by Radclyffe
New place, new chance, new life.
“Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend,” Grady said.
“Hey,” Courtney said before Grady reached the door, “you know about the big game tonight, right?”
Grady turned back. “You mean the football game to be followed by the party of the century?”
Courtney grinned. She really was very pretty. “Every party is the party of the century around here, but it should be fun. You should go to the game.”
Grady frowned. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this a high school football game?”
Laughing, Courtney followed Grady into the hall. “You’ve got a little bit to learn about living around here. Yes, it’s a high school football game, but half the people in town are related to someone on the team or coaching the team or involved with the team in some other way. And more than half went to high school here and still consider Hudson Falls an archrival. That’s who we’re playing tonight. So it’s not about high school—it’s about us.”
Us. As in the community. A concept Grady was completely unfamiliar with. She was used to the small tight elite social circles she’d grown up with, and she’d been intensely bonded to her fellow residents, who had functioned almost like a military squad. She’d depended on her peers for sanity and survival. But a whole community? Strange. Strangely enough, she was curious. And she had nothing else to do.
“So where is this game?” Grady asked.
“Just west on Union. That’s the big street that divides the village.” Courtney glanced at her watch. “And kickoff is in a little over half an hour. I’m headed over there after I grab a piece of pizza. Want to come?”
“Uh, well…I’ll think about it.”
“Okay.” Courtney’s tone was casual, but her gaze had that searching quality that so often accompanied the first overtures to making more meaningful contact. A bit of a question—are you, do you want to, are you interested. “On the off chance you might be wondering, there are fifteen surgery residents in the program. Defying statistics, three of us are queer. And I was only offering to show you around.”
Feeling like an ass for being so transparent and so wrong, Grady felt herself blush. And wasn’t that embarrassing. But she could at least be as up-front as Courtney. “Fair enough, and for the record, I don’t date residents. But yeah, thanks, I’ll take a ride. That would be great. I’ll pass on the pizza, though. I had that for lunch.”
Courtney raised an eyebrow. “And where is the problem?”
“No problem,” Grady said, even though she could easily see Courtney Valentine being a very pleasant problem. Once upon a time. “No problem at all.”
* * *
Blaise woke a little after six with the unsettling sensation of grogginess and agitation. Maybe two blackberry cream filled doughnuts and then a second cup of coffee after a full night in the ER wasn’t so conducive to a refreshing sleep.
Oh, who was she fooling?
She couldn’t blame the doughnuts or her busy night for the restless agitation. The cause rested squarely with Grady McClure. A totally unexpected happening in her life. She could count on the fingers of one hand and not even use her thumb the number of times she’d met anyone, male or female, who’d instantly captured her attention the way Grady had. And the one time she had, she’d spent years regretting.
She hadn’t even seen it coming until she’d been caught in Grady’s thrall. Even if her first impressions had been mostly negative, and she hadn’t really been wrong. Grady was confident, charming and aware of it, and maybe a little too sexually arrogant. But then there’d been all those moments when something else had surfaced to balance those things out, and maybe even suggested those suspicious traits were just surface trimming, covering up something that even Grady didn’t know was there. She’d revealed intuitiveness, compassion, and an absolutely genuine kind of charm that fed a need Blaise had long ignored.
And the instant tingling in her middle as she recalled Grady’s unabashed flirtation reminded her how susceptible she could be to some of those needs when she wasn’t on guard. Blaise propelled herself from the bed and jumped into the shower while the water was still a little too cold. Just what she needed. Her brain woke up, along with her body. Grady very likely projected that effortless charm to everyone, and the very last person Blaise was interested in was a practiced charmer.
What was it she’d told Abby she was looking for? Steady and unassuming and humble. Something like that. It didn’t sound boring at all to her. She wanted someone she could count on. Someone who would be there no matter what. She hadn’t had time when Taylor was a baby to even think about something like that. Who had time for romance with an infant to care for and then a toddler to raise, and a job to earn money for a roof over their head, and a crash course in motherhood that she hadn’t anticipated at the ripe old age of nineteen? Her mother had swiftly departed the picture with a figurative brushing of her hands and a dismissive obviously the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree. As if Blaise was as fickle and unfaithful as her absent father had been. But she was determined to be exactly the opposite. She’d done her best to be there for Taylor every step of the way, even when that meant ignoring her own needs and wants.
She stepped out of the shower, reached for a towel hanging on the back of her bathroom door, and caught her reflection in the mirror over the vanity. She didn’t make a habit of assessing herself, even when applying the light makeup she generally wore, the action so habitual she barely saw her face. Thirty-five, practically thirty-six. Not so bad, really. Her breasts were not as pert as they used to be, but a reasonable B cup size, and she’d managed to recover most of her skin tone following her pregnancy, although hey, not twenty anymore. She briskly wrapped the towel around herself and turned her back on the mirror. What was she doing? Her body served her well. Running kept her strong, a reasonable diet kept her healthy, and beyond that, what did it matter?
So what if Grady was likely a few years younger. So what if she looked more like a decade younger, her face unlined, her tight body toned, her every movement filled with confidence and power.
