Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (15 page)

Instead she thought about Sean. Specifically,
what she had said to Coach Spurling
about
Sean.

I already have a project. And he’s a
handful.

Was that how she saw him? As someone who
needed work because of his recent breakup but who was eventually
date-able?

No wonder he was getting mixed signals.
Because it wasn’t just the breakup that told her he wasn’t ready
for a normal relationship. She actually suspected he wouldn’t be
ready for months. Maybe even years. Maybe never.

Meanwhile, he’s not just charming and
attractive. He’s
NFL
charming and attractive. You’re
obviously susceptible because you love football so much, but let’s
face it, he’s out of your league, pun intended.

Which meant she could either keep playing
this dangerous game and end up getting hurt. Or she could be
brutally honest with him about his prospects with her. No kissing,
no future dating. If he wanted to talk to someone about Kerrie
and/or Melody, he had Johnny. If he wanted to kiss someone, he had
Erica. And if he wanted to fall in love . . .

Well, that was the problem, wasn’t it? He
fell in love all the time, so at least he had experience. Tess had
never
been in love, and when she finally fell, it would be
for a guy she could trust completely, not a flake. Even if the
flake was as irresistible as Sean Decker.

• • •

She was grateful the kicker didn’t call that
night or the next. Apparently he was waiting until he returned from
out-of-town team stuff the following Friday, which gave her time to
plan her next move. In the meantime, she headed to Seattle to work
her shifts, and was back at the Ashton on Tuesday for her
combination book club and lunch with Erica.

As she headed toward the restaurant, her
phone rang and she had to laugh out loud.

SDecker
.

Apparently he had been thinking about her
too. Probably for all the wrong reasons.

Sinking into a plush chair in the lobby, she
answered with a cheerful, “Hey, Sean. Ready for your trip?”

“Yeah, we’re leaving right after dinner,
since John wants to take Erica out first. So I’m on my own unless
you like tacos.”

She actually
loved
tacos but that
wasn’t the point, was it? “I’m on my way to lunch.”

“Yeah, I know. Every Tuesday with Erica,
right? But I’m thinking I could pick you up at six. You’ll be
hungry again by then. And we can talk shoes while we eat.”

His casual charm undid her and she said
weakly, “As long as it’s not a date.”

“It’s an interview,” he promised. “Like you
had with Coach Spurling last week. I heard it went well.”

“Johnny told you?”

“Coach filled me in. He says he wants to
watch a game with you. I told him you have that effect on
everyone.”

Tess winced, remembering Erica’s joke about
the Spurling Mafia. Apparently Sean was connected, which
complicated things, so she said warily, “I didn’t realize you knew
him.”

“Yeah, he’s a great man. A mentor, really. I
never played for him though.”

“Did he tell you we talked about Luke
Stoddard?”

“No, why?”

She exhaled in relief. The last thing she
needed was Spurling telling Sean she had a “project” already. A
handful,
no less.

When she didn’t answer right away, Sean
guessed, “He still feels guilty about Stoddard? After all he’s done
for him? He should just cut him loose.”

“That’s harsh,” she protested. “The poor kid
was embarrassed in front of the whole country. Humiliated in the
media. It would be a miracle if he
didn’t
fall apart.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But what can
you
do about it?”

“Make him laugh, I guess. Or watch a game
with him, the poor guy.”

To her surprise, Sean murmured, “Don’t do
that, okay?”

And without thinking, she agreed, “Okay.”

“So can I pick you up at six?”

“Text me the name of the restaurant and I’ll
meet you there.”

“Great.” He hesitated then admitted, “I
thought you’d say no.”

“So did I,” she murmured, adding quickly,
“But we’re just talking shoes. And I love tacos.”

“Yeah, me too. See you there at six, Tess.
And thanks.”

As the call ended, she kicked herself, not
only for what they had said but what they hadn’t. For one thing,
she hadn’t stipulated “no kissing.” Nor had she set the stage for a
serious talk about the future, namely, that they didn’t
have
one.

Instead she had agreed not to date Luke
Stoddard. Not that she would have done it anyway, but Sean
shouldn’t have asked her not to, and she definitely shouldn’t have
gone along with it. What kind of signal did
that
send?

