Tackled by the Girl Next Door

by Susan Scott Shelley

  This was exactly what he wanted before he really knew what he wanted. Now, it wasn’t so much a deal as a prison sentence. LA’s perma-sun and plastic bodies didn’t appeal to him anymore. He wanted East Coast autumn temperatures and a feisty accountant.

  His silence must have frightened Allen, because he pushed the deal on him like a used car salesman.

  “Mr. Forest has decided to give you a pretty generous package to finish out this season. I think he’s hoping you’ll come back the next few years as well. It seems ratings soar whenever your ugly face is on the screen.”

  “There’s no understanding taste.”

  “True. We’ll meet with the network president right before the game, and you can sign on the dotted line.” He nodded as though that alone would sway Jason’s mind.

  The waitress returned with his coffee and eggs and lingered long enough to provide him a silent request. He ignored her. She eventually wandered off and flirted with a guy in a Chicago jersey a few tables down.

  “Is anything negotiable?”

  “Everything’s negotiable. They want you bad. Their improved ratings over the course of a month will pay for any outrageous demands you make. This is as sure a deal as I’ve ever gone into.”

  He had a lot of demands. They all began and ended with Sam. She better appreciate this, because he was about to sign away his newly found freedom all for her. “Grab a piece of paper. You have some work to do before the kickoff.”

  ****

  Clutching a take-out bag, Sam hovered in the doorway of Kevin’s hospital room.

  He pulled his gaze away from the television mounted on the wall. “Hey.”

  “I brought you a turkey sub in case you don’t like the hospital food.” She ventured a few feet into the room.

  A tentative smile spread across his face. “The food’s not so bad here. Maybe you could stay and have the sub while I eat dinner.”

  “Sounds good, Kev.” Gratitude for whatever caused his shift from sullen to softer attitude flooded through her. She crossed to his bed. “How’s the leg?”

  “It hurts but not as bad as before. I’m sorry for being a jerk.”

  She blinked. Kevin apologizing? What was in his pain medication? Maybe the lonely hours stuck in a bed gave him time to think. She shook her head. “You were in a lot of pain the last time. It’s understandable.”

  “I’ve been a jerk for a while. Last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about everything you’ve been through these past few years. First, you lost your husband, and then you’re forced to give up your career to take care of me. And you did it without ever complaining. If you hadn’t come home after Mom died, well, I would’ve been pretty messed up. I owe you so much and instead of a thank you, I smash up your car.”

  Pinpricks of tears stung her eyes. “I’m your big sister. I’m supposed to watch out for you.”

  “You do more than you have to do. I appreciate it.” His cheeks reddened.

  She swallowed around the lump forming in her throat. “You’re welcome.”

  “Wanna watch the game?”

  Letting out a breath, she nodded and settled onto the bedside chair. “Jason’s there, color-commentating.”

  “Cool.” Kevin increased the volume.

  Jason’s image filled the screen, his black suit perfectly tailored to his form. His smile lit up his features, and an ache welled in Sam’s heart. Throughout the first two quarters of play, he laughed and joked with the other two men in the booth. He was either one hell of an actor or completely unaffected by yesterday’s argument.

  Kevin’s dinner arrived during the halftime show. Sam picked at her sandwich while the highlights from the first half played on-screen. Jason’s commentary meshed well with the other analyst’s style and delivery.

  “...And we’d like to welcome Jason as a permanent part of our crew. He’ll be joining us in the booth for the rest of the season.”

  Her hand froze halfway to her mouth. On-screen, Jason grinned and received back slaps and words of welcome from his broadcast partners. Her meager appetite deflated. She placed her sandwich on the edge of Kevin’s dinner tray and turned away to face the window. The announcer’s words echoing in her head, she wrapped her arms around her torso and stared at the clear blue sky.

  “That’s cool for Jason.” Kevin’s voice drowned out the TV’s sound. “I guess he’ll be based out of LA again.”

  “Yeah,” Sam whispered. Jason had done what she’d asked. So why did it hurt so much?

  Kevin dozed on and off throughout the second half of the game. Sam concentrated on Jason’s voice, blocking out all other distractions. Was he thinking of her at all?

  After the post-game show ended and Jason’s image faded from the screen, she drove to his parents’ house from the hospital.

  She’d shared holiday dinners with David and Beth for as long as she could remember, but for the first time, trepidation filled her as she knocked on their door.

  The door swung open. Beth beamed and gathered her into a hug. “Come in, dear. We just finished watching Jason’s post-game wrap-up. David recorded every minute of his broadcasting debut.”

