The Soccer Player and the Single Mom (Quail Hollow)

by Kyra Jacobs

  “Of course I did. You yelled loud enough to wake your grandfather, God rest his soul.” She shrugged under Scott’s narrowed gaze. “And I like to eavesdrop. So sue me.”

  “Grandma…” Scott dragged a hand down the side of his face.

  “She was right, you know. Your mother, she wouldn’t have wanted you to get hurt to reach your goal.”

  “See, that’s what no one seems to understand. Getting hurt is a risk I take every time I step on that field. This is no different.”

  “It is different. You’re not one hundred percent yet—you know it, I know it, and don’t think the other team’s defense doesn’t know it, too. You’ll have a target on your back the minute you take the field.”

  A valid point, far too astute for someone who’d pretended all these years to hate the sport. “Then I’ll just have to play smarter.”

  “Or not play at all.” Edna stepped closer and placed a soft hand to his cheek. “Follow your heart, Scottie. If soccer is truly still your one and only passion, then do your best to stay out of harm’s way. But there’s nothing wrong with your passion shifting to something else. Or someone else.”

  No, his grandmother hadn’t chased down a minister for them, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t holding out hope he’d settle down in Quail Hollow with a certain strong-willed, beautiful PA and her son. That same PA who had written him off last night and avoided him ever since. If her were in her shoes, he’d probably have done the same.

  “That someone else isn’t going to wait around for me, so you might as well let it go.”

  The soft hand at his cheek gave him a small slap. “Or don’t make her wait, you moron.”

  “Just remember, you raised this moron,” he said, rubbing at the sting once she pulled her hand away.

  “Knew I should have beaten you more as a child. Now your dad, him I did beat more often.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, and look how he turned out.”

  “I know he didn’t handle losing your mom well. Didn’t expect him to—she was the love of his life. But grief changes people, makes some lose their mind. Your dad, it killed him to look back, so he forced himself to move forward. And you know what? For him, it worked. He’s happy, Scottie. You could be, too.”

  “I am happy.”

  He had been before the injury, anyway. Before Felicity. Now, he just felt…empty.

  Edna smirked and opened her arms to accept one last hug. “Take care of yourself, Scott. And call your grandmother more often—she gets lonely in that big old house of hers.”

  “I will,” he whispered, resting his cheek atop her white poof of hair.

  “Better yet, be reckless and find yourself a woman so I can fill that house with grandbabies.”

  He stepped back, shaking his head. “You just can’t let it go.”

  “Nope.” She winked. “Eventually, I’ll have my way. Just you watch.”

  Scott gave her one last kiss on the cheek and headed into the terminal. Edna might have her way someday, but it wouldn’t be soon, and not with the woman living under her roof for one week more. That ship had sailed, as much as it pained him to admit it.

  But if he’d learned anything over the years, it was that the pain would pass with enough physical exertion…and there was plenty of that waiting for him back in Columbus.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Felicity sat in her room late Tuesday morning, hating how quiet the house was. Tyler was at school, Edna was at Canasta, and Scott was…well, who cared, right? Unfortunately, she still did.

  Far more than she wanted to admit.

  A small part of her had selfishly hoped she’d get a call from Scott yesterday, saying the team’s trainer hadn’t cleared him to return to the field. But no call came. Why would it, after she’d shut him out Saturday night? Hard to attract flies with vinegar was what Edna liked to say.

  With a sigh, she sent off an email to J.B. and included in it the latest batch of files he’d asked her to clean. It was a stretch to keep her tone polite toward the man who’d stolen Scott away too early, but since he’d also brought them together, she couldn’t completely hate him.

  His client had been a challenge at first, one that’d turned out to be a nice change of pace from factory life. Scott had also been fun, funny, and sexy as hell. His kisses she missed, his touch even more. He’d made her feel like a woman again, reminded her that she could be a mom and still have adult fun. Hurting or not, she had no regrets where Scott was involved.

  No, that wasn’t true. She had one:

  Not being able to convince him to stay.

