Catching Summer (2 page)

“Evan, thank you. I’m so sorry. Clumsiness runs in my family.”

Chuckling, I handed her the phone, thankful I’d been able to catch it before it shattered on the concrete. “No worries. I wasn’t paying attention, either. You doing okay?”

Clearing her throat, she pocketed her phone and looked down at the ground. Her bright blond hair covered her face, but she tucked one side of it behind her ear, exposing her neck. She was so damn beautiful. It didn’t help that she was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a pink top that hugged her curves. The crazy thing was that she was oblivious to the effect she had on the men around her. The first time I saw her two years ago, I’d wanted to ask her out. That was before I found out what had happened to her. Lara warned me away and said it wasn’t the right time. It made me wonder if there would ever be one. I never saw her with anyone except the therapist she spent every Tuesday with. She never volunteered information about those sessions, so I made it a point not to ask her about them. I could tell it made her uncomfortable with everyone knowing she was seeing a shrink. I didn’t care what she did as long as she got the help she needed.

“I’m doing pretty well, and just on my way back to the restaurant. Are you and the guys excited about the game this weekend?”

“We’re always excited about them, especially the home games. It’s the first one for the season so it’ll be a little tense. Makes for a great game, though.”

“I can imagine.” She paused for a second, but then her eyes went wide. “Oh, hey, how’s your sister? I was trying to call her before I ran into you.”

“Other than being bitchy and seven months pregnant, she’s good. I think she’s excited about having you around the team. Her tolerance has gotten pretty low now that she’s about to explode.” The guys made sure to give her a wide berth when she was around. That was how scary a pregnant woman could be.

“Great. That’s what I needed to talk to her about. I’m assuming I’ve been approved to help out with the team?”

Summer was so reserved, I was shocked that she even wanted to help out with the guys. A lot of them were wild—untamed—and most of them didn’t know her life story like I and a few others did. One thing was for sure, they wouldn’t be gentle around her. When Kate had told me she was going to be working with us, I knew I’d have my work cut out for me.

“As of right now you are. Not unless you get arrested in the next couple of days.”

She laughed, and it was one of the most beautiful sounds I’d heard in a long time. She didn’t do it often, but when she did it was amazing. I knew everyone wished she’d do it more, especially me.

“Are you sure you can handle the guys? They can get a little rowdy.”

Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms over her chest, amusement in her blue gaze. “I think you’re forgetting I own the restaurant you guys frequent. I’ve seen you all drunk. I think I can handle it. Thanks for your concern, though.”

“Yes, but not all of them are respectful like me.”

She snorted. “Evan, I spent years around MMA fighters, going to matches and watching them train with Austin. They’re a different breed, but I’m sure they’re about the same as you football players. I may be a little out of practice, but I have a mouth on me when I need it. Where do you think Lara learned it all from?”

“I have to say I’m intrigued,” I said.

“Yo, Townsend, hurry up, dude. We don’t got all day.” The door to the gym opened and I looked over Summer’s shoulder at Derek McLaughlin. A sly grin appeared on his face when he noticed me talking to her. He was one of the fiercest linebackers on our team, the Carolina Cougars.

When she turned to look at him, I flipped him off and glared. He got the picture and smiled at Summer before ducking back into the gym. She laughed and faced me again. “All right, I guess you need to go. I didn’t know you worked out at that gym. I figured you all would have your own equipment in your homes or at the stadium.”

“Most of us do, but I like the motivation of being around others for a change. The team helps each other out, though. You’ll see what I mean when you work with us.” I stepped around her and started for the door. “Take care, Summer.”

“Same to you,” she replied softly. As I opened the door to the gym, I watched her walk down the sidewalk and disappear around the corner.

Derek bumped me in the shoulder. “Really, Townsend? You know you’re not going to land a touchdown with that. You won’t even be able to gain one yard.”

“That’s not what I’m doing, shitdick,” I snapped, slapping him upside the head. “We’re just friends.”

Derek raised a red brow and shook his head. “Didn’t look like that to me. I haven’t ever seen her smile at me like that.”

“Maybe it’s because she knows you’re too far up Brianna’s ass.”

