Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (10 page)

Ugh,
she told herself in disgust.
Just focus, will you?

“You look so cute,” Erica gushed when she
reached the table.

“Cute again? Is this an interview? Or
matchmaking, part deux?”

“Never again with the matchmaking,” she
promised. “I almost sabotaged Sean’s plan, so I’m out of the
business.”

Tess knew she was being baited, but still
asked, “What do you mean?”

Erica tossed her waist-length hair. “Johnny
says Sean’s so frustrated with Kerrie, he’s ready to end it. But
it’s a delicate balance, right? So setting him up with someone else
might drive him back into her arms.”

“Smart.”

“I’m ready to drop the subject forever,”
Erica continued. Then a guilty twinkle lit her eyes. “But first I
have one little question. Did he call you?”

“You mean, for a date?”

“No, no. He said he might call to apologize
for ditching us Friday night. And I was worried you might get
upset, thinking it was another fix-up.”

“Oh, no, it was fine,” Tess assured her. “A
nice apology, actually. He only stayed a minute.”

“Are you saying he came in person? To the
suite?”

“Yes, Erica,” she drawled. “And since I was
naked at the time, one thing led to another, and now I’m having his
baby. Satisfied?”

Erica laughed. “Okay, okay.”

A waitress arrived to take their drink
orders—water all around—and since Tess loved the Ashton’s burgers,
and Erica had a favorite salad, they ordered right away.

Then Erica said eagerly, “It’s so much fun
having a friend in town. I have a million questions for you.”

“Nice try, but
I’m
asking the
questions. If there’s time after that, you can grill me.”

Erica agreed, so Tess pulled out the recorder
Johnny had given her and switched it on, then said
self-consciously, “Interview Number One with Erica McCall-Spurling.
Hi, Erica.”

“Hi, Tess.”

They chatted for a while as Erica described
the events leading up to the famous Lager Storm commercial that had
raised eyebrows during the Super Bowl. The story grew romantic
quickly, and Tess almost felt guilty recording it, but it was also
so lovely, she couldn’t bear to interrupt. And it wasn’t like it
was sexually explicit. Just so freaking adorable.

When the food arrived, she switched topics,
reminding Erica in her best interviewing tone, “As you know, Sean
Decker is willing to participate in the article but he asked me to
get my information via you.”

“That’s what he said,” Erica agreed. “But he
hasn’t told me everything. Just that his mom bought him his first
pair of X-Caliber tennis shoes when he was a little boy. They
shopped at an outlet store that sold rejects with minor flaws. When
his mom died, an aunt kept the tradition going. And eventually, the
aunt and uncle moved out to the ranch, too.”

“What kind of ranch was it?”

“Horses. Johnny’s been there a couple of
times. And I’m supposed to visit this Christmas.”

According to Erica, Sean associated
X-Calibers with his dead mom, so he kept wearing them, continuing
through college and into the NFL.

Then recently, he had driven past the factory
store and had been stunned to learn it was slated to close. The
company was having financial difficulties, so they were shifting
focus away from children’s sneakers and concentrating on adult
athletic shoes.

“So it’s not really part of his superstitious
streak?” Tess asked, charmed. “It’s a tribute to his mom? I love
that. But I don’t think he’d want me blabbing about it in my
article. It really
is
too personal.”

“I know. It’s touchy. Which is why I wish
he’d talk to you himself. All matchmaking aside.”

“Or I can just leave him out completely.
That’s my preference for the advertising article,” Tess admitted.
“For the superstition one, I’ll at least want to mention the
pancakes.”

“That started with his mom too. Blueberry
pancakes every Sunday, which became blueberry pancakes every game
day.” Erica sighed. “Tell me what else you need to know and I’ll
ask him, but basically, he just sticks to a set routine. Wear the
shoes, eat the pancakes, kick the ball into next week. Oh, and Bam
Bannerman holds the ball for him, did you know that? They’re
both
superstitious about
that.
Which is adorable
because they harass each other to death, but really, they’re like
brothers.”

Tess gave it some quick thought. She needed
to understand how Sean
felt
about these things. What would
happen if he missed the pancakes before a game? Would he feel
nostalgic? Disloyal? Panicked? Was it irrational or just
sentimental?

