Game For Love: Gridiron Heartbreaker (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Gridiron Bad Boys Book 2) by Melissa Blue
Authors: Melissa Blue
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flirting at the engagement party and you left with him. Then I saw you guys on a magazine. I read the article end to end.” Charlotte winced. “I know. That's why I didn't want to get in the middle. I was being nosy.” She sighed. “And hopeful. You haven't been the same lately.”
Alyssa swallowed and asked, “What do you mean?”
“I don't know what happened before I hired you, but you were focused and a great chef. No complaints, I promise. But the past few weeks you've been...peppy. The kitchen was a bright spot.”
Alyssa leaned back against the wall. “And now it's not.”
“You're not. So what happened with Blaine?”
A conversation like this would take them from comfortably professional to awkward personal, but Alyssa had questions. She had...a heart ache with Blaine's name on it. She could lie to herself, but apparently she couldn't fake it enough for the people around her.
“How do you do it?” Alyssa asked, a note of desperation in her voice. “Adam's on the road a lot and you rarely get to see him. How do you stay sane? How do you not worry?”
“I work. I see him every chance I can get. He's playing against Blaine's team this Sunday and I'll be there, louder than the cheerleaders. Even if technically it should be our honeymoon. It doesn't matter, because he matters to me, and I to him. We will make it work.”
She stuffed her hands in the uniform's pockets. “How'd you know you could? Or hell that you should?”
“It happened so fast, but he felt right. He felt sincere. I followed my heart and my gut and I don't regret a single second.”
Maybe it was just love talking for Charlotte. Maybe things would change in a year or five.
But did it matter? Right at that moment Charlotte wore a smile that lit her eyes. She wasn't just happy, but content. Alyssa never had that with Andrew. There was always a buzz of tension. She had to be everything he needed and never disappoint him.
With Blaine, he liked her as she was. The only true tension between them was her own doubts...and maybe sexual. Okay, a lot of it was sexual tension, but they sparked whenever they stood near each other.
A sudden tightness squeezed her chest and tears rushed to her eyes. “Dammit. Why couldn't this be simple?”
Charlotte asked, “Do you want to be with him?”
The ache piped up again. She'd missed him. She'd picked up her phone a million times and forced herself to put it back down. He had been asking for a lot, but no more than he was willing to give her. She'd be home and he'd be on the road, missing her just as much. She didn't doubt that for one second.
To Alyssa's surprise, Charlotte embraced her in a hug. The woman was so sweet. Alyssa said, “Thank you for listening to me whine and letting me cry.”
Charlotte pulled back. “Any time, but you didn't answer the question.”
Surprised at the sudden vehemence in her boss's tone, Alyssa considered the question. “I moved here to get over someone.” She shook her head. “I moved here so I could start a new life, with new opportunities.”
“And?”
Andrew was normal, in a sense. No one had ever taken their picture when they left a hotel. She'd never experienced the sickening sensation of seeing her face on a tabloid. She never had to call her mother or her sisters and try to explain, “No she wasn't a mistress.”
But Alyssa had thought the hardest thing she'd ever have to do was call family and friends to tell them about a broken engagement.
No. Trying to breathe after the thought of never hearing Blaine's voice again was hard. Knowing she'd never flirt-text with him again was tough. Having to see his smile and know she hadn't been the one to put it there made her knees want to give.
She could line up her relationship with Andrew and Blaine and the truth would show itself again and again—she and Blaine fit. When she wasn't scared and when he wasn't hurt or angry, they were in sync.
Her heart twisted and she tried to inhale and couldn't. Her
Alyssa swallowed and asked, “What do you mean?”
“I don't know what happened before I hired you, but you were focused and a great chef. No complaints, I promise. But the past few weeks you've been...peppy. The kitchen was a bright spot.”
Alyssa leaned back against the wall. “And now it's not.”
“You're not. So what happened with Blaine?”
A conversation like this would take them from comfortably professional to awkward personal, but Alyssa had questions. She had...a heart ache with Blaine's name on it. She could lie to herself, but apparently she couldn't fake it enough for the people around her.
“How do you do it?” Alyssa asked, a note of desperation in her voice. “Adam's on the road a lot and you rarely get to see him. How do you stay sane? How do you not worry?”
“I work. I see him every chance I can get. He's playing against Blaine's team this Sunday and I'll be there, louder than the cheerleaders. Even if technically it should be our honeymoon. It doesn't matter, because he matters to me, and I to him. We will make it work.”
She stuffed her hands in the uniform's pockets. “How'd you know you could? Or hell that you should?”
“It happened so fast, but he felt right. He felt sincere. I followed my heart and my gut and I don't regret a single second.”
Maybe it was just love talking for Charlotte. Maybe things would change in a year or five.
But did it matter? Right at that moment Charlotte wore a smile that lit her eyes. She wasn't just happy, but content. Alyssa never had that with Andrew. There was always a buzz of tension. She had to be everything he needed and never disappoint him.
With Blaine, he liked her as she was. The only true tension between them was her own doubts...and maybe sexual. Okay, a lot of it was sexual tension, but they sparked whenever they stood near each other.
A sudden tightness squeezed her chest and tears rushed to her eyes. “Dammit. Why couldn't this be simple?”
Charlotte asked, “Do you want to be with him?”
The ache piped up again. She'd missed him. She'd picked up her phone a million times and forced herself to put it back down. He had been asking for a lot, but no more than he was willing to give her. She'd be home and he'd be on the road, missing her just as much. She didn't doubt that for one second.
To Alyssa's surprise, Charlotte embraced her in a hug. The woman was so sweet. Alyssa said, “Thank you for listening to me whine and letting me cry.”
Charlotte pulled back. “Any time, but you didn't answer the question.”
Surprised at the sudden vehemence in her boss's tone, Alyssa considered the question. “I moved here to get over someone.” She shook her head. “I moved here so I could start a new life, with new opportunities.”
“And?”
Andrew was normal, in a sense. No one had ever taken their picture when they left a hotel. She'd never experienced the sickening sensation of seeing her face on a tabloid. She never had to call her mother or her sisters and try to explain, “No she wasn't a mistress.”
But Alyssa had thought the hardest thing she'd ever have to do was call family and friends to tell them about a broken engagement.
No. Trying to breathe after the thought of never hearing Blaine's voice again was hard. Knowing she'd never flirt-text with him again was tough. Having to see his smile and know she hadn't been the one to put it there made her knees want to give.
She could line up her relationship with Andrew and Blaine and the truth would show itself again and again—she and Blaine fit. When she wasn't scared and when he wasn't hurt or angry, they were in sync.
Her heart twisted and she tried to inhale and couldn't. Her
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