Okay, enough. Not going there anymore. Resolutely, Blaise pulled on black workout tights and a red workout top that fit her pretty damn well, damn it, and padded barefoot down to the kitchen. A note was propped up against the coffeemaker that was busily brewing coffee.
“Thank you, Taylor, someone raised you well,” she murmured as she unfolded the piece of paper.
Morning mom. Don’t forget the game. Dave picking us all up. See you there :)
As if she could forget the game. No one would let her. Besides, she wanted to go. She enjoyed the festive atmosphere, and the local sports event was one of the big social outings of the week for most of the community. An excuse to stand around in groups, drink coffee or hot chocolate, and gossip a little while watching the game. Business deals got done, relationships got started, and gossip flowed freely. The life of a small town.
After a quick cup of coffee, she slipped into running shoes and drove over to the field. The lot behind the school was already full, and band music drifted from the direction of the athletic field. Her spirits lifted as she trod along the well-worn path from the parking lot. The sun was setting earlier every night in mid-September, but they’d still have light until at least eight before the field halogens kicked on. The fall always made her feel a little wistful that another year was passing, but she loved the crisp air and the beauty of the fall foliage. Nothing ever came all of a piece—and that was fine, that was life. How could joy be fully appreciated without the occasional sadness, or victory without loss?
“Hey,” Abby’s familiar voice called. “Wondered when you’d show up.”
Smiling, Blaise joined Abby, who stood with her sister-in-law Carson Harrington along the fifty yard line. Abby looked casually attractive in a red football jersey and jeans, and Carson, as usual, looked perfect with every curl in place and a black top edged in a little bit of lace tucked
into black stretch jeans.
“Hi,” Blaise said. “Have I missed anything important yet?”
Both teams were on the field, the blue and gold home team at one end and the green and white visiting Tigers at the other. Assistant coaches ambled up and down the sidelines, clipboards in hand, shouting instructions. She noticed the Tigers had one female coach. Good for them. Maybe attitudes really were changing. She knew Taylor and her friends saw things very differently than even her generation.
“Nothing too critical happening yet,” Abby said.
“It must be great to have Bill back,” Blaise said to Carson.
“It is, and I hope this time it’s for longer than six months. The baby is old enough now to miss him when he’s gone.” Carson gave a wistful shrug. “Me too.”
Abby slid an arm around Carson’s shoulders and gave her a hug. “Well, he’s home now, and that’s what counts.”
Carson nodded briskly. “You’re absolutely right.”
“I’m going to grab something to eat,” Blaise said. “You two want anything?”
“I’m good for now,” Abby said, and Carson echoed it.
Blaise gave a little wave and headed toward the trio of food carts parked at the end of the field that sold hot dogs, fish fries, coffee, hot chocolate, and the like. She paused to consider what evil she wanted to try when Grady McClure and Courtney Valentine walked into view.
She shouldn’t have felt anything at all, and certainly not the instant wash of disappointment. Hadn’t she just been telling herself that effortless charmers never lacked for company?
Chapter Eleven
“Wow,” Grady said as she followed Courtney onto the sprawling high school athletic field. “You weren’t kidding that the entire town was going to be here.”
People of all ages, including many carrying toddlers and wearing slings with infants, packed the tiers of aluminum bleachers that flanked both sides of the field and congregated on the sidelines in milling clumps. The colors of the day appeared to be green and white or blue and gold. At a guess, she would’ve put the crowd size near five hundred.
“I had no idea this many people could possibly be interested in a high school football game.” But then, the whole week had been full of surprises. When she’d arrived in town, she never would have imagined being captivated by a woman who clearly wasn’t taken with her, or not being ready to pursue a very attractive one who had at least hinted at availability, or ending up in the midst of a cultural phenomenon so far beyond her experience she felt decidedly out of place.
“Oh yeah,” Courtney said offhandedly. “Two towns, really. And you figure with all the kids, their parents, the previous players who are still hanging on to their glory days…” Courtney chuckled. “Plenty of them in both towns…plus the townspeople who just get into the spirit of the thing.”
“I guess I’m going to have to work on my spirit,” Grady muttered.
“Oh, don’t worry. It sneaks up on you.” Courtney grabbed Grady’s arm. “Hey. Let’s go this way. The apple cider doughnut cart is here, and I want to get a couple.”
Grady groaned. “You’re kidding, right? Not more doughnuts.”
“Oh, I see you’ve been introduced to our local vice.”
“Yeah, at the bakery this morning. Honestly, I don’t think I can have another doughnut for at least a month.”
“Well, I missed doughnut call,” Courtney said, tugging the hem of Grady’s shirt as she maneuvered like a heat-seeking missile through the crowd toward the white food truck with a big blue doughnut logo on the side and a line of fifty people waiting to order. “And I guarantee you’ll take back those words before long.”
“Good thing we got here early,” Grady said, taking in the line.
“All part of the experience.”
Courtney dodged into a breach in the crowd and dragged Grady along in her undertow. Trying mostly unsuccessfully to avoid knocking people about, Grady shot another look toward the field, hoping to find a little space, and almost stumbled to a halt.
