by an honest-to-goodness, real-life doorman. I’d thought they were only in the movies, but here we were, being greeted by one.
Stepping inside the brightly lit lobby, I noticed another person sitting at a desk.
“Good evening, Mr. Carter, Miss Marchetti. Are these your guests from California?” he asked as he slid out from behind the giant desk and tipped his hat.
“Marcel, this is Sunny and Mac,” Danika introduced us, and he shook our hands.
“I’m here if you need anything. Here’s a guest key, so you can access the pool and fitness center,” he said, handing me a key card.
“Thanks,” I squeaked out, but my mind was racing. Pool? Fitness center? This wasn’t a hotel, but it had all the earmarkings of one.
Marcel walked us toward the elevator and pushed the button for us. Once it arrived, he stepped inside, pressed the button for floor twenty-three, and stepped out, waving as the doors closed.
“This isn’t a hotel, right?”
Danika laughed. “No.”
“But there’s a pool and a gym?” Mac asked, clearly as bewildered as I was, which made me feel a little less stupid.
“Yeah,” Danika said. “We’re in a more upscale neighborhood.”
“And,” Chance started to talk, “My dad wanted my mom to be safe. They lived here when he played for the Mets, so he was on the road a lot, and there were some issues with fans. He didn’t want her somewhere without a doorman and a lobby. And having a gym and a private park meant that she could work out and do some things without being harassed.”
“That’s actually really sweet.” I thought about how that sounded exactly like something Jack Carter would want for Cassie.
“Anyway, we’re here,” Danika interjected as the elevator stopped its upward ascent.
Once it dinged, we all stepped off and into the hallway. When we reached the front door, Danika opened it, and my eyes instantly went to the floor-to-ceiling windows, noticing the views Chance had mentioned.
I walked right for it, realizing that there was a balcony outside. “Can I?” I asked, and Danika was at my side instantly, pulling open the slider and stepping into the cold air with me.
“You need a jacket,” she said.
“I don’t even own a jacket,” I reminded her.
“I have one. It might be huge on you though.”
“It’s okay,” I said, not caring how big the thing was as long as it kept me warm. “This is incredible.” I looked around at all the lights and listened to the sounds of the cars as I took it all in. “What am I looking at?”
“Basically, the Upper East Side.”
“Well, whatever it is, I love it.”
She giggled as the guys stepped outside, and my body was instantly enveloped in Mac’s arms. I leaned into him, appreciating his warmth.
“This view is sick.” Mac sounded almost starstruck.
“It’s crazy, right?” I nudged my head against his.
“The buildings. There’re just so many,” he said, literally stealing the words from my mouth before he started yawning.
“Tired?” Chance asked, covering a yawn of his own, and before I knew it, I swore all four of us had done it.
“A little,” Mac admitted even though we should have been wide awake since we lost three hours, traveling here. “Why is flying so exhausting? All I did was sit the whole time.”
“You should try to get some sleep, so you can adjust to the time difference. It’s not real jet lag, like traveling abroad, but still,” Danika mentioned, and we agreed even though the last thing I wanted to do was sleep.
As we started to head back indoors, Danika grabbed my arm, stopping me. “You two look really happy.”
“We are.”
“And things are good? There’s no drama or anything?” she asked.
I was sure she was expecting the answer to be yes because we both knew that Fullton State had its fair share of tabloid-worthy dilemmas whenever it came to their baseball players.
“Not really. I mean, aside from his ex, but she’s all talk, I think.”
I hoped it was true. But really, all Hayley had been was all bark and no bite. She was jealous and competitive, but that was as far as her ire went. She had no real power.
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.” I smiled, feeling like I’d just said the same thing to her not that long ago.
“Who would have thought that you’d be the one to tame the player?” She offered a laugh as the realization hit me.
Is that what I’ve done?
“The same people who thought you’d nab the elusive Chance Carter.” I laughed back.
“Touché.”
Once we were through the door