Baltimore Cobras

The whole team knows that Leo only has one rule: do not even think about his sister. The same sister I find in a towel outside her door one night, locked out of her apartment next door to his. It's a rule that I've found fairly simple to follow, if only because I don't see her around much. She's an artist, and other than seeing her out and about with friends a few times at LuLu's, I can manage ignoring her existence. That is, until Leo secretly adds her to our team's fantasy league.

My daughter and I have spent years just getting by while my ex-husband tries his best to sabotage anything good, and the last thing I need is an athlete who's constantly getting in trouble. But when things heat up and my pride refuses to confide in my brother, Leo is the one who sees me at my lowest and offers to help. I can live with him in exchange for some meals. Maybe some dishes and dry-cleaning. But his fall from grace with the media is far from over, and when he's forced to enter a PR relationship, the only person he trusts is me.

I've caged myself off since the day my wife passed years ago, only trusting a small handful of people. Letting someone into my house and around my daughter is a huge step—especially when that person happens to be the sunshine girl I ghosted in the middle of the summer. She represents everything I don't want to acknowledge and brings out a side of me I don't recognize, but I need the help and she's far from a stranger. But as time goes on I feel my resolve slipping, and I'm not quite sure what that means for me.