The moment of softness from him caught me off guard, but I laughed it off, shrugging. “Hey, it’ll be me thanking you when you land me my first real boyfriend.”

The second the words left my lips, I balked — the shocked expression on my face mirroring Clay’s.

“First boyfriend?” he echoed.

I didn’t have the chance to answer before Charlotte swung through the door of her office, which was connected to mine, and started rambling off about twenty things she needed from me.

I shoved Clay the rest of the way out the door without acknowledging his question, and once the door was shut behind me, Charlotte swept in.

“Are you listening?”

I snapped up straight, grabbing my notebook off my desk. “Following. And I have an update on the auction, too.”

She eyed me cautiously, lifting a brow at the door I had just been guarding before she shrugged like it wasn’t worth her time to ask any questions. Then, she turned and slipped back into her office, me on her heels as she continued on with our list.

And I somehow managed to pay attention despite how my heart raced in my chest.

Chapter Six

Clay

“You ready for this?”

Giana was wringing her hands together in front of the stadium, doe eyes shifty as they looked around us like she was worried someone would overhear. The morning sun illuminated all the different colors in those eyes, ones I’d never noticed before — a strange blend of turquoise and gold and green.

Her fear of being seen was unwarranted. Most everyone was already inside, getting warm and trying to work out the anxiety from what this day held for all of us.

Depth Chart Day.

“You can back out,” I said.

“No.” Giana answered as quickly as I’d suggested, shaking her head and steadying her shoulders. “I’m fine, I just…” She bit her lip. “Look, I believe you when you say you’re going to help me. That makes sense. I don’t know how to flirt, let alone date, or get a guy who doesn’t even know I’m alive to want me.”

She was all nerves, her hands trembling a bit as she stared down at the chipping polish on her nails.

“But me, helping you,” she said, shaking her head. “Making someone like Maliyah jealous?”

She didn’t finish the thought, just bit the inside of her cheek and looked up at me like it was obvious, like she couldn’t possibly arouse jealousy in anyone.