Lexington and 42nd (The Off Field Series #1)

by Kim Carmody

  Did he just call me an idiot?

  “Did you just call me an idiot?”

  “Yeah, I did. Why did you do that? The lights are like, fifty yards away.” He nodded up ahead to the intersection.

  “I checked for cars. Thoroughly. This is humiliating, would you just put me down already?” I didn’t even know where to look. His angry face was so close to mine and beyond him, I could feel the stares of our shocked little entourage bearing down on me.

  He said nothing, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he started to walk towards the lights. I tried another tact. “Will please, I’m begging you. I’ll cross at the lights, I promise.”

  Still nothing.

  I rolled my eyes. “For God’s sake, you can hold my hand if you want. Just please, please put me down.”

  He stopped abruptly, unceremoniously plonking me on my unstable feet before grabbing my arm to steady me. Leaning in, his face was mere inches from mine. “Is that what I’m relegated to? I should feel so lucky that you’re letting me hold your hand.”

  I gaped at him, at the nastiness in his voice. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’ve sure changed your tune since the dancefloor.” He glared at me.

  “Jesus, Will, be realistic. What did you think was going to happen?”

  He huffed. “After the way you were behaving? I kinda hoped it would be more than just,” he made quotation marks with his fingers. “Holding your hand.”

  “After the way I behaved? What about you? You’re just as much to blame for this as me.” I thought back to the way he’s sought me out on the dance floor, the fact that he couldn’t just let it be. “More so actually.”

  “Yeah, but you see, there’s a difference between you and me. I’m not the one leading you on. I wanted you tonight, and I didn’t care if the whole fucking club knew it. You, on the other hand, were happy to lead me on until I was left standing there with my dick in my hand.”

  My eyes stung as I tried to keep the tears at bay. “Nice, Will. Really nice.”

  I turned away from him, picking up my pace to get back to the safety of the group that was now ahead of us.

  “Aww fuck, Em wait up a second.” I heard his feet on the pavement as he jogged up behind me. I crossed my arms over my chest when he fell in step with me, tucking his hands into the front of his jeans. We kept walking in silence, crossing the stupid road that had started the whole fight and entering the hotel lobby.

  “Emma, can we just talk for a second?” Will’s hand rested lightly on my shoulder.

  I stopped, turning to face him. “Don’t you think you’ve said enough?”

  He stilled before running a hand through that beautiful hair I ached to touch. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I was just frustrated.”

  “Well that makes two of us.” I went to walk away and then thought better of it. “You know, I’ve told you over and over that this,” I gestured between us, “wasn’t going anywhere but you just couldn’t help yourself. So don’t pretend I’m leading you on when you’re doing everything you can to make it impossible for me to leave you alone. You started this, so don’t pin it all on me.”

  I turned and headed for the lift, relieved when he didn’t follow me.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I hadn’t even sat down when Mark appeared at my desk looking grim, asking to see me in his office.

  Ohmygod. Oh. My. God. He must know.

  I followed him in, doing my best to appear casual and like I wasn’t about to be reprimanded for my public indecency with the star quarterback.

  I turned as he shut the door behind me. Shut the door. Mark NEVER shut his door.

  He motioned to the chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat.”

  I sat.

  “I wanted to have a quiet word with you about something that happened over the weekend.”

  I could actually feel the color drain from my face. This was it. How humiliating. And then another thought. What if he fired me? I would DIE if he fired me. A trickle of sweat ran down the back of my neck.

  “Dana’s father had a heart attack yesterday morning.”

  Oh thank God.

  Wait.

  What?

  “What?” I met Mark’s eyes for the first time since sitting down.

  He nodded. “She called yesterday afternoon, while she was at the airport trying to get on a flight home.”

  “I…I…don’t know what to say. Is she okay?”

  “She was holding it together from what I could tell. She’s a pretty tough kid.”

  “What about her dad? Will he be all right?”

  Mark shrugged. “They don’t know much at this stage. The fact that he survived the actual heart attack is a good sign, but it’ll be a few days before they know more.”

  “How awful, poor Dana.” I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t imagine myself in her position—if something happened to my dad, I’d be gutted.

  I looked back up at Mark as another thought occurred to me. “Why did you want to tell me? I mean, before the others?”

  He leaned his elbows forward on his desk. “Dana was running the WCP this weekend, but now that she’s not here, we need someone else to take over.”

  There was a moment of silence as I pieced together what he meant.

  “Aaaand you want me to run it?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked, but the rest of the team is already at capacity. I know you’ve only been here a month. I would have preferred your first project be something smaller, but I just can’t see how else this is going to happen. I know you’re more than capable, but it is a really huge job for you to take on a week out.”

  He was right, the Warriors Championship Program was a huge project. Dana had been working on it solidly for weeks and I knew there was still a heap to be done. It was a tradition that had been running for years. The whole Warriors team went to the college that had won the previous year’s National Championship for a full day of training and workshops and all sorts of development sessions for the college team, followed by a dinner for six hundred club faithfuls that night.