She would have re-hashed it to death if she
didn’t know Erica was waiting, so she tucked it to the back of her
brain and hurried into the restaurant, where her new best friend
waved happily from their corner booth.

After a quick hug, the ad exec said
apologetically, “I have a conference call at one thirty, so I
ordered for us. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Are you kidding? I’m addicted to their
burgers, so why pretend otherwise?” She gave her a teasing smile as
she settled into her seat. “Do I look cute today?”

“You’re such a pain.” Erica quirked an
eyebrow. “I heard you interviewed my father-in-law. What did you
think?”

“I think you should call him Coach Pop.”

“What on earth?” She laughed sheepishly. “It
sounds silly. Like I can’t choose between the two.”

“That’s the point. Call him Coach Pop. See
which part feels more natural. Within a year, you’ll either be
calling him Coach or Pop. You’re welcome, by the way,” she
drawled.

Erica laughed again. “Let’s move on to the
book. I’m so glad you told me about it. It’s the best. And I
completely agree with the author’s conclusions—”

“
What?
You
finished
it?”

“You didn’t?” She smiled indulgently. “It
doesn’t matter. The point is, she’s quite the philosopher.”

“Do
not
tell me the ending.
Sheesh.”
Tess glared in frustration as their food arrived.
“It’s only been a week. And there are four hundred pages.”

“I loved it,” Erica said with a shrug. “And
she’s right about the future of humanity—”

“
Silence.”
Tess covered her ears. “I
want to be surprised.”

“It’s nonfiction, Tess. There isn’t a twist
at the end. Just a conclusion.”

“I’m on page 210. So let’s discuss it up to
there. When I left off, she was explaining how Leonardo and Newton
had to track down obscure translations of ancient texts just to
begin
their research. Now we have the Internet at our
fingertips. And what do we do? Glom cat videos.”

“We’re the worst,” Erica agreed, and they
chatted over their meal, agreeing they each had friends who fit the
zombie profile perfectly. Smart and capable, but so focused on a
micro-issue, they simply couldn’t appreciate the world around
them.

And then there were the
non
-zombies,
most notably Erica’s client Carlos Rorsch, a computer genius who
wasn’t satisfied with science and math, but instead promoted
literature and the arts as well.

“It’s almost like Noelle Sharpe was talking
about him when she wrote the book,” Erica gushed. “And it inspires
me to take up new subjects, too.”

“Be the female Machiavelli,” Tess suggested.
“That would be so cool.”

“Her point is, we aren’t all geniuses like
Carlos or da Vinci.
Or
Machiavelli. But we should still push
ourselves. Instead we have tunnel vision.”

“Shhh! I want to be surprised.” She glared.
“I can’t believe you finished it. You’re like an overachiever on
steroids.”

“And you’re dragging your feet because you
never want it to end. It’s a
book,
Tess. Not a
moment.”

“Now you’re mocking me?” She laughed. “Remind
me never to bare my soul again. And meanwhile, back to Coach
Spurling. You should hear how he talks about you. How happy you
make Johnny. What a great mom you’ll make for Baby Aaron. How you
changed their lives by teaching them to grate orange peel into
their cocoa.”

Erica’s eyes glowed. “He’s so sweet to me.
Almost
too
nice sometimes.”

“That’s how the Mafia is, chickie. They treat
you like royalty one minute. Then? Horse head in the bed.”

“Stop it.” She smiled. “Did he talk about
Jayce’s wife?”

“Beth?” Tess nodded. “She has the advantage.
Because she brings the grandsons to visit. But they sound like
monsters, no offense. So try not to drink too much caffeine during
your pregnancies and maybe you can edge her out.”

“My nephews are wild,” Erica admitted with a
fond smile. “But
sooo
adorable. Little Ricky looks
exactly
like Johnny. It’s scary cute.”

“I saw pictures on Coach Pop’s wall. They’re
all
cute.”

“Coach Pop?” Erica sighed. “You’re really
selling that?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, I’ll give it a try. If you’ll do
something for me. And no, it’s not about Sean.”

“You want me to speed read the book?”