“And other places, too,” he chided with a wink. I rolled my eyes and went straight to the weight bench. Brianna was one of our team’s cheerleaders and a good friend of my sister’s. She and Derek had been dating for a year. Out of all the cheerleaders, Brianna was the only trustworthy one. She wasn’t like Lindsey, whom I had dated for a few months, at the time thinking that if anyone fucked up it would be me. I was wrong. She cheated on me while we were at an away game with a player from the opposing team and then fucked around with Jax, a guy who was supposed to be my teammate. I wasn’t one to talk shit about women, but she was a worthless bitch.

“I’m going to need your help to make sure the guys stay away from her,” I said. “She’s going to be with Kate a lot in the next couple of weeks helping out the team. The last thing she needs is one of the guys trying to fuck with her.”

Lying back on the bench, I wrapped my fingers around the bar and was about to lift when Derek’s face loomed over mine, his smile wide. “You just want them out of the way so you can make your move. You can’t fool me, Townsend. You’re hard up over her, admit it. You always have been.”

I snorted and shook my head. I did want her. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She doesn’t want a guy like me.” I didn’t know what she wanted, but I was sure as hell going to find out.

“Well, you’re looking different this morning,” Lara quipped. “Is that a smile I see on your face?” She winked and sat down on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. Her blond hair was gathered in a messy bun and she had on a pair of cupcake pajama pants and a pink cami. What really got me was the way she focused in on me, studying me closely. “You got a hot date or something?”

Rolling my eyes, I poured her a cup of hot tea and set it down in front of her. “No, there’s no date. I’m actually excited about doing something different today. Are you sure you don’t mind taking the lunch shift? Kate says all I have to do is take the CPR class and I’m done for the day. I should be at the restaurant by late afternoon.”

She scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. “Please, I can handle the restaurant with my eyes closed. I think it’s awesome you’ve decided to break out of your shell. It shows that you’re finally moving on. I’ve missed my sister.”

“Was I really that bad?” I asked, knowing very well that I had been. For a long time, I walked the halls like a zombie, but during this past year I could feel a change coming. I was finding myself again.

“It’s not that you were horrible to be around, Summer. It’s just that it was
hard
to be around you. Everyone could feel your pain. Why do you think people stayed away?”

Dumbfounded, I stared at her in horror. I could only imagine the way everyone saw me when I was at my worst. “It’s not like that now,” I countered. “People at the restaurant talk to me.”

She blew the steam off her tea and took a sip. “That’s because you’re more sociable. You have no idea how many times I get asked if you’re single. I’ve had to threaten the guys numerous times to keep their distance. I swear, they’re all horny-ass monkeys.”

“Who?” I questioned curiously.

She snorted. “Evan’s friends. Especially Jaxon. He probably gets a hard-on every time you walk by him.”

“Really? I guess I’ve never paid attention.” I knew who Jaxon Reed was, but I’d never actually had a conversation with him. He was our team’s best kicker and a ladies’ man, from what I’d heard. If I was going to start dating someone, it most definitely wouldn’t be someone like him. “I talked to Evan yesterday,” I said, gauging her interest. “Has
he
ever asked about me?”

She perked up with a huge grin. “So I guess Evan
is
worthy of your attention, huh? What did you two talk about?”

I lifted a brow and smirked. “Answer my question first and I’ll tell you.”

“Okay, okay, no, he hasn’t asked about you. But I’ve seen the way he looks at you. If you were going to date any of the players, I’d have to say he’s your best choice.”

“I’m not going to date anyone, sis. I was thinking more along the lines of having a friend to eat dinner with and stuff like that. I’m not sure a relationship is something I can offer right now.”

She lifted her hands in defeat. “Oh, I understand completely. I didn’t say you had to jump in bed with anyone. Having someone to hang out with would be good. And just because Evan hasn’t asked about you doesn’t mean he’s not interested. Hasn’t your therapist told you it would be good for you to date?”

I drank the rest of my tea and set the cup in the sink. “Actually, he
has
told me I should start seeing people. I don’t even know where to start.”

“Thank God, someone’s talking some sense into you. All I know is he’s smoking hot.”

“Only you would say something like that. What about Luke?” I asked, hoping to change the subject from me. “Why don’t we talk about you and him?”

