Homecourt Advantage (12 page)

“Good-bye, Jake,” Casey managed before she walked in the direction of Remy.

“Wait, Casey,” Jake began. “Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

She could almost see Jake triumphantly sneering behind her.

Ignoring him, she worked her way through the crowd and plastered a fake smile on her face as she played the part of Mrs. Brent Rogers. She spotted Collin hurrying away from Remy. Casey figured he had probably forgotten something in the locker room.

“Have you seen Kelly?” Casey asked Remy as she approached her.

“No,” Remy said curtly.

“I wish she would bring her butt back here. Diamond needs to be in bed, and the way I feel now, so do I. Brent’s going out to dinner with Jake, and he didn’t even tell me anything about it. Once again, I’m going home alone,” Casey said, continuing to search the room for any sign of Kelly, watching enviously as Paul and Lorraine Thomas hugged each other, laughing at some private joke. Why couldn’t that be her and Brent right now?

“I can’t believe him,” Remy said, shaking her head, looking past Casey.

“Isn’t he a jerk? He used to represent Collin, didn’t he? Collin was smart to give him the boot. Jake has no respect for the players or their wives. I can’t stand him. You wouldn’t believe what he just said to me.”

“Casey, I’m not talking about Jake. I’m talking about my inconsiderate-ass boyfriend. He just stood me up!” Remy said.

“What happened?” Casey said, realizing for the first time that Remy was upset too.

“He just told me that he had some extra work to do.”

“He didn’t stand you up, Remy. He has work to do. At least he told you himself.”

“Casey, you know that it’s been weeks since we’ve had a quiet evening alone together. The least he could do is make some time for me. He could have told me before the game that he had plans. Iwouldn’t have even come to this stupid blowout of a game if I wasn’t going to be able to see him afterwards.”

“Listen. Just relax. Both of you have hectic schedules. There’ve been a lot of times when you’ve been too busy to see him because of your work. He’s not inconsiderate. Now, I know inconsiderate firsthand, and Collin is not like that. He’s different.”

“Yeah, real different. Asshole, standing me up.”

“He didn’t stand you up—standing you up would’ve been to just leave and not say anything at all. At least he—”

“I know what a stand-up is,” Remy interrupted. “I’m just pissed. I’d been looking forward to this evening for a while.”

Casey genuinely felt bad for her friend. It was not like Remy to show her disappointment. But Casey was fresh out of solutions for herself; how could she make Remy feel any better?

“Look at it this way, Remy; it’s his loss. If he doesn’t want any ass tonight from his beautiful woman, then that’s his problem.”

Casey noticed the tense look leaving Remy’s face.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right. It’s his loss. Maybe I’ll get some from somebody else.”

“That’s the spirit.” Casey laughed. “Even though you and I both know Collin is crazy about you. Don’t hurt that poor boy like that.”

“Well, maybe next time he’ll think twice before canceling on me,” Remy petulantly said.

“Come on, Remy. We both know he’s not that bad. Collin’s ten times better than most of the guys on the team,” Casey said. She understood Remy’s disappointment all too well, but still, Collin was a prize. He was sensitive and very mature. Other than Paul Thomas, Collin was the only other player whom Casey had never heard any gossip about. “Girl, you have a good man, stop complaining,” she chided Remy. But Casey knew that none of that mattered to a woman when she felt that she was being scorned. Staring at Remy, Casey realized there was probably only one way to lift Remy’s spirits.

“Stop it, Casey,” Remy began as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You look frustrated and sad and … I think under these circumstances, you and I owe it to ourselves to have some fun tonight—even if it is without our men.”

A conspiratorial look spread across Remy’s face. They both enjoyed a fun evening out on the town every now and then. It was their ladies'-night thing. Of course, neither of them was a big drinker, and Casey had a difficult time holding her liquor, but that never stopped them from having a good time.

“So where should we start?” Casey asked. “Bungalow 8 for drinks?”

“Then on to Show for dancing and young studs.”

“Sounds like a plan, but I have to find Kelly first,” Casey said, slightly regretting making plans as she was exhausted, mentally and physically.

“Mind if I wait in your car?” Remy began. “I need a change of scenery.”