  Sam followed Beth inside. The scent of turkey, pumpkin pie, and coffee competed with the lush scent of roses spilling from an arrangement on the dining room table.

  “There she is.” David Black pushed off the dark leather recliner and lumbered to his feet. Jason had inherited his height. “How’s the evil accounting job, sweetie?”

  “Still as evil as ever.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. The only day she hadn’t minded work was when she knew Jason was waiting for her, with open arms and a ready kiss. Now, she didn’t have him and dreaded returning to work on Monday.

  “The Texas and Denver game just started. Have a seat. Did you see my boy on screen? Almost as good as when he was running all over the field.” He’d lived vicariously through Jason’s exploits on the field and took his son’s forced retirement harder than Jason had. Jason would be relieved to see the smile return to his father’s face.

  Sam sank onto the cool leather of the couch, directly under a framed game-worn and autographed jersey embroidered with Number 86, Black. “Jason did a wonderful job.”

  Photos of Jason from his playing days and framed newspaper clippings flanked the jersey. His career documented in black and white and action shots bright with color lined the pale gray walls of the family room. No matter where she looked, Sam couldn’t escape his image.

  Balancing a tray laden with coffee and pie, Beth crossed the room and settled beside Sam. “Eat. The pie is your mom’s recipe. Hers always tasted the best.”

  Sam smiled. “Mom always said the same thing about yours.” She ate a bite and tasted home. A perfect balance of spice and sweetness, just like her mother used to bake.

  “You’ve got a crumb on your chin.” Beth handed her a napkin. “How’s Kevin?”

  Sam wiped her face. “He’s in great spirits today. He’ll be able to come home in a few days.”

  “Hard road ahead with rehab.”

  “He’s a tough kid; he’ll handle it. The rehab facility isn’t too far, so I can cart him from rehab to campus pretty easily.”

  Beth smiled and touched her arm. “You’re like a daughter to us, so I have to tell you, we are so proud of you. You rose to the occasion, taking care of Kevin all this time and holding it together again now, through his accident and surgery. You’d make your mother proud, too.”

  “I’m just glad he’s going to be okay.” After all, Kevin was all she had left.

  “Don’t be modest. You’re a good kid.” David nodded. He turned back to the television and yelled at the referee for missing a penalty.

  The warmth and support they’d always given her made her feel a welcome part of their family. But what would happen the next time Jason came home, especially if he had a new woman on his arm?

  She focused on the action on the field. Hopefully, after time had passed and their feelings leveled out, they’ll be able to h
ave a friendship. The easy relationship they’d shared before their kiss, however, was likely gone forever. Disappointment coursed through her. What if she’d lost him for good?

  After the game ended, she bid his parents goodnight and trekked across the lawn, her jacket collar turned up against the biting wind. She indulged in a long, hot shower that did little to ease her sadness and slipped into her flannel pajama bottoms and a white tank top. Restless, she wandered through the rooms of her empty house, picking up anything out of place.

  She brewed a cup of tea and pulled a pint of her favorite chocolate ice cream out of the freezer. Fragments of her argument with Jason replayed over and over, like a cruel highlight film. After a few spoonfuls, she pushed the pint away. The flavor was dull and cold.

  Just like her life without Jason.

  ****

  At eleven thirty p.m., a taxi dropped Jason off at Sam’s house. The only light came from the kitchen in the back of the house. A heavy ache hampered each step he took toward her door. Not just fatigue, but fear. He had faced off with many giants of men in his football career. Some used their shoulders as battering rams into his chest; others knocked him unconscious into the turf. He could handle that kind of hostile action. His current anxiety, however, involved a little sprite of a thing confused about his actual priorities in life. And their next confrontation scared the hell out of him. He rang the bell and leaned against the doorframe to hold himself upright.

  He should have changed. His black suit was wrinkled from the flight, and he’d ripped off his tie before leaving the stadium. Not the best outfit for a reunion, but his presence mattered more than his appearance.

  Through the window, he saw Sam, in a tight tank top and purple plaid pajama bottoms, step out of the kitchen. A man could get used to coming home to a sexy woman dressed like that every day. She tugged the door open and stared at him. A frown emerged on her face. So much for a hero’s welcome.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be in LA?”

  “I prefer Glynneath.”

  She stepped back. He slid past her and headed to the couch.

  “How’s Kevin?”

  “He’s better.”

  “Did you hit him on the head with a drumstick for me?”