And the shoes were even more complicated. Did
they actually fit as well as other shoes? Was it a confidence
thing? Or pure sentiment?

“I’ll send you a list of follow-up
questions,” she said finally. “Now it’s your turn. Ask me anything
as long as it’s not about the kicker.”

To her surprise, Erica’s expression grew shy
as she reached across the table and switched off the recorder.
“This is going to sound so—well, so desperate. But I want you to be
my friend. Not just through Murf or because of the article, but for
real. I don’t have any close female friends out here, especially
ones who like football. And my old New York ones have drifted away.
Or rather, one was poached by a rival agency and works twenty hours
a day now. And the other one’s dating my little brother, so for
various reasons, we don’t talk like we used to.”

“You don’t enjoy hearing about your baby
brother’s sex life?”

“Awkward, right? Plus, he’s a lot younger
than my friend. And they fight a lot. I hate being in the
middle.”

“Got it. So what about Bam Bannerman’s
girlfriend? Won’t
she
be your friend? You’re not so bad once
you get past the loopy part.”

“Stop it.” Erica smiled. “I love Rachel but
she still lives in San Diego because she’s teaching summer school.
After that she’ll move up here, but . . .” She lowered her
voice like they were plotting a murder. “She’s close friends with
my sister-in-law Beth. Who’s married to Johnny’s brother Jayce. So
even though Rachel is a sweetheart, I can’t talk freely. The
Spurling Mafia is a machine, trust me. And Beth is its ruthless
leader.”

Tess laughed. “Sounds dangerous.”

“Johnny has a cousin named Sophie who’s
amazing and who we see a lot. We’re friends already, but again .
. .”

“Mafia connections?”

“They have their tentacles everywhere. Murf
just hired a new agent named Darcie, and we were hitting it off
like real friends, then
boom
. She falls in love with the new
QB for my father-in-law’s team.”

“Hold on.” Tess grabbed the wine list and
fanned herself. “She’s defiling Wyatt Bourne? Is that even legal?
Isn’t he a national treasure?”

“You should see him in person.”

“Wow.” Tess sighed. “Let’s go back to you
father-in-law. The famous Coach Spurling. What’s
he
like?”

“I love him, but . . .” She grimaced. “I
don’t even know what to call him. To Johnny he’s Pop. That’s too
retro for me. And I can’t call him Dad because that’s what I call
my
dad. He tells me to call him Coach, but ugh.”

Tess laughed. “His first name is Aaron, isn’t
it? Call him that.”

Once again, Erica’s voice grew hushed.
“That’s awkward too. Because we’re committed to naming our first
son Aaron. Or as the mafia refers to him, Baby Aaron. It’s a cult
thing.”

“Wow.” She shook her head. “That’s a tough
one.”

“I know.”

She eyed Erica curiously. “Wasn’t Darcie on
the list of babes Sean kisses on the mouth? You, Rachel and
Darcie?”

“Johnny calls us Sean’s harem.”

Tess’s cheeks warmed. So much for feeling
special.

“The guys love Darcie because she has these
amaze-boobs. Truly spectacular. Sean took a picture of them last
month, so I’ve seen them in the flesh, so to speak.”

“He took a picture of her breasts?”

“She was wearing a bra, but still, it was the
talk of the mafia.”

“Wow.”

“So what do you think?” Erica pressed. “I
need to get back to work, but I really want to nail this down. We
could have lunch every Tuesday unless I’m in New York. And I’d be
happy to drive up to Seattle every other week. And once football
season starts we could go to the home games together with Rachel,
because she’s fun despite her mafia connections.”

Tess studied her thoughtfully. She was half
kidding, but also seemed wistful. Because she wanted to be in
Portland with the guy she loved, but there was something
missing.

Tess could relate. She had been super close
with her siblings before her falling out with her father. Then she
had moved to Hawaii, made a slew of casual friends, then left
them
behind for Seattle, where she was busy with a grueling
work schedule and cranking out bartending books. To the extent she
met new people, they were mostly guys, since ninety percent of Zone
D’s patrons were males.

In other words, she needed some female
friends too. Which probably explained why she and Erica had hit it
off so instantly.

“Okay, babe, I’m gonna help you out,” she
told her teasingly. “We’ll be friends on three conditions.”

