I clear my throat, dragging myself back to the present. “And while we’re on the subject...” I pause, take a long sip of my drink, trying to summon what little courage I’ve got left.
“The new team therapist and performance coach?”
Will nods. “Eslin Saunders. She came highly recommended by Timantha’s former assistant.”
“Right,” I say carefully. “But what I haven’t told you is...” I start to ramble. “Remember I told you about that night in Vegas? The incredible woman I met?”
Xavier’s brow furrows. “Yeah?”
“Well... funny story…” I laugh nervously. “That woman was...is... Eslin Saunders.”
Xavier’s chair scrapes back. “The fuck?Youfuckedthe team therapist already?” he practically shouts, jumping up to pour himself another drink.
“Keep your voice down! And no! I didn’t touch her, remember?”
“Okay, fine.” Xavier glares. “But why the hell are we just now hearing about this?”
Two days after Eslin and I parted ways, Marlow and I were on a plane back to Atlanta when the email came through from HR—one of those generic onboarding announcements about a new team hire. The therapist.
I barely glanced at it at first. The name caught my eye—Eslin.Unique, sure. But it still could’ve been anyone. We never exchanged last names, so seeing,“Welcome our new team member, Eslin Saunders,”didn’t immediately raise any red flags.
It wasn’t until I scrolled down and saw the attachment—her team photo, fresh from HR’s onboarding checklist—that everything slammed into place.
It washer.The woman who had flipped my world on its head in Vegas.
I had to sit there, trapped on that damn plane for four hours, with Marlow beside me, while my stomach bottomed out and my head spun, pretending like everything was perfectly fine.
I didn’t know how the hell I was going to tell Marlow. She was the one who made the hiring decision—her first big move in this new role. The last thing I wanted was to step in and make her feellike she’d screwed it up before she even got her footing. I wasn’t about to take that from her.
Which made the idea of telling Will and Xavier that much harder.
Because if there’s one thing these two don’t tolerate, it’s mecomplicatingthings. And this? Complicated as hell.
I let out a long sigh. “I was waiting for the right time to tell you. Hell, it’s been a month. Part of me was hoping she’d change her mind and not take the job.”
“Grant!” Xavier swears. “I swear to fucking God! If you screw this up, screw with her—”
“You don’t have to worry about it.” I raise both hands in mock surrender. “Not only did I make you both—and Marlow—a promise, I told Eslin the night we met we couldn’t be anything. Because of our age difference and my commitment to my daughter.”
Xavier exhales hard, visibly relaxing. “Well, you should’veledwith that.”
I look between them—two men who’ve had my back longer than I deserve. “You have my word,” I tell them, voice reassuring. “I’ll keep thingsprofessionalwith Eslin. No lines will be crossed.”
Will watches me for a beat, then nods. Xavier still looks like he wants to throw something, but eventually exhales and leans back in his chair.
“My focus is Marlow,” I continue. “Preparing her to take my place, making sure she’s ready when the time comes. And whateverI can do to help this team get to the championship, I’ll do it. You both know I’m in.”
They nod again, and I can visibly see the tension as it starts to ease.
We wrap the meeting, papers shuffled, chairs scraped back. But as I stand, gathering my things, a sharp ache tightens in my chest.
Because for the first time since Maddy, I’m going to have to deny myself something that—for once—feelsreal.
Something that could actually make me happy.
And nothing else has done that for me in a very long time.
Chapter five