  Her email inbox pinged with a new message from J.B. It thanked her for her email and included one last batch of files to scrub, a promise to pay her for two weeks more, and a name and number to call for a job lead in her area, which he offered to pull strings for if it appealed to her.

  Why he had taken such good care of her all this time, she didn’t know. But as a single mother who’d spent too many years down on her luck, she appreciated it more than he would ever know. She responded with that sentiment and added one more line at the end.

  “P.S. How did Scott’s recheck go?”

  Felicity hit send and watched the screen for an update.

  One minute passed. Then two. She’d nearly given up waiting when a new message appeared.

  “They cleared him. He’ll be sharing time with their backup midfielder in the game on Thursday. Wish him luck—he’s going to need it.”

  He’d be playing Thursday? So soon?

  “Oh, Scott,” she whispered. “What are you doing?”

  “I ask that question a lot myself, dear.”

  Felicity glanced up to find Edna in her doorway. “Oh, hi. You’re home early.”

  “Eh, Gertie’s gout was acting up, so we cut out early.” She shuffled over to take a seat on the end of Felicity’s bed. “Let me tell you something—getting old sucks.”

  Felicity laughed. “Are you feeling better? I haven’t seen you use the cane in a few days.”

  “Oh, that old thing? I don’t really need it. Use it as a prop, usually. Great for putting guilt trips on long-lost grandsons.”

  “You’re evil.” Felicity grinned. “I love it.”

  “And I liked you from the start.” Edna winked. “You still planning to move into your rental house this weekend?”

  “Yes. Lauren’s husband has a truck and some buddies lined up for Saturday afternoon. I really appreciate you letting us stay this week, even with Scott gone.”

  “Nonsense. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Was rather hoping the deal would fall through so you’d be stuck with Bruno and me a little longer.”

  “Does that mean you won’t mind if we come back to visit now and again?”

  Edna smiled. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t. It gets lonely around here sometimes, and Tyler has been such a joy to have around. You as well, dear.”

  Felicity bit the inside of her lip, trying to keep her emotions under control. Edna had treated them like family the past few weeks, far better than her own family had ever bothered to do. She hated the thought of losing the connection they’d developed.

  “Then we’ll come back as often as you’ll have us. Unless, of course, you have company or something.”

  The older woman offered her a knowing smile. “You should definitely come by then.”

  Yep, they were both talking about Scott. But seeing him would rip the scab off her wounded heart. Why suffer more than she had to where he was concerned?

  “Yeah, probably not the best idea. Not for a while, anyway.”

  Edna’s hand found her knee. “I know Scottie let you down, but don’t count him out just yet.”

  “Why? Did he say something to you?”

  “He didn’t have to.” She tapped a finger to her head. “I can read that boy like a book. And you’ve got his gears turning more than any other woman I’ve seen him with. He’ll come around, just you wait and see.”

  Edna gave her knee a pat and ma
de for the door, leaving Felicity to chew on her words. Wait and see—that was the whole problem, wasn’t it? She didn’t want to be the woman waiting in the wings while he finished his to-do list. Selfish or not, she wanted to be at the top of that list, wanted winning her heart to be his first priority instead of coming in second to a goal that may or may not maim him.

  Until then, there would be no waiting and seeing.

  Rather than get her hopes up that Edna’s prediction would somehow come true, she pushed the thought aside and got started on J.B.’s last batch of work.

  …

  Back in Columbus, Scott was surprised at how easy it was to slip back into his old routines. Repetition and physical exertion had been his friends for many moons, and both were ready and waiting for him when he reported for team conditioning. They worked wonders when he was on the field but did little to help him off it.

  Monday the trainer did an MRI and found the tear in his knee 90 percent healed. According to him, people all across the country walked around for years with knees in worse shape and didn’t know it. If he’d offered the statistic to make Scott feel better, the guy had failed miserably. Then again, the only thing that would have him feeling fully restored was if Felicity and Tyler, and maybe even Edna, were there with him.

