by Hart, Taylor
For a few seconds Legend just stood there, meeting her eyes. It would be hard to describe to anyone the feeling that floated through her in regards to him. Admittedly, she’d never really liked him. Not for any real reason. Well, maybe because he fit the mold of stupid, arrogant jock. The kind that demanded a lot from waitresses but tipped them two percent. His dating stats had only reaffirmed her conclusions, not to mention the way he’d refused to give her an interview without even looking at her. It bothered her that the past few hours were proving all of her previous assumptions wrong.
Jolting out of their staring contest, he shook his head. “Okay, I just…thought I’d check.”
Accepting help wasn’t something she had ever done graciously. Her mother always teased her that since she was born her first words were ‘I can do it by myself.’ “Thanks for earlier,” she offered.
He nodded. Then his eyes fell to her grandfather. “I can sit with you. Or I can sit with him while you go get something to eat.”
At his offer, she felt a pang of guilt for calling him cold hearted. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
Hesitating for only a second, he took the chair next to her and pulled it slightly away and sat anyway.
“Ugh.” She threw one hand up. “What are you doing?”
“Look, I won’t say anything, okay. I’ll just be here.”
Not having the strength to argue, she focused on her grandpa, closing her eyes and turning to prayer for what seemed like the millionth time that day.
The doctor showed up a little bit later and explained that her grandpa’s test results looked good. No major damage. “He’ll wake up. It’s just a matter of time.”
“How long does it usually take?” she asked.
The doctor surprised her by giving her a soft smile. “Look, I know you want to rush it, but the fact is he had something very traumatic happen in his brain. It will just take time. Sleep is good for the body. It will help him heal.” He looked at Legend. “You and your boyfriend should go, get some rest, and eat. Come back in the morning.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” It came out defensively.
The doctor was studying Legend. “Legend James,” he said with admiration in his eyes. “Well, may I just say it’s a privilege to make your acquaintance?”
Legend looked uncomfortable. “No, what you do here is amazing. It’s a privilege to make yours.”
A lot more humble than she’d imagined. Well, more than most of the television interviews she’d seen had led her to believe. But, to be fair, those had mostly been with him after a game and the whole team was amped up.
The doctor backed up toward the door. “You guys are welcome to stay until eight, but then we ask that you go home. Really, it makes life easier on the staff. Plus, I know you don’t feel like eating, but you should. You need to keep your strength up. Your grandpa will need you at your best when he wakes up.”
“I’m not leaving.” Charity was horrified to think how grandpa would feel if he woke up all alone in the hospital.
“They’ll call you if he wakes.” He nodded down the hall. “I’ll talk to them myself.”
Taking in a large breath, Charity felt on the verge of another breakdown. “I won’t leave.”
Legend cleared his throat. “Come on, you can come back bright and early.”
“No.” Complete stubbornness shielded her from reason.
Legend took a step closer to her. “C’mon, Charity. Would your grandpa want you to act this way? No, of course not. He’d want you to take care of yourself.”
A blur of tears filled her eyes and made her angry. Angry at the tears and angry at Legend for inciting them. But she knew he was right. Roughly she grabbed her bag. “Fine, but using Grandpa and what he wants is a cheap shot. You don’t know him or anything about what he would want.”
Legend kept his face neutral. “You’re right,” he agreed quickly and shrugged. “Charity, look, I’m just trying to help. I’m trying to be a friend here.”
She scoffed, “Oh, believe me, I don’t need you as a friend. No, you’ve done enough to wreck my life.”
He sighed. “If you let me give you a ride to his house, then I’ll get out of your life. I promise.”
Some might find it strange that most girls would bend over backwards to have Legend James trying to help them. But, she reasoned, brushing by him and moving down the hall, most girls hadn’t done four months of research on him. “You know, you acted like all my research was an invasion of your life, but who’s the stalker now?”
Chapter 7
Legend couldn’t really say what had made him stay the night in Park City. The drive to Salt Lake was only forty-five minutes, so he could have gone back to his apartment, but he hadn’t wanted to. Good thing he always kept a gym bag with a change of clothes handy.
