After playing soccer for a few hours, the game broke up. Going over to the side of the field, Shea rooted through her bag for a small towel to wipe the sweat from her face. “Good hustle out there,” Troy said as he came up beside her. “Thanks,” she said, smiling at him. “If only there were a way to run around and play without getting so sweaty.” “I didn’t think ladies like you sweated,” he said, teasing her. “I thought you glowed.” She laughed at him and shook her head. “Nope, this is one hundred percent genuine sweat,” she said, putting her towel down and taking out her water bottle. Opening it, she took a few swallows, then asked, “How often do you do this?” “I tend to come here every week,” he said, taking out his water bottle and opening it. “Impressive,” she said, nodding. “I may have to join you. I had fun today.” He smiled at her and said, “I’d like that.” She smiled back at him and said, “Me too.” After a moment, he cleared his throat and said, “Didn’t

Brooklyn and Addy stared at Shea after telling them she’d spent the day playing soccer in the park with Troy. Brooklyn spoke first, shaking her head and asking, “Troy? The new guy downstairs? That Troy?” Shea grinned and nodded her head. “That shameless guy who flirted with all of us at the welcome party?” Addy asked, her nose wrinkled. “That Troy?” Shea nodded once more and said, “He’s really not that bad once you spend time with him and get to know him.” Addy shook her head and said, “I don’t know. He seemed pretty douchy to me.” Shea shook her head and said, “He was a perfect gentleman with me today. In fact, we made plans to go out to dinner next weekend.” Brooklyn looked at her with her eyebrows raised. “So, do we have another building romance, then?” she asked. Shea grinned and glanced away before she shrugged and said, “I don’t know right now.” “Speaking of building romances, I wonder how Kendall and Lewis are doing?” Addy mused. “That’s right!” Shea sa

“This club is jumping!” Addy said over the music. Nodding, Brooklyn said, looking around at the inside of the club and said, “The review looks promising.” “I’ll drink to that!” Shea said, holding up her drink. “Same!” Kendall called out, raising her glass. The four women clinked their glasses together before taking a drink. “Also, let’s toast to how fine we all look in our new outfits,” Shea said, stepping back from the table to pose. “Here, here!” Addy called out, raising her glass. They all took another drink. “I’d also like to propose a toast to getting the word out there about Barto,” Brooklyn said, leaning toward her friends to be heard. “Here, here!” Addy called out, raising her glass. After they had taken another drink, Addy put down her glass and said, “I’m happy that Lydia could get more witnesses for the article as well.” Brooklyn nodded and said, “When news of the article broke, more women contacted Bonnie to tell their stories. I don’t think he’l

Steel Gaze returned to the stage, warming up before continuing the concert. “Let’s go down and dance,” Shea said, moving to the music. Addy nodded and said, “Come on, ladies! Let’s get our groove on!” The four friends went down to the dance floor to dance to the music. Shea maneuvered her way forward until they stood in front of the stage, dancing. The singer noticed and grinned down at them. Everyone but Brooklyn grinned back at him. She glared at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. Turning to her friends, she ignored the band for the rest of the set. Once the band finished their last song, the singer said, “Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight! It has been a great club opening, and we’re grateful for them to hire us to play for you all!” The crowd cheered, and he continued, “My name is Cort. On bass is Ells. On drums is Bryant. And Bradford is our one and only DJ.” After each introduction, the crowd cheered again. Each guy took a bow when Cort introduced t

When Brooklyn walked out of her room in the morning, she stopped in her tracks at what she saw. Addy sat at the kitchen table, already working on her laptop. A half-eaten muffin sat on a plate next to her, and her coffee mug looked neglected. “Why are you up so early?” Brooklyn asked, walking toward the kitchen. Addy gasped as she jumped in her chair, her wide eyes turning in Brooklyn’s direction. “You startled me,” she said, lifting her hand to cover her heart. “I didn’t expect anyone to be up this early.” Brooklyn looked at the clock and shook her head, saying, “I’m up at my usual time.” Addy turned to look at the clock, surprised. Then she shook her head. “I can’t have spent all that time on the computer this morning,” she said, looking back at the screen. “Time sure flies when you’re busy.” Walking over to the coffeepot, Brooklyn poured herself a mug, then grabbed a muffin before heading to the table. “What are you working on?” she asked, sitting across from h