  But they weren’t; they couldn’t be. They had lives to live, and so did he.

  Monday’s practice was brutal, as was Tuesday’s, the rest of the squad still in top shape, though several of the older players were pretty banged up from that match against Seattle. Both days his knee had been screaming at him by the end of practice and swollen to the size of a futsal ball. They were pushing him too hard, too soon, and he knew it.

  Nothing ice and ibuprofen couldn’t counteract, he hoped, so long as his freezer could keep up.

  And though his teammates had invited him out for brews to celebrate his return “home” yesterday, Scott declined. The mention of home had him longing to be in another place, three hours to the west.

  Now, he sat once again in his favorite recliner watching television, trying to kill some time before he went to bed. But every commercial seemed to include families or little dogs, adding salt to his wounded heart. By eight, he was this close to calling Edna’s house.

  But he resisted. His grandmother was the second-to-last person he would get any sympathy from right now. And the last person? Well, she was the one he couldn’t get off his mind.

  Scott scanned his apartment, a place he’d once felt proud of, comfortable in. Tonight, it brought him neither pride nor comfort. Because it was missing what he needed most:

  Family.

  He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, hoping exhaustion would win out over his racing mind. And it was racing, all right, over to Indiana and a certain PA he should never have gotten close to. Because now it was killing him not to have her, and there wasn’t a darned thing he could do about it.

  Damn, he missed her musical laugh, those perfect pink lips, the way her body fit perfectly with his…

  With a growl, he rose and hobbled to get his laptop, knee crabbing at him with every step. If television wouldn’t work, maybe surfing the web would. At least there he wouldn’t have to suffer through commercials. He decided to go through his emails first, having ignored them for the better part of the last two weeks.

  Junk. Junk. Spam. Phishing. An advertisement for the Sports Academy.

  Scott’s finger hovered over the delete key, then withdrew. That email wasn’t just an ad, it was an announcement for an upcoming event to help raise funds for Sawyer’s organization. Scott clicked to follow the link, which landed him at the Academy’s website and an announcement page. And there, smack dab at the top, was Sawyer’s smiling face. He beamed at the camera, looking like he’d just blocked a game-winning goal.

  His friend had found his passion close to home, and Scott couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. He hoped for Sawyer’s sake that Fort Wayne’s petition for an expansion team went through so the keeper could finally play up a division. Man, he’d always been fun to watch in goal.

  Too bad they weren’t petitioning for an MLS team in Indiana, instead. Then Scott could move back home without giving up on his dream and still be there for Edna, for Tyler and Felicity. He was missing them tonight something terrible.

  His gaze settled on a flashing link on the page’s upper right-hand corner: Now Hiring.

  “Not gonna happen, buddy.” He closed that tab and opened another before his loneliness had him doing something he might later regret. The loneliness will pass, he told himself. He just needed to wait it out.

  He’d done it before, and he could do it again.

  …

  Felicity stood in the kitchen Thursday night, drying the freshly washed dishes Edna was handing her while Tyler played with Bruno in the den. It’d been a long day, the morning spent packing their things here and the afternoon going through orientation at her new job up in Auburn. The lead J.B. had sent her turned out to be nearly ideal.

  “How did your new job go today, dear?” Edna handed her a damp plate. “You didn’t say much at dinner.”

  “Oh, it went fine, thanks.”

  J.B. had promised to do all he could to provide her with a great reference and solid job leads after stealing Scott away. She just hadn’t expected the first lead to be at the Sports Academy, working as an office manager for Sawyer. As if living at the farmhouse wasn’t a painful enough reminder of Scott, now she was working at a place that was all soccer, all day long.

  Though, if she could manage to keep her heartache at bay, the job wouldn’t be all that bad. Sawyer’s last office manager was pregnant and had planned to work up until the baby came. But after complications and horrendous morning sickness—to which Felicity could relate—she’d had to quit well ahead of time. And though the woman had only been gone a week, Felicity had walked in today with her work cut out for her.