Admittedly, he hadn’t known what he would do back at his apartment. With Brad and Jason gone for the week, he felt slightly lost. He realized that was kind of pathetic. He was the number one draft pick in the nation, and he only had, what he would consider, two real friends. The kind he would want to actually hang out with. He knew if he went back, he’d hit the gym, run training drills, and drink protein shakes.
So instead he’d taken the ski lift up the mountain and then hiked down, and it’d actually been an awesome day. He kept thinking how much fun he would have had with Brad and Jason. Especially Brad. Brad would have hit on every woman, even if it meant yelling down out of the chair lift. Imagining it made him smile. He appreciated those guys hadn’t changed toward him even after he’d become more famous. Yeah, Brad did try to use it to his advantage but not in a bad way. They all had a blast together.
Unwillingly, his mind flitted to Charity. It had all day long. No matter what he’d done to keep her out of his mind, it always went back to her. He wished he could say it was only because he was worried about her grandpa. He was worried for him. But it was also the way her red hair hung in loose curls down her back and the way she smelled like sun tan lotion on the beach. The coconut smell had filled every part of him when he was with her, and he definitely hated himself for being attracted to her. He sighed. All that anger. She certainly had the fiery temper to match the red hair. He flexed one hand in and out as he waited to be seated at Rosie’s Mexican Restaurant on Park City Main Street. Some part of him couldn’t get enough of her. The restaurant didn’t have that many customers, but it was eight at night, so he assumed the dinner rush was over. He’d gone back to the hotel and showered before walking up, and now he was starving. He promised himself this would be the last night he would stay here. Then he would go back to Salt Lake and find something else to completely occupy his time to get Charity Saint off of his mind.
The restaurant was typical fiesta style—bright reds and oranges with lanterns that swung gently above each white-candled table. The seating was airy with lots of open windows, and the weather had cooled down to make it a perfect night out. The Spanish music had a fast tempo, and he immediately liked the place. He was seated and quickly given water, chips, and salsa.
Legend heard, what he assumed was, some kind of party in a back room. There was louder music and the sound of people talking and laughing. Most of the restaurant where he was seated was empty. He dove into the chips and guzzled back some water. After he ordered, he sat back and people watched on Main Street.
He decided he liked Park City. Very much in fact. He liked the outdoor activities and the way Main Street had a hundred little shops and places to eat. People were sitting out in front of cafés or bars, talking and laughing. It felt…homey. Maybe he would get a house here one day. An excited stir went through him. The money. He tried not to think of all the money he would have after next Saturday. The signing bonus alone would keep him comfortable for the rest of his life if he lived a modest life like he’d grown up with. Growing up the way he had, he knew he didn’t want to be all showy and ‘ballerish.’ He knew what it was like not to have much, and he wouldn’t squander away what he did have.
The polite server put his food down and refilled his water. “Good evening, my name is Victor. Can I do anything else for you, sir?”
“No, thank you.” He took a steaming bite and reveled in the deliciousness of good Mexican.
“Pardon me, sir, but are you Legend James?”
It wasn’t that Legend minded being recognized. He didn’t. Most people he found were just excited for him. For the team. They’d been big supporters, but lately, after the increasing media hype, it felt more taxing on him than anything else. Still, he smiled graciously and stuck out his hand. “I am. It’s nice to meet you, Victor.”
Victor pumped his hand whole-heartedly and let out a whisper of a laugh. “Oh goodness, I have to get mama. She loves you.” His grin widened. “She has watched you religiously the whole time you have taken our Utes to glory.
Pulling back his hand, Legend gave him an amicable smile. “Of course, I would be happy to meet your mama.”
The server scurried off to the loud back room.
Legend watched him for a minute, but before he could go back to his food, he thought he saw Charity.
Holding his fork mid-air, he sucked in a breath. It had to be her. He would recognize that hair anywhere. He tried to position himself to get a better look at her. But Victor and his mother bustling toward him quickly blocked any view.