Erica laughed. “This should be good.”

“Number one—no more matchmaking. Not with the
kicker, not with anyone else. If you think you have a good
candidate,
ask
me. For example, if Darcie dumps the Surgeon,
I’m there. Likewise, if Rachel dumps Bannerman, I’d take a close
look at that. And obviously, if you get tired of Big John . .
.”

“I agree. No more matchmaking. What’s the
second condition?”

“Join my book club. I’m glomming the best
book ever and I want to discuss it.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun! Where do you guys
meet?”

“Sadly it’s just you and me, so we can meet
anywhere.” She reached into her bag for her hardback copy of
The
Zombie Renaissance
by Noelle Sharpe. “This is it. I’ll buy you
a fresh copy since I’ve been scribbling in this one. It’s
amazing.”

Erica wrinkled her nose. “I don’t usually
read sci-fi. But I’ll give it a try.”

“It’s sociology. Not fiction. The author
believes our generation should be producing more Renaissance men
and women than any other time in history. Which makes sense given
all the information at our fingertips. But instead, we’re producing
zombies.”

“How so?”

“Zombies are obsessed with one activity,
right? Eating brains. And most people in the Internet world aren’t
much better, especially the genius types. They obsess on one
activity—playing video games, watching porn, saving the tuna. Which
is a cool cause, but when taken to its extreme, it’s a complete
waste of talent and opportunity.”

“Interesting! I’m in. So?” She winced
slightly. “What’s the third condition?”

“I’ll need to see that amaze-boobs
photo.”

“Oh! I’ll check with Bam. I’m sure he kept
it.”

“Right,” Tess drawled. “Because Big John got
rid of it right away.”

Erica’s eyes widened with delight. “There! Do
you see why I need you? Of
course
he still has it. Sheesh.”
She glanced at her phone’s display and panicked. “I’m so late! But
we’ll do this again next Tuesday. And we can have book club at my
house while Johnny’s away at mini-camp next week.”

“That sounds like fun,” Tess admitted.

Erica gathered up her things and insisted on
paying the tab. Then she said briskly, “Shoot me those questions
for Sean. I’ll take care of it ASAP. And Johnny might know some
answers too. You’re still going there next, aren’t you?”

Tess flashed an impish smile. “I’ll be gentle
with him.”

“He had the
best
time the other night.
And wait till he hears you call him Big John. Talk about an ego
boost, as if he needs one.” She linked her arm through Tess’s.
“Come on, let’s find our cars together.”

• • •

Tess was still waving good-bye to her new
friend when her phone vibrated. Assuming it was Ed the editor,
since he was the only person who owed her a call, she answered
quickly. “Ed?”

“Hey, Tess,” said a casual voice. “It’s Sean
Decker.”

She tried to adjust, but could only ask,
“Seriously?”

His laugh warmed her ear. “Yeah, I figured I
owed you an update. So here it is. I broke up with Kerrie on
Sunday. And it went pretty well all things considered. No breakup
sex, so thanks for the advice.”

Tess sighed. He sounded upbeat, but she had
seen enough to know this was just stage one. Post-breakup euphoria.
Soon to be followed by disintegration. So she was gentle when she
said, “I’m really sorry, Sean. Just give it some time, okay? After
a few weeks apart, you guys might feel differently. Decide to try
again. So take it one day at a time.”

He was silent for a moment, then assured her,
“That’s a cool thing to say, but there’s no way I’m getting back
with her.”

“That’s what everyone says,” she told him
firmly. “I’ve seen it hundreds of times. You feel great at the
moment, but you’re more fragile than you think. So give yourself a
break.”

“Geezus, Tess, it’s not like that. Anyway .
. .” His tone lightened again. “I was thinking we might grab a
drink. Talk about pancakes and shoes, right?”

She wished he was standing in front of her so
her eye roll could have full effect. “You broke up with married
twins five minutes ago. So no, Sean. We’re
not
having
drinks.” Softening, but only slightly, she added, “I’m glad you’re
happy, but this isn’t going to happen. Not for the interview or
anything else.”

“Too soon, huh?” he murmured. “That makes
sense. To me, it’s been a long time coming, but I see how it’s
different for you. So let’s touch base in a few days. See how we’re
feeling.”