  Mark was still staring at me, waiting for a response. “Of course, of course I’ll do it. It’s not a problem at all.”

  He visibly relaxed. “Thanks Emma, I appreciate it. We’ll all give you as much support as you need. You won’t be left to handle this on your own. I’ll tell everyone else the news this morning. I just didn’t want to put you on the spot.”

  #

  The week passed by in a blur of emails, phone calls and very little sleep. I was up and in the office just as the sun was rising and dragging my sorry self home well after dark. I was due to fly out to Florida at 6 a.m. on Friday, and when I stumbled through the front door late Thursday night to the smells of some seriously hearty home-cooked food, I could have wept.

  “There you are!” Julia was watching TV, looking beyond comfortable sprawled out on the couch.

  I threw my bag on the table. “What are you doing here? You’re never home on a Thursday night. And tell me there’s another serve of whatever that deliciousness was,” I said, pointing to her empty bowl.

  Julia grinned. “Given the week you’ve had, I thought you could do with some home-cooked goodness.”

  I collapsed onto the couch and hugged her leg. “You are seriously in the running for housemate of the year. I don’t think I could have stomached any more takeout.”

  She patted my head. “You relax. I’ll get you a bowl.”

  She came back a minute later with a steaming bowl of hot pasta that made my mouth water.

  “So, you all ready for the big event?”

  “Ah hink ho.”

  “What was that in English?”

  I giggled. “Sorry, I think so, and this is delicious by the way.”

  Julia waved vaguely at me as I shovelled in another fork of pasta. “I gathered that.”

  “Sorry I’ve been MIA this week. I knew it was going to be tough, I just didn’t realize how full-on
it would be…I’m actually really nervous.”

  “Don’t sweat it, you’ll do great. And let’s face it, you couldn’t have done any more if you tried.”

  We fell into a comfortable silence, The Kardashians providing just the mind numbing wind-down I needed to get my head out of work mode.

  “Have you heard from Jensen since Texas?”

  I kept my eyes on the TV. “Nope.”

  I felt Julia’s eyes on my face. “Are you nervous about seeing him?”

  “Um, a little I guess.”

  That was the understatement of the century. I was petrified of seeing him. Our fight had played on my mind almost constantly, hanging over me like a lead weight. I didn’t blame him for what he’d said…not entirely anyway. I got it, even though it had hurt to hear the words. Maybe I should have walked away. In fact, I probably should never have followed him to the booth to start with, but I sure as hell wouldn’t let myself take the blame for what happened after that. Will had been on a mission—me—and there were limits to my ability to say no to him, especially when such a large part of me wanted to say yes. I still felt justified about what I’d said in response, but would he see it that way?

  “You’ll be fine. Just keep things strictly business.” She got up off the couch and inclined her head toward her bedroom. “I’m off to bed. Have a safe flight.”

  #

  Adrenaline is a funny thing. In the twenty-four hours since arriving in Florida, I had run around like a mad woman, barely getting any sleep. Yet here I was waiting for the team bus to arrive and I could feel energy rolling off me in waves.

  In part, the excitement on campus had rubbed off on me. The impending Warriors’ event was all anyone could talk about and the anticipation was palpable—it was somewhat refreshing to know that really, all these people cared about was getting to spend time with NFL royalty, and if nothing else went to plan, it wouldn’t really matter. At least, that’s what I told myself.

  Mark had stayed true to his word and had been on hand to help me in any way he could the past week. He’d been encouraging and supportive the whole time, however at the end of the day, I knew he wouldn’t give me any concessions for stepping in at the last minute. He had high expectations for his division and everyone was expected to deliver when it counted. Including those who were thrown in the deep end at the eleventh hour.

  As we stood waiting, Meredith, the bubbly, nothing-is-too-much-trouble student body coordinator who had been my lifeline to getting things done over the past week danced a little jig beside me. When I looked up, the bus was pulling through the college gates and my own insides gave a little flutter. Whether from nerves over the impending day or seeing a certain quarterback I wasn’t sure—both thoughts had been competing for time inside my head.

  It wasn’t until the day before when I was given the campus tour that it really sank in how much I’d need to work with Will. The team coach, Coach Davis, had taken great care to explain exactly where Jensen would do his opening address to the players, where Jensen would lead the team through a series of drills, where Jensen would work one-on-one with the quarterbacks. It was Jensen this, Jensen that—was this God’s idea of a joke? How ironic that the first time I would need to manage Will and his team through a major event was a week after I’d groped him like a cat in heat.

  How utterly professional of me.

  I watched as the team clambered off the bus one by one, mentally ticking off their names in my head and saying hello to the few who recognized me.

  There was no need for introductions—the dean was clearly a mad football fan and welcomed each player enthusiastically with a hearty fist pump. My heart rate kicked up a notch as Will came slowly into view, his long solid legs taking the stairs before his head finally appeared when he ducked below the bus door. He greeted the dean and the coach by name which had both of them positively beaming and I could feel Meredith beside me about to bust out of her skin with excitement. She grasped Will’s extended hand eagerly.

  “Hi, Will Jensen.”