Huffing, she rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to admit it, but what Luke had done to her had really taken a toll on her. I didn’t like seeing her heartbroken. “There’s not much to tell. He doesn’t notice me, even when I’m right in front of him. Judging by the sea donkeys he’s screwing around with, I need extra-large tits and to let my ass cheeks hang out of my shorts to get his attention. He acts as if what we did didn’t even happen.”

Grabbing my keys and my purse, I patted her soothingly on the shoulder and kissed her head. I knew it made her angry to see him with other women, especially after he ghosted on her after a one-night stand.
Worthless bastard.
“Maybe you just need to move on, too. Forget about him and find someone else.” I knew that was easier said than done.

Lowering her head, she covered her face and sighed. “I’ll make you a deal,” she mentioned softly. “If you go out on a date with someone, I’ll forget all about Luke.”

“You promise?” I could do this for my sister. Maybe I’m not ready for emotional ties, but she was and she needed to find someone who loved her. She was wasting her time worrying about Luke when obviously all he cared about was getting a new piece of ass every week.

She nodded and lifted her sad gaze to mine. “I promise. It’s been three months since the last time he talked to me. I’ve just been foolish to think he would change.”

“Just keep your head up and don’t let him know he hurt you.”

“I won’t.” Unfortunately, Lara’s response lacked conviction.

Looking over at the clock, I gasped when I realized what time it was. I rushed to the door and ripped it open. “I have to meet Kate before I’m late. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

“Have fun,” she called out as I shut the door.

Taking a CPR class wasn’t exactly what I considered fun, but it was going to feel good to do what I used to love doing.

The place I had to meet Kate was actually the facility where the players mainly worked out and practiced during their training. When I pulled up, the parking lot was full. Kate and Cooper, her husband and the quarterback for the Carolina Cougars, were standing at the door waiting for me. As soon as I got out of my car, she waved me over.

She was dressed in one of Cooper’s jerseys, which was enormous on her except a little snug over her belly. “Are you ready to play tonsil hockey with the mannequins?” she asked with a huge grin on her face.

I laughed. “Just as long as I pass. It’s been a while since I’ve practiced CPR.”

She waved me off. “You’ll do fine. It’ll be good to have your help here. It’s hard to move as fast as I used to.”

“It’s because you’re about to bust,” Cooper teased. He shook his head and turned his attention to me, his blue eyes lit with humor. “I keep telling her if she doesn’t watch it, she’s going to have that baby on the field. By how hard he kicks, I have a feeling he’ll be a football player. He’ll put Jaxon to shame.”

“Who will?” a voice behind me called out. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw Jaxon marching up to us with a sly smile on his face. He had on a red baseball cap. Underneath it, his hair was so dark it looked almost black. His eyes were the color of amber. Cooper slapped him on the shoulder and Kate giggled when he joined us.

“I believe they were saying their son is going to be a better kicker than you,” I told him.

Jaxon shook his head, grinning. “That wouldn’t surprise me. It’s a good thing I won’t have to worry about a job when that time comes. I’ll be old and decrepit before Cooper Junior takes the field.”

“Won’t we all,” Cooper said, chuckling.

Kate laughed and nodded toward the facility door. “All right, Summer, you ready? Our instructor’s name is Gary Wilford. He’s funny as hell so I know he’ll make the course interesting.”

“Are you going to be hanging out with the team?” Jaxon asked, focusing on me.

I nodded. “Just for a little while. I’m trying to keep up with my certifications so I stay up to date with my nursing. You never know when the restaurant will take a dive.”

Everyone snorted and looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I was just being realistic. “That’s not going to happen,” he said. “But it’ll be good to have you here. Hopefully, it’ll get mama over here off our backs.”

Kate rolled her eyes and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the door. “Stop giving me reasons to bitch at you and I’ll stop,” she shouted over her shoulder. Once inside, she let me go and laughed. “I swear, they have no idea how hard it is to be pregnant.”

“I can imagine. Austin and I wanted to have kids. I prayed for a miracle to be pregnant after he was killed so I could have a piece of him here with me. Of course, it didn’t work out that way.” In all honesty, it would’ve been difficult to raise a baby on my own, but I would’ve given anything to have a part of Austin with me.

