry, but I can’t keep this from her. We swore we would never let you come between us and I’ve been covering for you for a long time. All joking aside, I’m not comfortable with what I just did. It’s not right,” Deanna says, feeling guilty about the call.

“I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you do that,” I say sincerely.

“I have to at least let her know that you are here, in Florida. She has no idea. This way, she can be somewhat prepared.”

“I get it,” I agree. “Just please do it as soon as possible. I really want to talk to her.”

That night in bed, I plan my strategy. I have no intention of trying to confuse her or change her life in any way. I just want a chance to say I’m sorry and tell her how I feel about her. If she doesn’t want any part of me, I’ll have to deal with it.

I pray that maybe, she might still love me, too. Why the hell did it have to be the freakin’ owner of the gallery? Could it be any worse? Yeah, I guess. She could be married to him.

Chapter 10

(Deanna)

The phone call to JJ last night really has me bothered; it feels dishonest. I need to let her know that Luke is in town, but when I text her, she is already out with Frank for the day. I tell her Mikey left her tickets at the window and ask if we can spend the night alone so that we can talk. She asks if everything is alright and I tell her it’s fine, that I just would like some time to ourselves. She thinks it’s a great idea and we make plans to hang out after the game, alone.

Luke and Mikey head over to stadium together. Luke agrees to stay out of sight for another day and I promise him that I will talk to her tonight after the game.

The cab drops me off in front of the stadium, where I meet David at the window and we pick up our tickets. We head up to the stands to take our seats, which are great, right on