“Mr. James! Mr. James!” Victor’s mother took him into a big hug, jumping a little as she did so.
Legend focused on this tiny woman, probably no more than five foot two inches with the happiest brown eyes and a flower in her long brown hair. She was slender, but not skinny.
She softly kissed his cheek. “I am so glad you are here, and I am so happy that it looks like you will go to the Destroyers. They need you after the year they’ve had. That Sam Dumont.” She grunted. “I want his head on a platter.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Thank you.” Legend couldn’t help but feel invigorated by her energy.
“Call me Rosie, please. All my friends call me Rosie.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “Did you know that Roman and Katie Young are friends of ours, too? They come here at least once a month, wouldn’t you say, Victor?” Her eyes flashed to her son.
He nodded agreeably. “At least, mama.”
“Roman and Katie are good people.” They were. He’d been up to their home in Wolfe Creek a couple of times. Roman had been a big part of getting the Destroyers to notice him this year.
She winked. “The best. I have to say my children fight over who gets to serve them every time they come. He leaves the best tips.”
Legend nodded. “As he should, Rosie.”
“Well.” She sighed. “How do you like the food?”
A flash of red caught his eye from the open door to the back room. Charity? He tried to see if it was her. “Uh…it’s great.” Bending back, he strained to see the red hair again. “It’s delicious,” he said, trying to infuse his words with excitement, “Terrific.” Once more, he tried to look past Rosie.
This time Rosie noticed. “Ah, do you want to join our party?”
Before he could say yes or no, she was already tugging his hand to stand. “Victor, bring his food with us.”
He let himself be tugged.
She grinned up at him, conspiratorially. “It is a tradition to have our close friends come and eat with us every Sunday night in the summers. It is the off season, and we like to have fun.” She did a little salsa footwork next to him and laughed.
He found her happiness contagious, but there was an electric excitement that buzzed through him and shot straight into his heart when he found himself smack in front of Charity Saint.
Chapter 8
Somehow the Hernandez family had discovered her grandfather was in the hospital and had come to visit him today. Rosie had sat by Charity and performed many Hail Marys. Her grandfather hadn’t woken up, hadn’t even showed any sign of waking up. To say that Charity was on the edge of her seat would be like saying that a volcano was calm before it erupted. Rosie had insisted that Charity come to the restaurant after she left the hospital and get some food in her and get her mind off of everything. When Charity had refused, Rosie had done the same thing Legend had. She had used the fact that her grandpa would want her to take care of herself as a trump card. Charity had known the Hernandez family her whole life. Visiting her grandfather as much as they did, going to Rosie’s had become a tradition. Victor was more like a brother to her than a friend. Granted, he’d made his dating intentions known to her last year. After Paul had left for Ghana, he’d told her that he’d always loved her and asked if they could give it a shot.
Turning Victor down had been hard, but the truth was that she’d never felt that way about him and couldn’t even imagine it. Luckily, they’d been able to remain friends. Good enough friends that she still stopped by most Sundays when she came to Park City to visit with the whole family and eat their delicious food. Victor had been careful not to mention her break up with Paul, but as Legend James stared down at her, she could swear she heard a curse word come out of Victor’s mouth.
“Senorita, have you met my new friend Legend James? Number one draft pick Legend James,” Rosie said like a proud mama bragging to her neighbors.
The look on Legend’s face, one of utter embarrassment, made her smile. “Why, yes, I’ve made his acquaintance.” She grinned up at him, reasoning that the flutters taking off like butterflies on crack in her stomach had nothing to do with him. She’d had to work today to get him out of her head. The kind things he’d done for her. How he’d insisted he take her to her grandfather’s place. None of it made sense in her head. In her journalistic mind,he definitely wasn’t the man she’d done the article on. Unexpectedly, Paula Abdul’s version of the song flitted into her mind. A light laugh came out. She quickly covered her mouth. “Hello, Legend.” Embarrassed, she could feel red heat working it’s way up her neck.