Blaise stood twenty feet away, staring at them. At least, Grady thought she’d been staring, but she quickly averted her gaze and then her body, turning at a right angle and abruptly disappearing into the mass of people. The whole thing happened so fast if the woman had been anyone but Blaise, Grady might’ve thought she’d imagined it. But there was no way she could ever mistake anyone else for Blaise. She couldn’t mistake the expression on her face, either, half angry, half disdainful. Great. Something else to add to her super first impression list.
Mercifully, Courtney slowed down, released her shirt, and queued up at the end of a line so long Grady couldn’t even count how many people were ahead of them.
“Sure you don’t want anything?” Courtney asked.
Oh yeah, she wanted something all right, but so far she wasn’t making very good progress. In fact, she was kind of screwing up all over the place without quite knowing where she was going wrong. But then, what the hell, she wasn’t doing anything wrong right at the moment. Blaise had already told her she wasn’t interested in seeing her tonight. Or ever, maybe. And she wasn’t with Courtney that way, anyhow. Besides being interesting and attractive, Courtney was one of those effortlessly friendly types, and there was nothing wrong with being friendly. Whatever Blaise surmised was not her problem.
“Thanks,” Grady said, “but I think I’d better have something where the protein to carb ratio is just a little bit higher, like maybe four or five to one for a change.”
“The fish cart is pretty good. If you’re into that,” Courtney said.
“I think I’ll actually try to find a burger. That place at the far end, they’ve got that, right?”
“Until they sell out, which will be pretty quick. You better hustle.”
“Okay.” Grady hesitated. “Listen, if you’ve got plans or something, I don’t want to get in your way.”
Courtney cocked a hip and narrowed one eye, the other brow rising. “Believe it or not, the football game is not the best place to pick up a date for the night.”
“Uh, I just thought—”
“You need to relax more,” Courtney said with a shake of her head. “I don’t have any plans. It will be fun to watch the game with you. Unless you’ve got other plans.”
“Nope, no plans.” Grady couldn’t think of any reason she should avoid Courtney’s company. And why should she? “Where will you be?”
“Top of the bleachers on the blue and gold side.”
Grady squinted in that direction. “That’s packed over there.”
Courtney grinned. “Trust me, there’s always room at the top.”
Grady couldn’t help but laugh. Courtney’s self-confidence was infectious. “All right then. I’ll meet you there.”
“Don’t take too long. Kickoff in six minutes,” Courtney said.
“I’ll make it. And hey, get me a doughnut,” Grady called and plunged into the crowd.
* * *
Well, that didn’t take her very long.
Blaise put one shoulder forward and edged her way through the mass of people milling about in front of the food trucks. Why should she be surprised? Grady was new in town, young and attractive, and anyone with a heartbeat would take notice. And of course it would be Courtney.
Blaise sighed. If she was a betting person, and she wasn’t—who could afford to throw good money after bad? Thanks, Mother, for that handy life lesson—she’d lay odds that Courtney was just exactly Grady’s type. Young, smart, confident, sexy. Huh. All the things she was not.
She’d also never been the competing type even when that might have been a possibility in her life plans, and she definitely wasn’t entertaining competing with Courtney Valentine. She was closer in age to Courtney’s cousin Sydney, but she’d known Court since Court was twelve years old and starting middle school, and she’d been earning extra money assistant coaching girls’ soccer—in between finishing her degree and raising a baby. By the time Court hit high school, she
was every boy’s heartthrob and every girl’s secret envy. Thinking back, Courtney’d probably been the heartthrob of a few girls too, but Blaise had been willfully blind to that at the time. But Court? She’d always known who she was and enjoyed letting it show—vivacious, smart, and funny with a lighthearted sexuality that was just playful enough not to be offensive. The Valentines were both seductively beautiful, but where Val had all the heat, Courtney had the devil-may-care attitude. She managed to be a heartbreaker without really hurting anyone and ended up with more friends because of it. Val hadn’t been so lucky and gained a reputation for burning hot and fast and leaving a trail of ashes in her wake. Blaise had never been convinced Val deserved the criticism, but high school was like that. Once you had a name, you never lived it down. Not for a decade or so, anyhow.
Now that Courtney was a resident, Blaise had to adjust her memories of the adolescent to the reality of the adult. Court hadn’t changed all that much—still confident and naturally seductive—but she was also reliable and serious about her work. That was enough for Blaise.
But Grady and Court weren’t in the hospital tonight. Blaise would bet a hundred dollars she could not afford to lose that Courtney had taken one look at Grady and lasered in on her faster than a New York minute.
And, as if she needed reminding, why shouldn’t Grady return the interest? She’d certainly been clear enough that she wasn’t interested. And she wasn’t. So uninterested, to be precise, that when she saw Grady headed her way, she immediately faced the back of the person in front of her in line, completely determined not to care the slightest what Grady was up to.
Blaise couldn’t see her, but she knew the instant Grady stepped up beside her. She didn’t know how, but her skin actually tingled the way it did in an electric storm right before all hell broke loose. And wasn’t that just the truth?