“I want you to teach me to make the perfect
martini,” Erica confided sheepishly. “It’s Johnny’s favorite drink
but he only has it when we’re out. I want to surprise him.”

“Oh, sure, I can do that. Even though there’s
not just
one
perfect martini. There are five or six
variations. All of them perfect.”

“Exactly! And since the guys are away until
Friday, you can teach me while they’re gone.”

“Do you know why they’re practicing out of
town? They have that brand-new practice facility near the stadium,
don’t they?”

“Coach Riga doesn’t want distractions. So
they’ll be in Eugene for three days. It’s voluntary but everyone’s
going so they can get to know him better.”

“Daniel Riga . . .” Tess sighed. “I
haven’t seen a decent picture of him yet. Always with the dark
glasses, right? So? What’s he like?”

“I haven’t met him yet. He thinks women are
distractions. Meaning wives, girlfriends, whatever. So every time
Johnny tries to set something up with us, Riga finds an excuse not
to come.”

“Seriously?”

Erica leaned forward as if she were
blaspheming. “He sounds like a tyrant. But for some reason, the
guys love him. I guess because he knows his stuff. And they hated
the last one with a white-hot passion.” Seeming hesitant, she
murmured, “How much do you know about that?”

“Not much,” Tess admitted. “But he always
took full credit during his press conferences, like his players
were just an afterthought. So I figured he was a douche. Good
riddance, right?”

Erica nodded.

“I just hope they win the Super Bowl again so
no one thinks Coz Cosner had anything to do with the first
win.”

“Amen.”

Tess grinned. It really
was
fun having
a female friend who knew football. And one connected to Super Bowl
champs? Even better.

Erica checked the time and said reluctantly,
“I’d better run.”

“Let me pay for lunch this time, please?”

After a quick hesitation, she nodded. “Okay,
thanks. And we’re on for Thursday night, right? We can watch my
wedding video, AKA the world’s most beautiful train wreck. And you
can sleep over. So no worries about drinking and driving.”

“I don’t know,” Tess teased her. “You seem
like you’d be a mean drunk.”

“Hush.” She gathered up her purse and book,
then flashed an affectionate smile. “We’re going to have so much
fun.”

• • •

Sean’s favorite “restaurant” was actually
just a taco stand with some patio seating and the world’s most
amazing aroma. It caught Tess’s nose the moment she exited the RAV4
and walked up to her non-date, who was leaning against his white
sedan and looking so sexy she almost got back into her car and
drove away.

Could she honestly look this guy in the eye
and tell him this was a business meeting? When she actually wanted
to jump him right here in the parking lot?

Straightening, he gazed down at her. “Hey,
Tess. Thanks for coming.”

“I’m a journalist. I go where the story
is.”

“Yeah, we should have done this at my house
so you could see the shoes. We still could,” he added hopefully.
“Get our tacos to-go and eat them there.”

She glanced down at his feet. “Aren’t
those
the shoes? X-Calibers, right?”

“This is another pair. I never wear my lucky
shoes on city streets.”

“You’re so hopeless,” she said with a sigh.
“You actually call them your lucky shoes?”

“Sure. Feel free to quote me.”

“My goal is to make you look
not
ridiculous,” she quipped. “And I can use my imagination about the
shoes. Or zoom in on a Super Bowl video. No need to see them in
person.”

“Are you hungry?”

“I wasn’t until I smelled that smell. Is that
the tacos?”

“It’s pork. And they make this amazing
tortilla soup too. Come on.”

He led her to a table at the far end of the
patio, where a waitress appeared instantly to take their order. She
clearly knew Sean and seemed fond of him, probably for reasons that
had nothing to do with football. Who wouldn’t be smitten?

Apparently he always ordered three carnitas
tacos and the soup, so the waitress was miles ahead of him. Then
she turned to Tess, who went for the soup and one beef taco along
with some root beer.

“Yeah, I’ll have root beer too,” Sean told
the woman. “Thanks.”

“Which leads me to my first question,” Tess
told him briskly when the waitress was gone. “You always choose
these out-of-the-way places so you won’t be recognized, right? So
that’s a factor in your decision about promoting the shoes. Because
your face will become famous.”