“You sure you need these back? Louboutins are a must for the next office picnic.”
Carter had put an arm around Hara’s shoulder and squeezed. “Honey, honey … why in the world do you keep that bosom under wraps?” He adjusted a strap. “Your mom will be thrilled. You’ll be beating them away with a stick.”
“I have no interest in hooking up. Too much drama for little payoff. And I definitely am not looking for a boyfriend; I don’t have time to train some idiot to be a good partner.” The truth was, she was lonely. But she refused to be desperate.
“Oh, I get it, believe me. Men can be such assholes.” Carter patted her shoulder. “But wait and see. You just haven’t met the right man yet. Though, you never will if you write everybody off before you even talk to them.”
Now, standing in a closet in O’Donnell’s luxurious Boston home, about to conduct an interview that could change the course of her life, she let the soft material of the sexy dress run through her fingers.
What in the hell am I doing?
* * *
Derek Darcy blew out his breath hard enough to create a small circle of fog on the windshield in front of him and then stabbed at the screen on his dashboard until the two radio disc jockeys shut up.
What in the hell am I doing?
Why was he letting these guys and their amateur hour get to him? He couldn’t do much about his father, unless he wanted to walk away from his family completely, but he didn’t have to give credence to strangers. Let them riff—the media would be singing a different tune at the game tomorrow night.
Unconsciously, Derek reached down and rubbed his knee. He’d torn his meniscus at the start of the season last year; it was now long healed, but the surgical scar had not gone away. There was a line of tissue he could feel through his tuxedo pants, a constant reminder of the bullshit he’d had to put up with last year, as the rookie who rode the bench. And, apparently, still had to put up with. Imbeciles with a microphone or a pen loved to trash-talk Derek, but not for long. He was going to change all that, come hell or high water.
He jumped out from behind the wheel and slammed the door. Charles was supposed to have met him on the curb ten minutes ago. When his teammate had texted and asked Derek to pick him up at his mom’s house, Derek was at first annoyed. But, surprisingly, Charles’s mother still lived back in the old neighborhood and the thought of returning made him oddly sentimental.
Not that it had been his neighborhood, not really. No, he didn’t have a community growing up. Instead, he’d had a waitstaff and absent parents, and resided in a historical manor that was ridiculously huge for three people and a couple of maids.
Derek met Charles Butler when they were in second grade, attending the same basketball camp. Charles had kept the bullies away and showed Derek how to play with confidence. And joy—something his father could never understand. They grew up together, shooting hoops and eating dinner at Charles’s mom’s house. Right here. This was where he’d found love and acceptance, in an old, rickety house on a long street of old, rickety houses and cracked sidewalks. It had been a while since he’d been here; he hadn’t realized how much he missed it.
The curved sidewalk, lined with fall flowers and foliage, led to a newly refurbished Colonial-style veranda. Not old and rickety-lookin’ now, Derek thought, noticing the new windows and siding. He rang the bell and heard Charles shout out, “Come in!”
Walking down the short hallway into the living room, he was amazed at the changes: Walls had been knocked out, a new fireplace and tigerwood floors had been put in.
“Wow! What happened in here? Your mom must have found herself a remodeling fairy godmother.” He spoke to Charles, who sat on an extra-wide ottoman, tying his shiny black dress shoes. “Why didn’t you just buy your ma a new house?”
Derek hoped that didn’t sound rude. He didn’t mean it that way. A lot of the players used their first-year contract to help set their families up. Especially the ones who came from low-income homes, like Charles, whose single mom had worked in the cafeteria of an elementary school.