  Meredith’s words tumbled out in quick succession as she eagerly pumped his hand. “Welcome to Florida State. We’re just thrilled to have you Jensen. I’m Meredith, you just let me know if you need anything, anything at all.”

  Will grinned, dimples on full show, and Meredith looked like she could have spontaneously combusted. He turned to me then, his expression unreadable as his chin lifted slightly in acknowledgement.

  “Hey.”

  Then he turned to stand with the rest of the team.

  Right. Well, that’s…one thing out of the way.

  I tried not to let my shock show as I waited for the bus to empty. Truth be told, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but fight or no fight, Hey definitely felt a little weak coming from someone who had nearly had a part of themselves inside me the last time we were together.

  We made our way through the tunnel and into the team rooms, Coach Davis providing a blow-by-blow of all the state-of-the-art football facilities on campus. As we walked, I psyched myself up to pull Will aside for a briefing, which had to happen between now and the time the team was introduced on field.

  He was walking alongside the dean, seeming genuinely interested in the tour of various pieces of equipment that did God knows what. I quickened my pace to jump in alongside them. It was now or never.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt but Will, could I borrow you for a quick briefing?”

  Will glanced over at me before excusing himself to Coach Davis and the dean.

  I turned as he motioned for me to lead the way, heading for the office that had been my second home for the past twenty-four hours.

  I felt awkward, unsure of what to do with myself as we entered the small space.

  Will spoke first. “Had a big week?”

  I turned, meeting his eyes. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “I heard about Dana’s dad.”

  I nodded. “It’s so awful…but it sounds like he’s recovering well.”

  I watched as his eyes tripped across my face, studying me. “You look tired.”

  “I am. I’ve hardly slept all week.”

  We stared at each other for an awkward beat. It was the strangest thing, this new Will. Gone were the flirtatious winks and the heated stares. In their place wasn’t exactly an unfriendliness, just…indifference.

  I hated it.

  “So…I um, I just wanted to go through everything for today with you. I’m sure you’ll be fine, I mean, of course you will be. You know, with everything you have to do and all.” Please stop rambling Emma. “But there’s a lot on, so I just wanted to run you through it and make sure you—”

  I jumped as Will’s hand brushed across my back.

  “Hey, calm down. I’m not planning on groping you in here.” He shrugged, frowning. “I just wanted you to relax…you seem nervous.”

  My shoulders fell, tension seeping from them as I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I am a little nervous. Today’s a big day for me.” I took a deep breath. If I wanted to clear the air, it was now or never. “And I’m sorry about last weekend. Things got a bit out of hand.”

  Will leaned back against the desk, crossing his ankles. “No, you’re not the one who should be apologizing. I was out of line, and what I said wasn’t fair.” He shrugged. “I’m not saying I don’t find your reasoning frustrating, but if that’s how you really feel, I’ll back off.”

  I nodded, finding it hard to meet his eyes. I hated the idea of him backing off but that was the very thing I’d asked him, no yelled at him, to do.

  “I like you Em. We should be able to be friends. We get along well.”

  I smiled, thinking how right he was. We did get along well. “Friends would be nice.”

  He nodded. “Good, friends it is.”

  “Yes, friends who refrain from dancing with each other.”

  Will frowned. “We should still be able to dance together.”

  I laughed. “Not the way you dance.” I felt my face go
red just thinking about it. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little embarrassed about…you know…” my voice trailed off, unable to even consider verbalizing our last encounter. Innocent phrases like Texas or nightclub or dance floor felt like they should exist alongside other dirty words in some adults-only dictionary.

  Will bent his head to meet my eyes. “If it helps, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about…you know…” His eyes ran down the length of my body and back up before widening deviously, and I had to lean against the desk to stop from sliding to the floor.

  This man was going to destroy me and the worst thing was I was powerless to stop him.

  Will straightened, frowning as he crossed his arms. “I have no willpower when it comes to you, did you know that?”

  I cocked my head, unsure of his meaning.

  “I promised myself I’d behave today, let you do your thing, but here I am, five minutes after we agree to be friends and saying shit like that.”

  I laughed, shoving his shoulder. “Your flirty banter I can cope with. Just don’t start giving me smoldering eyes or anything.”

  His lip twitched. “I’ll do what I can.”

  “Good. Now pay attention because today needs to go off without a hitch.”

  I ran Will through his obligations, where he had to be at what times and what he needed to be doing.

  “Does that all sound okay?” I said absentmindedly as I regathered my papers.

  “You’re perfect, Em.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  Will frowned. “What?”

  “What did you just say?”

  “I said sounds perfect, Em. Why, what did you think I said?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing, I must have misheard you.”

  Hadn’t I?

  “Let’s go, the sooner today’s out of the way, the sooner I can go to bed and sleep for a century.”

  “I have a very large comfy bed in my hotel room if you need it.”

  I stared open mouthed at him.

  “What? I was just joking.”

  “Wow, you really weren’t kidding about the whole lack of willpower thing.”

  Will shook his head, a big grin on his face. “Nope, I have none when it comes to you.”