The Safe Bet (The Game Changers #3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

her to have some class.
    “I can’t,” I ground out. “Come back tomorrow.” Then, using all the strength I had left after my workout that day, I pushed the wall of muscle away. Amazingly, he let me climb in my car and drive away. My relief was short lived, though. A big truck pulled out of the parking lot behind me and followed me down the suburban streets where Meyer’s friend lived. He wasn’t giving up.
    Pulling up to the house where I had dropped Meyer off for parties before, I climbed out of my car, hoping Brock was smart enough to stay put. He was, although he looked rather suspicious sitting in his big truck outside a ten-year-old girl’s birthday party. It wasn’t my problem. I wasn’t the creeper in the truck.
    Julie’s mom was opening the front door as I climbed the steps. “Thank goodness you’re here. I can’t get her to come out of the bathroom.”
    I entered their upscale brick home like a woman on a mission. I was going to save the kid from herself and eliminate this perplexing situation from tonight’s list of dramatic events. Julie’s mom guided me to a bathroom on the main floor, where she knocked and alerted Meyer to my presence.
    Meyer cracked the door, allowing me to see her tear-stained face as she sat on the floor of the bathroom. My heart broke a little as I took in my sweet niece hiding peeking out with swollen eyes and red cheeks. With a nod of her head, she granted me permission to enter her safe space. I dropped my purse and quickly lowered myself to her level and hugged her to me.
    “What’s up, kiddo?”
    “I’m dying,” she sobbed.
    “What?” Surely I had misheard her.
    “I’m bleeding from down there and the internet says I could have cancer.” He sobs shook her whole body. For such a smart girl, she was really missing the boat on this one.
    “Wait. Let me get this straight. You are bleeding from down there, and you looked it up online?” She nodded against me. “And the website said you have cancer.” She nodded again. “It didn’t say that you could be starting your period?”
    “I’m too young,” she cried into my shirt.
    “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re definitely not too young to ride the crimson wave. Welcome to womanhood, monster. It sucks.”
    “What about the cancer?”
    “I feel confident that you don’t have the cancer, but I could take you to a doctor to have your downtown checked out.”
    “No!” She sat up like a rocket launching and gave me a cartoonish bug-eyed look.
    “All right. All right,” I surrendered. “How about we handle this the way my mom did with me? Ice cream and a midnight tampon run?”
    “You want me to stick something up in there?” Meyer looked horrified, which was progress from the tears and the bug-eyed, shocked look.
    “No, but I find the words ‘pad’ and ‘feminine napkin’ revolting.”
    “I find this whole conversation revolting,” she replied.
    “I can’t say I disagree, kid. Now let’s blow this joint before my butt flattens from sitting on this pristine marble.”
    “What about the girls out there?”
    “What about them? We’ll tell them you’re sick. They don’t need to know anything else.”
    “But my pants…”
    “Ah. Yes. Here.” I took off the cardigan I had over my sleeveless dress. It was long on her, so it covered what it needed to hide and made her feel comfortable enough to walk out. I left her with the contents of my purse and a couple of instructions for how to deal with the merchandise. Then I headed out to find Julie’s mom and Meyer’s overnight bag.
    Once all that was taken care of, we headed to where I parked, where Brock was still sitting waiting on me to return. I had forgotten about him during the bloody crisis. Ugh. Had I remembered, I would have probably prevented him from seeing Meyer. He was going to ruin my ice cream run. I just knew it.
    I pulled away and started to drive to the twenty-four hour grocery, but thought twice and turned to go