“Nope, just open up my purse and grab my keys. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

The crowd slowly began to thin out around her, yet she still could not find Kelly. Casey began to pace the waiting area hoping that she would return. Maybe she was just in the ladies’ room freshening up in preparation to see Steve.

“Oh my God, Casey! Do you see him? Just standing over there. He’s awfully bold if you ask me,” the Flyers Gossip Queen said, appearing from around the corner.

“Who?”

Robin leaned into Casey, lowered her voice, and pointed. “Leonard Hightower. He has some nerve showing his face around here. Look at him. See him over there?”

Casey looked through the thinning crowd but did not notice him. She wondered how Robin Stillman knew anything about Leonard Hightower. Apparently it wasn’t as big a secret as Alexis had led her to believe.

“See Jake Schneider?” Robin panted.

Casey nodded seeing Jake saddled up next to Coach Mitchell, who looked like he was ready to grace the cover of GQ, once again. Jake Schneider looked like the troll he was standing next to Coach.

“Now see the guy with the bright red hair who looks like he’s surveying the room?”

Casey saw the beefy guy with the fire red hair; no one could miss him. In fact, she remembered seeing him earlier in the evening.

“Hightower is directly to his right; he has the thick salt-and-pepper hair. Doesn’t he look pompous?”

“Actually … yeah, he does,” Casey said, agreeing with Robin Stillman, probably for the first time in their entire acquaintance.

He also looks a lot younger than any of the photos I’ve seen of him, Casey thought. But he looked unmistakably slick, as if he was three steps ahead of everyone else. He had a Jack Nicholson quality to him, except he was more polished, almost painfully Magnetism surrounded him, so much so that reporters were continually approaching him trying to get his attention—though the burly redheaded man promptly intervened on Hightower’s behalf every time they got within a five-foot radius.

“And did you see him prance in like he owned the world at the beginning of the third quarter, having that redheaded guy oust some young actors from Star Row?”

Actually, Casey had seen him arrive after halftime with the redheaded man in tow, but she hadn’t realized that he was Leonard Hightower of Hightower Enterprises. It looked like he’d had plastic surgery performed on his face, and Casey could have sworn that his hair used to be completely white.

“He acts like he owns the Flyers already. Heck, he was acting like he owned the Mecca Arena,” Robin disgustedly said.

For the impending sale to be such a secret, Robin was certainly talking about it freely, but Casey had to remind herself of what a gossip Robin was. Why would she behave any differently now? In reality it probably really didn’t matter to Robin whether the Flyers were sold as long as she still had a forum in which she could dish dirt. Robin’s husband, Bob Stillman, the assistant coach, had probably sworn her to secrecy about Leonard Hightower trying to buy the team. It was a shame she couldn’t even keep her word to her own husband.

Whatever the situation, Casey did not have time to think about it now. Remy was in the car waiting for her, Diamond was getting antsyand heavy in her arms, and Casey was getting more tired with each passing second.

“Robin, have you seen Kelly around?”

Robin’s eyebrows immediately raised another notch, as if she had sniffed out a fresh scandal.

“As a matter of fact, I have. I spotted her around the corner at the front of the locker-room door. She’s obviously drunk and it looks like she’s set up a vigil waiting for Steve,” Robin said, quickly forgetting about Hightower. “Are they even together anymore? You know Steve’s eccentric new girlfriend Stephanie was at Alexis’s breakfast. Speaking of which, if I were you, I’d go and get Kelly before Alexis spots her. You know we want to keep up appearances, especially with all that’s going on around here.” Robin earnestly nodded her head toward Hightower once more. One would have thought that the future of the universe depended on Kelly’s behavior.

“Thanks for the tip, Robin,” Casey said as she made a beeline to the locker-room entrance.

Kelly looked pathetic standing at the front of the locker room peeking in the players’ dressing area each time the door opened to see if Steve was the next player coming out. Why was Kelly subjecting herself and Diamond to such public disrespect?

“Kelly, you really need to get Diamond home,” Casey said, cutting to the chase as she approached Kelly.

“I’m coming in a minute. I just saw Steve. He’s about to come out now,” Kelly said, expectantly staring at the double doors.

Steve was barely out of the locker room before Kelly pounced on him like a cat awaiting its prey. “Who was that in your seats, Steve?”

