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Detrick said. “I meant football. She plays for that WPFL team, the Cleveland Clash. Where the hell would she play basketball? We don’t have WNBA in Cleveland.”
    True. Cam stuck a fork in a Swedish meatball and stuffed it in his mouth. Football, huh? Something else he should’ve known. Something else she should’ve told him.
    This was stupid. He was done waiting for her to call.
    “I’ll be right back.” He set his plate on the end table and stood.
    Out on the porch, he huddled against the wind behind a peeling pillar. There was a good chance she wouldn’t answer her phone, so at the last minute, he opted for a text.
    Football, huh? Great minds.
    He hit send, waited a beat, and then typed.
    I want to see you again. I want to talk. Really talk. When? And don’t give me any of your bullshit.
    He added a very uncharacteristic smiley face emoticon just so she would know he wasn’t trying to be a dick.
    He switched the phone to his other hand and blew hot air against his palm before he shoved it into his jeans pocket and decided to go back inside. Two steps from the door, his phone rang.
    Tanya.
He smiled. “You called. I knew you couldn’t stay away after the day we had.”
    She cleared her throat. “Listen, I’m chairing the faculty-student basketball game at school, and Rollins asked me to see if you would want to participate.”
    “Are you playing?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then count me in.”
    “You don’t even know when it is.”
    “I know what I need to know. Basketball with you. Sold.”
    She went quiet. “Okay. There’s something else.”
    The front door opened a crack and his mother’s head appeared. “What the Hades are you doing out here?” She saw the phone, and covered her mouth. “Sorry,” she whispered. “Hurry up. Nay Nay made a special cake.”
    “I’ll be right there.”
    “Go,” Tanya said. “Tell your mom I said ‘hi’.”
    “But you said there was something else.”
    “I’ll, uh, tell you tomorrow.”
    He smiled. “You just want an excuse to call me again.”
    More quiet. “Actually, we should meet. At the gym.”
    “Okay. When?”
    “Tomorrow night. I have practice at Carroll until seven, so I probably won’t be there until almost nine.”
    “You can’t squeeze me in before then?”
    “You’ve waited five years, big guy. You can wait twenty-four more hours.”
    He heard the smile in her voice.
    “Are you going to make it worth my while?” he chanced asking. There was a pause, and at first, he wondered if she wouldn’t answer. Then her voice, smooth and sultry as hell, came over the line.
    “Baby, I never disappoint.”
    Now, they were talking.

Chapter Four
    Tanya had felt off all day. Tired. Anxious. Maybe it had something to do with her plan to exploit Cam. Maybe on some level she knew it was too much to ask. Writing out a check for thirty grand when you had millions was probably a heck of a lot easier than agreeing to spend hours a day in an inner-city gym entertaining any whack-a-doodle who was willing to pay a fee. But this really was her most viable opportunity. Pop couldn’t argue with money the gym made from increased memberships.
    On that note, Tanya locked her office door in preparation for the cross-town race to football practice.
    “Aunt T, you got a minute?”
    She turned to see her thirteen-year-old nephew, Jace, running a hand across the bottom of his nose.
    “Hey, Bud. You okay?”
    He nodded, but suddenly the slow nod turned into a frantic shake. He was crying.
    She unlocked the door and motioned him inside. No seventh-grade boy wanted to be seen getting emotional in the hall. And no veteran offensive linewoman wanted to be late for practice. But what could she do? Maybe whatever was bothering him would be an easy fix.
    “Sit.” She pointed to her desk chair. “What’s going on?”
    He sniffed a few times before he said, “I heard my mom on the phone last night.” When his voice hitched, her heart tensed. This had something to do with the