“I know you miss him,” she murmured. The halls were so quiet that her voice echoed off the walls. “I can’t say that I’ve exactly been in your shoes, but I know how you feel. Years ago when I lost Scott, my world crashed in all around me. It’s never easy when you lose someone you love. The hardest part is letting your heart move on without feeling guilty. I’m sure Austin wouldn’t want you to be alone for the rest of your life.”

A tear slid down my cheek. She lost her Scott because he was sick with cancer and had overdosed on medication, but I lost Austin in a horrific game for someone’s viewing pleasure. No, Austin wouldn’t want me alone for the rest of my life, but it was hard to want happiness when he had been ripped out of this world in such a gruesome way.

“How did you move on without feeling guilty? I’m not interested in that kind of relationship right now, but just the thought scares me. It doesn’t seem right,” I cried.

She stopped and a sad smile played across her lips when she looked at me. “I wasn’t interested in anyone else for a long time after Scott died. I blamed myself for his death. Austin was ripped away from you, and that pain will always be in your heart. You don’t have to forget him or stop loving him. When you finally open yourself up to someone, that’s when the void will start to close. The hardest part is allowing yourself to do that. You’ll get there.”

“What if I don’t?” The thought of being alone for the rest of my life terrified me. I just needed the courage to open up my heart again.

“You will,” she murmured. “I have faith in you. Now brace yourself, my dear. Things are about to get interesting.” She turned us down another hallway, and suddenly there were other voices echoing off the walls. We stopped by the doorway to the locker room and I immediately got an eyeful. The blood rushed to my cheeks, but I couldn’t look away. Evan was in there, along with a dozen other guys, but none of them mattered to me. I couldn’t take my eyes off his bare backside and thick thighs. His muscles rippled and tensed with his movements, and as soon as he turned around I hastily averted my gaze.

“Okay, are we done here?” I asked hurriedly. Good lord, what was she thinking? Heck, what was I thinking working with these guys?…Oh crap, I was in trouble. My cheeks flamed and all I wanted to do was run out of the room. Who was I kidding? I wanted to lift my gaze and stare. Biting my lip, I tried to keep my focus on the floor, but my eyes fought me every step of the way.

“Nope, you’re coming with me.” Taking my hand, she pulled me into the locker room, and there was no way I could keep the embarrassment from showing on my face. Whistles and shouts erupted in the room, but thankfully we got out of there fast and disappeared behind a door where the team coach sat at his desk. “Summer, I’d like you to formally meet our coach, Joel Harris.”

Joel stood up and held out his hand. He was dressed in a pair of track pants and a Cougars T-shirt and had combed-over salt-and-pepper hair. He was Cooper’s uncle, and I could definitely see the family resemblance. “Summer, it’s nice to meet you. I hear you’re going to be with us for a couple of weeks.”

I took his hand and shook it. The thought of seeing Evan’s naked flesh burned in my mind. How was I going to be able to do this for two weeks? “I am. Thank you for letting me work with the team.”

“It’s my pleasure. I’ve been to your restaurant, but for the life of me I don’t know if it was you or your sister I talked to.”

“It was most likely my sister. I usually stick to the behind-the-scenes stuff.” Lara was always the sociable one.

He let my hand go and sat back down at his desk. “I understand that. I’m sure Kate will take care of you while you’re here. Gary’s already waiting for you down the hall.”

Kate smiled and backed up toward the door. “Thanks, Joel. We’ll be out in a couple of hours. Make sure the guys don’t get hurt while we’re in class.”

He chuckled. “I’ll try. But you know how excited they’re going to be with a new ray of sunshine here.”

Kate snorted. “Tell me about it. I’ve already warned them, and so has Evan.”

I dreaded going back out into the locker room. I didn’t want to have to walk past the guys again with my face as red as a lobster. Luckily, they were all gone. “ ‘A new ray of sunshine’?” I asked. “I’m assuming he was talking about me.”

She laughed. “Yep. No pun intended, Summer. When I first started with the team, a few of them faked injuries so they could get one-on-one time with me. They learned pretty quick that I didn’t play games. I’m sure they’ll test the waters again now that you’re here.”

“But your brother warned them, too? Why would he do that?”

Her face broke out into a smile. “I don’t know. He’s just a protective type of guy. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” I said quickly. “I was just curious.” It was more than that, but I wasn’t about to admit it to myself.