Steve ignored her, leaned down and greeted Casey with a kiss, and relieved her of Diamond.

“Hello, sweetheart. How’s my little angel?” Steve said as he held tight to Diamond.

“Oh, now you’re not even gonna speak to me?” Kelly irately asked, placing one hand on her hip.

Casey noticed that even drunk and angry, Kelly oozed sexuality with her bare cleavage heaving up and down.

“What are you doing here, Kelly?” Steve said calmly.

“Excuse me? What do you mean what am I doing here? ‘Cause I have a right to be here. That’s why.”

“Kelly you’ve had too much to drink, and I suggest you get yo’self home before you do anything else embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing? Embarrassing? I’ll tell you what’s embarrassing: you having that girl up in my seats, me being treated like a common criminal when I tried to get in the Family Lounge. That’s wrong,” Kelly said, getting louder with each word.

“What’s wrong is you showing up here when you weren’t invited,” Steve spat out.

“I don’t need an invitation. I’m your fiancée, damn it.”

“Were
my fiancée, past tense. Now, go home and get Diamond to bed. You’re testing my patience.”

“Are you crazy, boy? What do you mean I’m testing your patience? You better get your priorities straight. Me and Diamond are your family. We’re the ones who are going to be here when all the groupies are gone,” Kelly shouted as she shoved Steve against the wall. Diamond started to wail. Steve looked to Casey helplessly.

“Stephanie is no groupie and you better watch yourself. Shit, you’re one to talk,” Steve said, looking flustered.

Just then, Alexis rounded the corner and stared at the two of them disapprovingly. “Is everything all right here?” she said, looking over the situation. She glared at Casey accusingly as if she had somehow disappointed her.

Knowing that she would not be in the mood to hear Alexis’s mouth later, Casey took her cue and intervened. “Look, you two, why don’t you settle this at home, in a less public forum. And Diamond doesn’t need to see this.”

“I think that’s the best way to handle your domestic squabbles, behind closed doors instead of making a scene. And, Steve, I’m shocked that you would allow someone like her to draw you into this … this type of exchange,” Alexis said distastefully.

“You want to know what I think, Alexis—” Kelly began before Steve covered her mouth with his hands.

“I’m going to take her home and get her to bed, Alexis. Pardon her behavior, she’s had a bit too much to drink.”

“So I see. Let’s make absolutely certain that it doesn’t happen again in the future. Do you follow me? I’m counting on you, Steve,” Alexis said before she sauntered away from them, leaving the unmistakable scent of Chanel No. 5.

Casey noticed Steve’s about-face dealing with Kelly in the presence of Alexis—apparently she had that effect on everyone.

“Ouch! Stop biting me, Kelly. What the hell is the matter with you?” Steve said, snatching his hand from her mouth.

“You used to like it when I bit you,” Kelly sneered. The only word Casey could think of to describe Kelly’s laugh was
maniacal.

“Casey.” Steve dropped his voice. “You know my friend Stephanie?”

Casey nodded her head.

“Would you do me a favor and tell her that I had some family matters to attend to?”

“All right, Steve, but get them home safely.”

Casey walked back out to the waiting area, annoyed that she was further drawn into this web. She easily found Stephanie, a tall, graceful girl with her hair worn in short, twisted dreadlocks that Robin Stillman
would
consider eccentric. She was a regal beauty with striking features, and Casey could almost feel the dignity and class with which she carried herself, like an African princess. She and Kelly were opposites in their dispositions—Stephanie the gazelle and Kelly the jackal. Casey passed on Steve’s message, and felt guilty when Stephanie calmly said, “Thanks Casey. I appreciate it girl.” They left the arena together and walked out to the parking lot, exchanging uncomfortable stiff smiles, neither knowing what else to say under the strained circumstances. Ironically, had they met in a different situation, they would probably be friends.

Casey breathed a sigh of relief as she reached her car. “So much for the first play-off game,” she said as she opened the door to her Jaguar, wearily sat down in the soft leather seat, and leaned her head back.

“Don’t look so tired on me, girl,” Remy said, looking at Casey.

“I feel like I just got gang-banged by half the Mecca Arena.”

“Does this mean you’re backing out on me?”

“Would you be upset?” Casey said, feeling slightly guilty for disappointing her friend.