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I… Wow. Okay. Talk about whiplash.

I wanted to push him for more information about Carson, but I sensed he was at his limit. So, I let him change the topic.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” I asked.

“I’m your brother, your ally. I don’t just want to say all the right things, I want to do the right things too.”

“I—” I wasn’t even sure how to respond. It meant more than he could know that he would back up his words with action. “Thank you. It’s easy for people to say they support women’s sports, but it means so much more that you’re willing to go to bat for me.”

I wondered if this shift had anything to do with what he’d mentioned about Carson—saying one thing and doing another. Maybe Levi had realized that he’d been approaching the sponsorship deal from the same mind-set. Or maybe my comments about taking a stand and not sitting silently on the sidelines had hit home. Either way, it was a win in my book.

“Of course.” Levi cleared his throat. “We can tell them to split the contract amount evenly between us,” he suggested.

I frowned. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but it shouldn’t be on you to make this right.” He might be my little brother, but he’d always tried to protect me. And this was no exception. “Brightside needs to understand that their offer is unacceptable and why. And they need to be given the chance to do better.”

“And if they walk?” he asked.

“You tell me,” I said, watching his expression. “You stand to lose more than I do.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Then they walk. I’ve got your back, Lo. I always will.”

Would that still be the case if my brother discovered that I’d been texting with his ex-best friend for months? I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to find out.

CHAPTER TWO

Four Months Earlier: July

Laughter and music echoed off the water, and Cece’s Nashville mansion was lit up for her birthday celebration. The party had been raging for hours, the swell of guests and noise rising steadily until it had finally reached a level I could no longer stand. So, I wandered over to the path that led down to the boat shed, craving some peace and quiet.

I loved Cece, even if she sometimes got a bad rap in the press. They didn’t know her like I did. I wasn’t sure many people knew her like I did. Cece and I had been friends since middle school, and sometimes I still couldn’t believe that my silly, sweet friend Cecily Goldblum was now famous Hollywood starlet Cece Golden.

She’d always said she wanted to be an actress known for throwing epic parties. And… I peered back up at the house, shaking my head with a laugh. She’d done it. She’d starred in a number of hits, and she was branching out into music as well.

Everyone who was anyone had wanted to be invited to Cece’s star-studded, “Summer Nostalgia” themed bash. There were some hockey hotties from the pro team in Nashville, the Racoons. Other celebrities had steadily arrived throughout the evening, eagerly joining the games or dancing to the music that had been the soundtrack of our high school years. It felt like one big, sparkly fuck-you to all the people who’d told Cece she would never make it in Hollywood.

I was proud of her, and I wanted to celebrate her. But my temples were pounding in time to the beat of the music, and I was in desperate need of a temporary respite. The stone steps were cool against my bare feet, grounding me as I navigated down them, beer in hand. When I reached the private boat slip, I stepped onto Cece’s pontoon boat and let out a sigh of contentment.

The sound of the water lapping against the hull was relaxing, at least until a man with a rich baritone voice startled me. “Need a break from the revelry?”

“Hey, um—” I stopped short when I saw who was already sitting on the boat, drinking a beer. “Oh—” Shit. “I didn’t realize anyone else was down here. I’ll just, uh—” I turned and prepared to leave.

“It’s fine,” he said from his seat. “You don’t have to go.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. It was one thing to end up at the same party as the man my brother despised; it was another to spend time alone with him. But it wasn’t as if I’d sought Carson out.

I glanced back up at the house, gnawing on my lip as I debated my options. The celebration was still going strong, noise from the party spilling over the lawn and down to the water. I doubted it would end any time soon. As much as I loved my friends, I needed to recharge my batteries. And a raucous party packed with guests was not the place to do so.

Down here, it was peaceful and quiet. But…it meant hanging out with my brother’s ex-best friend. Levi might not like Carson, but my brother was far from unbiased when it came to his former teammate. However, I preferred to give people the benefit of the doubt.

I thought through everything I knew about Carson Kovalsky. Last season, Carson had been traded to the Hawks in a shocking move right before the trade deadline, and several of my friends were current or former members of the team. It wasn’t unreasonable to want to get to know one of their teammates. The only complaints I’d heard from them regarding Carson were around his social media popularity. I couldn’t fault him for that, considering my own desire to grow our podcast and my online presence. If anything, I respected it.

In a sense, networking with Carson would be a good move professionally. He was killing it online, and his content was engaging. If my brother didn’t hate him, I would’ve already tried to reach out. Yeah. I was doing this to benefit the podcast. If anything, this seemed like an opportunity. At least, that’s what I was telling myself.

The truth? Carson was hot. And I was curious about him, especially when it came to whatever the deal was between him and my brother. When had I ever had the chance to speak to Carson alone? It hadn’t happened before, and I didn’t know if it would happen again.

So, instead of heading back up the stairs, I sank down on the upholstered seat across from Carson, taking a long sip from my beer. “I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Logan.”

“I remember you,” Carson said, but I couldn’t get a read on his tone. “And I’m guessing you know exactly who I am.”