Kinsley: How dare you insult his character like that.

Maddox: He’s old, that means more accidents.

Kinsley: Have faith in the old—oh no, he literally just shit on the rug.

Maddox: Are you fucking serious?

Kinsley: No. And I hope you had a minor heart attack, as you deserve it. This dog is a saint.

Maddox: I think I prefer our FaceTime conversations over text messages.

Kinsley: Yeah, well even though I miss you like crazy, this girl needs some sleep tonight.

Maddox: What’s your night going to be like? Are you going to watch the game?

Kinsley: I’ll have it on in the background, not as much fun to watch if you’re not pitching. But . . . do you have a second to chat, I want to tell you something big.

I stand from my locker and go to one of the back offices where we’re allowed to take private phone calls when we’re just messing around, getting ready for the game. I dial her number quickly and she answers it on one ring.

“Are you allowed to call me?”

I chuckle and say, “You would be surprised the kind of leniency we get. What’s going on; everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is great actually. I wanted to call you and tell you something really . . .” Her voice gets choked up and even though I can’t see her, I know she’s starting to cry.

“Kinsley, what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry. I’m trying not to get emotional, but I can’t help it. I’m so happy.”

Relief washes over me as I lean back in one of the cold, hard chairs in the office. “Okay, so happy emotion.”

“Very happy.” She takes a deep breath. “The other day, when you, Lincoln, and Jason came to the shelter, we were inundated with follows on Instagram, which was out-of-this-world amazing. Our name is out there. Gaining support.” She sniffs. “So, I can’t thank you enough.”

“That’s fucking awesome, babe. You’re welcome.”

“But something happened today that nearly brought me to my knees.”

“And?”

“Chip was adopted,” she says on a squeak.

“Chip, as in . . . Chip the cat, the longest resident of the shelter?”

“Yes,” she says, a sob quickly following. Speaking through her tears, she continues, “An older man came in yesterday, told us his daughter, who follows Lincoln on social media, told him all about the shelter and how there was an orange cat who looked like he needed a home. Apparently, this gentleman just lost his cat to feline leukemia and was looking for a new friend. He came in this morning and inquired about the longest resident in the shelter. I brought him over to Chip and”—she hiccups on a sob and my heart reaches out to this woman, falling for her more and more. Her soul is so beautiful, caring so much for these animals—“they hit it off immediately. Chip was purring, the gentleman was all smiles. We are running a background check, but if all goes well, Chip will have a new home tomorrow night. Can you believe it?”

“That’s fucking great, Kin,” I say, meaning it sincerely. I know how much this means to her, which in return means a lot to me. “I’m glad we could help out in a small way.”

“A small way?” She laughs. “Maddox, you coming to the shelter, it was a game changer for us. Not only are we able to expand the facility with the donation, but we’ve had more people come in looking to adopt than ever before just this week alone. We’ve also had more intake inquiries. Marcy was saying if we keep going at this rate, we might be able to hire another full-time employee.”

“I’m happy to hear it, babe. Anything you need, you let me know. You can always rely on me to support you one hundred percent.” And I’d never deny her. God, I can’t imagine ever not loving this woman.

She sighs. “You are too good to me.”

“You’re too good to me,” I counter.

She chuckles. “Three more days.”

“Three more days.”

“Are you going to kiss me?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Are you going to snuggle with me?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

There’s a smile in her voice when she asks, “Are you going to let Herman give you a welcome-home kiss?”

“Let’s not get too out of control.”

She chuckles and the sound fills me with life. “I’ll let you go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you, Kinsley.”

Chapter Sixteen

KINSLEY

Knock. Knock.

I glance up at the door as Herman lifts his head.

The game is on in the background, I have a bowl of popcorn in front of me, and a strawberry sparkling water waiting to be cracked open. I’m ready for my last night alone until Maddox gets home.

“Who do you think that is?” I ask Herman, as I stand and walk over to the door, expecting Joan. When I open the door, two women, who look vaguely familiar, are standing before me.

Where do I know them from?

“Kinsley?” one of them asks.

“Um, yes,” I say, hoping they’re not Maddox’s old flings or from “the brothel.” One does have dark hair and big boobs.

“It’s so great to meet you.” The dark hair girl swoops me into a hug. “I’m Dottie, Jason Orson’s wife. And this is Natalie, Cory’s fiancée.”

“Oh wow, hi,” I say, taking Natalie into a hug as well. “Please, come in.”

I right my tank top and make sure my shorts are straight as well.

“She is really hot,” Natalie says to Dottie who gives me a slow once-over. “I can see why the boys are saying Maddox is completely head over heels.”

My cheeks flame as I shut the door and pull on the hem of my tank. “Uh, thank you. If I knew you were coming over, I would have put something a little more appropriate on.”

“Please, if I had your boobs, I’d be wearing the same thing.” She turns to Natalie. “Can you imagine a life without a bra and not having your boobs feel like they’re sagging to the ground?”

Natalie looks at me and says, “You’re lucky, girl. Show off those ladies.”

I chuckle and motion to the living room. “I was just watching the game and eating some popcorn, can I get you guys a drink?”

“I would love whatever you’re having,” Dottie says, setting her purse on the ground near the entryway and then walking into the living room. Natalie follows suit.

“Same for me.” They both make themselves comfortable on the couch while I get their drinks, feeling a little awkward.

I mean . . . why are they here? Did Maddox send them here? I’m not complaining, because it would be great to make some new friends, someone who’s younger than fifty at least. I quickly grab them drinks and then take them into the living room where they’re discussing Lincoln, who is on the mound tonight.

“He is such an idiot when it comes to dating,” Dottie says, giving me a smile while I hand her the drink.

“Thank you,” Natalie says and then adds, “I’m just glad he stopped going after the cleat chasers. Cory said they were fucking with his head.”

“Cleat chasers?” I ask, jumping right into the conversation as if we’ve been doing this for a while.

“Yeah, real classy women,” Dottie says with a roll of her eyes. “They stalk out the hotel, find out what floor the guys are on and then roam the hallways, purses full of condoms, legs ready to be spread in any position asked.”

“Ew, really?”

Natalie nods. “Yeah. Easy access for the guys who want it. Frankly, it’s disgusting, if you ask me. Apparently, last year Lincoln had sex with a few of them until Maddox and Jason had a conversation with him about not indulging in cheap thrills, but to look for someone who’s going to make him happy. Which according to Jason, there is someone special in his life, but Maddox is the only one who knows about her.”

“Interesting.”

Dottie nods. “Rumor has it he’s been on again off again with a girl but something always goes wrong. Timing hasn’t ever worked out for them. I thought it was maybe too much pressure.”

“Pressure?” I ask, feeling like I’m getting smacked in the face with a load of information I wasn’t expecting. Hell, I was just going to eat popcorn with Herman—who is snoring by the way, great guard dog he is—and watch the boys play, hoping to catch glimpses of Maddox.

“The boys are gone a lot, as I think you’ve noticed already. There’s a lot of shady business that goes on in those hotels. If you find a good man, he tucks himself away at night. But it’s the guys who hang out in the lobby, the ones who go to the bar not just once, but every night. Those are the guys you have to look out for.”

“Like Marcus.” Natalie shakes her head.

“Wait.” I hold up my hand. “Marcus Gomez? The family man?”

Dottie nods. “Yeah. He’s apparently been cheating on his wife for a while now. The boys just found out; it’s why they don’t really hang out with him anymore.”

“Yeah, Cory was close with him, but the moment he saw Marcus with another woman on one of their away trips, Cory took a step back. He didn’t want to be associated with him.”