“Of course they’ll want you,” I reassured. I’d seen the evidence of it in his email. Plenty of agents, coaches, and scouts had reached out, but he strictly instructed me to ignore them. “What changed?”

“I don’t want to work in a flower shop,” he replied. “That was always my sister’s dream, and my mother has her empire handled. She just opened another shop in New York, actually.”

“So what are you saying?” I was excited for him. So much had changed so quickly.

“I’m saying I just want to do things differently. A few big wigs are going to the USC game and want to chat afterward. This could be it.” I let out the breath I was holding. Wow. I didn’t even know what to say. “Now don’t get a big head about this,” he teased.

“Oh, I’m totally taking credit for this.”

“Get dressed, I’m taking you out, Solver.”

* * *

I took a few extra minutes getting ready. I had to at least try to look hot; Oakley was in a suit, after all. While I was applying the best smoky eye I could, I thought about the injustice that was men getting ready versus women. It’s really not fair how fucking good men look in a well tailored suit. All they had to do was get dressed and smell nice, and they’re sex gods.

I chose the sexiest dress I owned. Out of habit, I started looking for my Spanx. It took me a good three minutes of searching to remember that I didn’t own them anymore. It was so weird. I used them like a shield of armor. I shimmied into my favorite little black dress. The dress hugged my hips and stopped mid-thigh. The plunging neckline was held up by straps that crossed in the back, and it had just enough sequins to be sexy but not enough to cross the line into trashy. This dress made me feel powerful and confident.

I slipped on some black heels and small diamond stud earrings and headed out to the living room. Oakley was watching the enormous sixty inch TV when I came in. I waited patiently for him to turn around and drink in the sight of me, but his eyes were glued to the screen. He must not have heard me. Seriously? Didn’t he know I was making an entrance here? I cleared my throat dramatically and waited for his reaction.

He stood up and drank me in. His eyes worked their way up from my heels to the soft curls I had put in my hair. He lingered on the spot where my hemline stopped on my thigh and again at my breasts where the neckline dipped.