Cocking his head to the side, he narrowed his eyes, seemingly unsure of her. “Ms. Saint,” he said tentatively.
“Ms. Saint? I guess you’ve quit stealing nicknames then?”
Rosie began ushering them both back to the place Charity had been sitting.
Victor intervened. “Mama, let’s put Senor James by the mayor. They can talk.”
“No.” Rosie gave him a fierce look. “Victor, get another chair for our guest, Senor Legend. Charity needs a good distraction tonight.”
Before either of them could argue, Rosie had them sitting with their food in front of them. “Both of you eat, drink, talk. Enjoy being young.” She gave Charity a shake of her finger. “I know you are worried about your grandpa, but he will be fine. God told me so,” she said firmly before turning her back and bustling to the kitchen.
Charity shook her head. “The only person that can say that kind of stuff and get away with it is Rosie.” She was too aware of Legend’s fresh rain smell and how his white Destroyer’s t-shirt looked comfortably casual paired with dark blue jeans and flip-flops. It didn’t help that the shirt was taut across his shoulders and his blonde hair looked just washed and naturally tousled. Then there were his green eyes with the gold flecks that were wide and curious and so wonderful to look at. It all caused something inside of her to stir. Something disconcerting and purely physical. “So you’re still in Park City?” she asked. “How did you end up coming to the party?”
He shrugged, looking embarrassed. “Victor recognized me, and then he got Rosie, and she brought me back here.”
Charity couldn’t tell if he really didn’t like the attention or if he was just acting like it. The man in the article she wrote would have loved it. “Hmm, why don’t you just say you’re not you? You could say you get it all the time and you should be in a contest or something.”
He ate another bite and nodded. “Not a bad idea.”
“Why did you stay in Park City?” It bothered her that she cared why, but part of her did.
“I decided to jump out of a plane tomorrow.”
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This took her aback. “You what?”
Grinning, he winked at her. “What, Rook, you don’t think I’ll do it?”
She blew out a breath. “Of course I think you would do it, but it’s crazy. I don’t think the Destroyers would like to hear their number one draft pick is on the verge of slamming against the ground.”
“You should do it with me.”
Confused by the fact he’d just asked her to jump out of a plane with him, she took a sip of water. “I’ve got plans.”
His face registered what she was talking about. “Right. Yeah. I know. Sorry, I just…it’s early…like eight. We’d be done by ten or ten thirty. Plus, I ended up buying this honeymoon package because it was cheaper than a single flight with the discount.”
The fact that Legend James appeared to be rambling about getting a deal on a package actually made her smile.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“Nothing, you’re just—I didn’t think you’d care about money.”
“Hey, I’ve always had to be careful.”
She wasn’t proud of it, but she’d seen his bank statements, and she knew he had quite a bit in savings. “You know you’re getting a pretty big bonus at the end of the week, right?”
He laughed. “Fine. I guess I’ve just never been one to take money for granted. That’s all.”
They both stared at each other, just as they had yesterday in the heat of battle only in this moment everything had changed. She liked that he was acting kind of cheap. Careful. That he didn’t take the money for granted.
The side of his lip went up. “Hey, you look good tonight, by the way. Really good.” He waited for a beat and then picked up his fork and took a bite. “And this food is amazing,” he said with his mouth full.
His compliment was definitely not what she expected to hear from him. She hated that it disarmed her. Granted, she had showered after she’d been at the hospital and put on one of the white, spaghetti-strapped dresses she kept in her room for outings just like this. She’d even put a little product in her hair and blown it to give it shape and make the curls behave better. Resignedly, she’d decided to add a little mascara and lip-gloss. She did all of it because she told herself that Rosie was right. Her grandpa would want her to go to the ‘family’ dinner and enjoy herself. It had literally done no good for her to sit at the hospital all day and be beside herself with worry. She’d talked to her mother a couple of times and still insisted her mother stay on the trip. Slowly, she picked up her fork and took a mouthful of food.