  But busy was good, and Sawyer had actually kept things fun and upbeat. It was like he somehow knew she needed an emotional boost. Thankfully, he didn’t mention Scott once.

  Unlike her son, who seemed to mention him at least once an hour. Sometimes more. As if on cue, Tyler came running into the room and announced, “Mom! Edna! Scott’s in the game.”

  “It’s on TV?”

  “Yeah, in the den. Come watch with me!”

  “Come on, we’d better keep an eye on knucklehead.” Edna reached for a towel. “Can’t believe those idiots put him back in already. What happens if he takes another foot to the knee? Then what will they do?”

  Felicity shrugged. “Put him down?”

  “If anyone’s gonna do that to Scottie, it’s gonna be me.”

  They shared a laugh, the joke bringing some much-needed levity to the house.

  “I’ve gotta say, I knew the minute he arrived I wouldn’t have a chance of talking him into staying. But after you two showed up, I thought he finally might change his ways.”

  Felicity shook her head. “Not until he reaches his goal, whatever that is.”

  “He wanted to play in the World Cup.” Edna snorted as they made their way down the hall. “And I wanna be the Queen of England. Ain’t gonna happen for either of us.”

  Tyler cheered from the other room. “Scott just scored a goal!”

  “Really?” Felicity hadn’t expected that. In fact, she’d expected him to be on the field limping around. But there he was on live television, trotting slowly to the middle of the field. Maybe he really was one of the best. Still didn’t mean he wasn’t stubborn as a mule. She looked to Edna. “Why don’t you think he can do it?”

  “Dear, do you know when the next chance the U.S. has to play in a World Cup is?”

  “No.”

  “Four more years, and that’s only if they qualify at all. By then he’ll be thirty-two. He’s already three years older than the team average, and he’s coming off a significant knee injury. You really think the owners are gonna keep him around that long?”

  She
stared at Edna. Someone knew far more about the sport than she’d let on. “Probably not?”

  “Definitely not, which is why he modified his goal last year to just making the U.S. National Team. He was on track to make it, too, before he got hurt.”

  “Oh, no.” She could only imagine how devastated he’d been. That explained why he’d been so angry the day they met, him coming into town hoping to be released sooner and winding up with a nagging PA instead. “Do you think he’s still got a shot?”

  “If Columbus does well in the playoffs and he doesn’t get reinjured, yes. But for your sake and mine? I hope they lose early, before he gets hurt. And that he doesn’t do all that well tonight. The sooner they put him out to pasture, the sooner I’ll get my grandson back.”

  Again, Edna seemed intent on planting a seed of hope in Felicity’s heart. But as the game went on, it was clear that Columbus would be tonight’s winner. Even worse, Scott scored three of their five goals, the last just before the buzzer. As his teammates rushed the field, Edna grabbed the remote and clicked the television off.

  “Well, I’ve seen all I want to see.”

  Felicity rose with a sigh and helped Tyler to his feet. “And you need to get upstairs and to bed, sweetheart. You need to get a good night’s sleep so you can stay awake for Hero Day tomorrow.”

  “Yeah,” Tyler said on a yawn. “You’re still coming, right, Mom?”

  She kissed his forehead. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, baby.”

  “I still wish Scott could go. He could tell everyone all about his hat-trick tonight.”

  “His what?”

  Tyler shook his head. “Hat-trick, Mom. You know, when a player scores three goals in one game? Sheesh.”

  “Sheesh me again, buddy, and I’ll sheesh your behind.”

  She gave him a playful swat, and Tyler dashed from the room with a squeal. When it was just the two women again, Felicity turned from the blank television to Edna with a sigh.

  “He won’t be coming back now, will he?”

  The older woman shook her head. “Afraid not.”

  Edna bid her good night and shuffled from the room, the words “big oaf” echoing down the hall. Felicity wanted to laugh at the name-calling but felt more like crying. She didn’t know how he’d done it, but in his first game back Scott had managed to earn the title of MVP. And what MVP would walk away from his dreams to come rushing back to little old Quail Hollow?