I Think I Love You (Australian Sports Star Series Book 3) by Iris Blobel

mood.”
    “Piss off.”
    “Want to meet at Carlo’s for breakfast?”
    “Half an hour?”
    “I’ll be there.”
    Half an hour later, he sat across the table from Oliver, who wasn’t able to take the grin off his face. As annoying as that grin was that morning, it was good to see his friend happy. Oliver had lost his girlfriend a few years earlier in a car accident when he’d driven his car into a tree, also leaving his mother in a wheelchair. His injury a few months earlier had ended his career in baseball and thrown him into a spiral. A big blow to him, and it’d taken him a long time to come to terms with it. Not to mention that he’d fallen hard for his coach’s niece, only to find out she’d still grieved the death of her husband.
    “Tell me,” he said to his friend.
    Oliver shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. “Got engaged.”
    Markus froze and stared at Oliver. After a long moment watching the expression on Oliver’s face, he said, “You’re kidding, right?”
    “Nope.”
    “Fuck me.”
    The grin on Oliver’s face spread even further.
    “So, within thirty-six hours you two go from non-speaking, hating each other to getting engaged?”
    “More or less, yes. Although, we didn’t hate each other. That’d be a too strong of a word.”
    Markus stared at his friend. “Just like that.”
    “Mate, you know it wasn’t just like that .”
    Markus gazed outside. Just like that he’d slept with Sarah and just like that he’d stuffed up what he’d hoped for.
    Oliver placed his knife and fork on the table. “Okay, mate. Spill it.”
    Shrugging, Markus turned back and looked at his friend.
    “C’mon, man.”
    “You said Saz heard my message and you had a feeling.”
    Oliver lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Mate, she seemed upset, is all.”
    “About sleeping with me?”
    Oliver chuckled, took his cutlery, and started eating.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “You two dancing around like she’d thrown a bucket of sand in your face.”
    “You’re an ass.”
    Oliver nearly spat out the food. “Look, mate. She seemed upset about the idea that your wording fuck up meant you regretted what had happened. Did you?”
    Markus leaned back, rubbing his hand over his face before staring at his friend. “Really wanna know?”
    Oliver shrugged.
    “It was great,” Markus whispered.
    “Why the fuck up?”
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Oliver. How long have we known Saz? Geez, she’s more like a sister to me. I don’t want to lose her as a friend.”
    Oliver leaned forward. “Mate, I had the feeling she was upset about the idea that you regretted your dance in the bed. So I’m obviously missing a piece of the puzzle here.”
    “She came over to see me later that day and gave me the no regrets speech.”
    Stunned, Oliver frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. That’s bullshit, man.” He shook his head while he waved his knife in front of Markus. “You need to get that sorted. It doesn’t seem right.”
    Markus chuckled. “That’s what Annie said.”
    Oliver’s frown broke into a grin. “Aww, good old Annie. How is she?”
    “Sneaky as ever. Got me to babysit the kids on Saturday.”
    The bark of laughter startled a few patrons in the café, and Markus rolled his eyes at his friend.
    “Get it sorted, man. Or you’ll have to wait another twenty years until the next kiss.”
    “I got an offer to work in Sydney. Television.”
    Oliver’s eyebrows shot up. “Holy shit. Interested?”
    Markus thought about that for a moment. Was he really interested or was the idea to escape, to put distance between him and Sarah tempting?
    “A few years would fill the bank account all right and I could retire.”
    “You’re retired already with the bank account filled up.”
    Markus shrugged.
    “Man, you’re not running, are you?”
    “I’m not running. One has nothing to do with the other.”
    “Oh, for God’s sake. It’s got everything to do with it. When you moved back home from England, it’d been