  She laughed. “I didn’t need to, he apologized. In fact, we had a really great conversation.” Hesitant steps brought her closer to him. Her hands linked together and the dimple in her cheek disappeared. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s Thanksgiving, and I never had a chance to tell you what I’m thankful for.” He sat down and rested his legs on the coffee table.

  Her eyes stayed focused on the rug. “First, I need to apologize for the way I reacted to your job offer yesterday. It wasn’t my place to tell you what to do with your life.”

  He disagreed. He intended to be a part of her life whether she knew she wanted him or not, and her dreams and desires mattered as much as his. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

  Grasping her hand, he pulled her onto the couch, next to him. He lifted her chin so her eyes couldn’t look away from his. “I’m thankful the team didn’t renew my contract.”

  Her eyebrows narrowed. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

  “By not renewing my contract, I was forced to look at what I wanted out of life and I found a new career I love.”

  “I’m glad for you.” She didn’t look too pleased. Not with those luscious lips all pinched together.

  “And with this new clarity and this new career, it opens up possibilities I never imagined.”

  “That’s terrific.” She managed a half-hearted smile. A tear fell from her right eye, leaving a shiny streak down her face. Another in her left eye was poised to let go any second. “I’m glad everything worked out for you.”

  He wanted to hold her tight, but she wasn’t ready. “It took a few hours of negotiating with my agent leading the charge, but I received everything I asked for in the contract.”

  “I know you’re joining the guys in the booth for the rest of the season.”

  “Did you know I’m only obligated to work Sundays, and the championship and all-star games?”

  “No. That’s great, but—”

  He placed his finger over her lips to keep her quiet. “Did you know I only have to go to the station two days per week during the season?”

  “Good.” Her voice sounded muffled under his finger. She tried to shift away, but he placed one hand behind her head, the other covering her mouth, and kissed the tip of her nose.

  “Keep talking, O’Brien, and I’m going to gag you.”

  Her eyes burned with the intensity of a firestorm. He loved that passion she rarely showed the outside world.

  “Anyway, the thing is, I’m only required to be at headquarters in LA once a month, maybe twice during December and January. For the rest, I’m working from the New York City affiliate. I thought I’d sell my place in California and buy something in New York. We can commute between here and the city.”

  He loosened his grip on her and watched her mouth fall open. The gears eventually turned, because a friendly spark lit up her eyes.

  “We?” she asked after a long pause.

  “Us. You and me.”

  “I have a job.”

  “You hate your job.”

  “My brother.”

  “Will be back in school in a few weeks after his leg heals, and then we get the couch all to ourselves again.”

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes as though he was crazy. “But I’m not your type.”

  He couldn’t stop the grin from taking over his facial muscles. She had no clue how special she was. “You’re exactly my type. Smart, beautiful, funny, athletic, your brownies are almost better than sex, but seriously, nothing tops sex with you.”

  He took off the enormous gold ring embellished with a three-carat diamond and the year he won team MVP and held it out to her. “We’ll have to pick out a more appropriate ring when the stores open. For now...”

  He dropped to one knee, clasped her tiny hand, and placed the ring on her ring finger. “Marry me, Sam. You’re the only thing in life I can’t live without.”

  Seconds seemed like hours as he waited. She stared at the ring, her face blank. She couldn’t say no, could she? His throat tightened, and he almost asked her again in case she didn’t hear him. Then her entire body shifted into a lighter, more relaxed state as the smile he dreamed about emerged.

  “Yes, I’ll definitely marry you.”

  She sat down on his knee, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Waves of euphoria rolled through his heart. He lifted her up and carried her to the kitchen. Without letting her down, he grabbed the pint of ice cream from the counter.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’ve tasted an assortment of food on your face. I’m curious to see how food tastes on the rest of you.”

  With that, he carried his fiancée up the stairs.

  A word about the authors...

  Susan Scott Shelley is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and enjoys running, sports, hard rock music, and old Hollywood movies. A city girl at heart, she resides outside of Philadelphia with her very own superhero and spends her days writing about tough heroes, smart heroines, and love being the strongest magic there is.

  Please visit Susan at

  http://www.susanscottshelley.com.

  ~*~

  Veronica Forand is an attorney and an award-winning author of romantic suspense. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America. She’s lived in Boston, London, Paris, Geneva, and Washington, DC, and is currently residing near Philadelphia. An avid traveler, she enjoys roaming across five continents with her husband and children in pursuit of skiing, scuba diving, and finding the perfect piece of chocolate.

  Find her at http://www.veronicaforand.com.

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