Eva sank down onto the couch next to me with a sad smile. “I think I get it. One, I’m guessing you don’t know what else D was going to say because you haven’t responded to him.” I tried to interrupt but she put her hand on my arm. “Please hold your questions until the end. I’m dispensing brilliant advice here. D is one of the good guys. He would never consider a woman a piece of ass, so I’m guessing he was about to make an ass of himself in front of his coach. Which you conveniently stopped. Good for you.”

She squeezed my arm, and I raised a brow. “Don’t you think you’re making a lot of assumptions there?”

“We both are. Why would your assumptions be any better than mine?”

I couldn’t find a good way to argue with her logic, and she took my momentary hesitation as permission to keep going.

“Two, their coach would definitely consider a woman a piece of ass. I’ve heard some things that I won’t repeat, but let’s just say he’s a huge dick and probably orchestrated that little scene since he called you there. Three, it was the ultimatum that bothered you, wasn’t it?”

My chest constricted at the thought. Derrick hadn’t had a chance to answer, but I knew what he’d say. Football was his life.

I took a few breaths to ease the tight feeling. “It’s easy to want a relationship with someone when there are no consequences.”

Eva cocked her head. “And you think he’ll take the easy way by breaking up with you.”

“No, he wouldn’t have chased me if that was all he planned to do. But a fun little fling for the rest of the season?” I shrugged even though saying the words out loud was so much worse than the refrain echoing in my head.

Eva burst out laughing. “Oh, honey. You have the wrong player. Soren would ask for that in a heartbeat, but D isn’t made for flings. I can count the number of girlfriends he’s had on one hand.”

“How does that not prove my point?”

“Because he can’t help himself. He tries to date them when all they want is a hook up, but the girls get tired of being number two after a while. You, my fresh new bestie, are the first one he’s ever brought around the team. I think you’d be surprised at his choices if you give him a chance instead of pushing him away.”

I frowned and sat back against the couch. Eva’s version of Derrick matched up with the soft-hearted guy I knew. He’d challenged me, wooed me with tacos, and went out of his way to make me feel secure in our relationship.

You and me, Em.