I tap on the arm of my chair. “I can’t promise I’m right, but based on Lance’s stats over the past two years, he’s likely to be safe. He’s too valuable to the team for them to let him go. Same goes with Miller. They’re the best defense on the team. They’re not going to risk either of them.”

“You think so?” Sunny twirls her hair around her finger.

“Logically, yes. When you take in points, age, team dynamics, and all that other stuff, it makes sense to keep them safe.”

“What about Darren? He has to be safe then, too, right?”

I finger my pearls and shrug. “I don’t know. It could go either way.” I’ve reviewed Darren’s stats incessantly since they announced the expansion draft, and the conclusion I’ve come to isn’t great; despite his age, his stats have improved over the past two seasons, rather than declined.

“But he’s been Alex’s wingman for years. They can’t trade him,” Lily says.

“Who’ll take us lingerie shopping if you move to Vegas?” Violet jokes, but her expression reflects my own worry.

I have no idea what will happen to me and Darren if he’s traded, and our brief conversation this morning left me with more questions than answers.

Beyond that, Violet has been my only constant since freshman year of college. The idea of leaving behind the stability of my job, my best friend, and my independence is terrifying. Besides, I don’t even know if Darren would want me to come with him. We don’t have the same kind of relationship as the rest of our friends.

I’m independent, and so is he. I have my little house, and he has his big house. Hell, we haven’t even met each other’s parents. Until now it wasn’t something I worried about.

With the expansion draft looming and the possibility that Darren could end up traded, I feel uncertain about everything. I don’t want to lose him, but I don’t want to lose anyone else either, or my job and my independence. It’s been easy up until now, and suddenly it isn’t anymore.

Even Poppy, the newest addition to our group, knows that no matter what, she’s going where Lance goes. It’s secured in the diamond she wears on her ring finger. Lily and Randy might not follow the wedding-and-babies path, but they live together, too, and they have a dog together, which is almost like having a kid. All I have is the pearl necklace Darren had restrung for me, and no real certainty that he’d want me to come with him. Or whether I’d be able to leave all of the other people I love behind for him.I feel off kilter when I get home, listless and uncertain. While all the other girls had messages from their boyfriends or husbands this afternoon, I had silence from Darren. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue, but with what happened last night and the discussion about the expansion draft, I’m feeling less than secure, which is not like me.

The reason Darren and I work so well is partly because he’s never pushed to get serious. He seems content to keep doing what we’re doing. Which is fine with me—or at least it was.

I drop my purse on the kitchen counter and scrub a hand over my face. I need something sweet. Well, what I really need is Darren and an orgasm. But since I saw him last night, that’s not an option unless I want to look clingy—which is something I pride myself on not being—so I’ll have to settle for hot chocolate.

I fill my milk frother, because I’m not ruining nice hot chocolate by using boiled water, and pick one of the gourmet tins my mom likes to send me. Every month I get a care package from her. Mostly it’s herbal stuff likes teas and candles and creams for endless youth, but she also likes to send me whatever new sex toy she’s found at whatever Dominatrix conference she’s attended recently. She means well, but it’s awkward.

I check the tin with the candies my mom sends me and frown. My supply is dwindling, which is yet another thing to worry about. I haven’t been this anxious since . . . well, since we left The Ranch. I tap on the counter, waiting for the milk to froth. I could maybe try giving myself an orgasm to take the edge off, but I’m not sure that’s going to be helpful.

I’ve just poured the frothy milk into my mug when my phone buzzes on the counter. I snatch it up, but my smile fades as Mom flashes across the screen. I feel bad for being disappointed, but I’d hoped Darren might check in. I put a pin in my disappointment because it’s nice to hear from my mom. She keeps busy, so sometimes it’s difficult to find time to catch up.