Still Loving You

by Sheryl Lister

  Chapter 16

  Every time someone knocked on her office door Monday, Lauren jumped and her stomach lurched, thinking it was Carlos. Or worse, Malcolm coming to camp out just in case. By lunchtime her nerves were shot, and she decided to eat outside on one of the benches on the walking path. She found one positioned beneath a shade tree and hurried over. For the time being, she didn’t have to worry about Carlos since practice didn’t end for another hour.

  While eating her shrimp and avocado salad, she thought about her time with Malcolm’s family. Aside from the tension between her and Morgan, everyone else had been as nice as she remembered. His parents seemed to still be very much in love, and she’d noticed them sharing a kiss or an intimate touch on more than one occasion. The same could be said for all the couples in attendance, and she found herself feeling a little envy. She and Malcolm were progressing, but Lauren longed for the relaxed contentment she had seen on all their faces.

  Although he hadn’t said so, she knew he still didn’t trust her completely. Not that she blamed him. But it made her speculate on whether the relationship would crumble with the slightest test. If she could go back in time, she would definitely do things differently, starting with not listening to her friend back in college. She and Malcolm still might have broken up eventually, but it wouldn’t have been because of her.

  Lauren forked up another portion of the salad and realized how much she liked it. She’d found the recipe on the internet while looking for some lighter summer dishes. Thinking about recipes reminded her that Nigel had asked her to stop by. She finished her lunch, drained the green tea and headed back to her office to drop off the containers and pick up the large gift bag.

  She found Nigel seated on a stool at the back of the kitchen making a list. She placed the bag on the counter next to her.

  He glanced up at her entry. “Hey, Lauren.”

  “Hi, Nigel. It always smells so good in here.” She didn’t know what he and his staff were cooking for lunch, but it made her mouth water, despite the fact that she’d just eaten.

  Nigel smiled. “You’re welcome to grab a plate. We cook for the staff, too.”

  “Maybe next time. I just ate. You said you wanted to see me.”

  “Yes. I’m making the grocery list and I remember you mentioning a couple of new snack recipes you wanted to try.”

  “Oh, yes. I’ve had several of the guys—mostly the rookies and first-year players—complain about having to cut back on their sweets, so I wanted to try out a couple of lower-fat and low-sugar treats.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  Lauren pulled out her phone and clicked on her memos where she had noted the recipes. “One is a brownie recipe that uses dates and dark chocolate and doesn’t need to be baked. It’s just over one hundred calories per serving and has less than four grams of sugar.”

  “Anything without sugar can’t be labeled a dessert,” he teased. “Hey, that’s the number one requirement for me.”

  She laughed. “True, but since we have this regimen to consider...” She shrugged.

  Nigel waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah. What else you got?”

  “The other one is an apple-peach crisp.” She passed him her phone so he could see the recipe. “It’s about two hundred fifty calories, and we can even add a little light ice cream on top.”

  He shook his head. “No butter, no sugar. This is just sacrilegious, Lauren.”

  Lauren burst out laughing. She pointed to a line on the recipe. “There’s honey.”

  He slanted her a glance. “Three tablespoons...in the crumb topping.” Still shaking his head, Nigel said, “Okay, but if I get any complaints, I’m throwing you under the bus.”

  “Whatever.”

  He chuckled. “I’m just giving you a hard time. These sound really good.” He checked several cabinets. “I have most of the ingredients. Just need to get the fruit.” He wrote the items on his list. “Anything else you want to try?”

  “Actually, I made some cookies.”

  He gestured toward the bag. “Is that what you have in the bag?”

  “Yep.” She had found a recipe that called for a small amount of coconut sugar, dark chocolate chips and peanut butter. Thankfully, no one on the roster had a peanut allergy. She dug out a Ziploc bag and opened it. “Here, try one.”

  Nigel took one, bit into it and chewed thoughtfully. “I hate to admit it, but these are good. I hope you have enough.”

  “I hope so, too.” Lauren had made several dozen cookies that were about three and a half or four inches in diameter. “I’ll leave them here and you can add them to the buffet. How are the morning recovery shakes working out?”

  “Very well. My staff has taken to making a few extra because the coaches seem to enjoy them.”

  The news made Lauren smile. Having the coaching staff buy in to her recipes and suggestions meant the possibility of longevity in the position. A couple of staff members passed her with large bowls filled with fruit and salad mix. “Glad to hear it. I’ll get out of your way.” The team would be descending on the dining room shortly, and she wanted to be gone so as not to run into Carlos or Malcolm.

  “I’ll probably try out the brownies tomorrow. Feel free to pop in.”

  Now that her plan had been implemented, Lauren didn’t really need to be in the dining room during meals too often. She stopped in briefly a couple times a week just to answer questions or check on her more problem athletes. But she did want to find out how well the new dessert was received. “I may do that.”

  Nigel picked up the bag. “Thanks, Lauren.”

  With a wave, she departed. She made it halfway down the hall before she heard male voices. Great. Several guys passed her and spoke. She returned their greetings but didn’t break stride.

  “It’s too bad you didn’t take my offer.”

  The soft, menacing voice stopped her. She met Carlos’s dark, cold eyes. She quickly scanned the hallway, praying Malcolm was nowhere in sight. However, since Carlos, like most of the players, loomed over her like a mountain, she couldn’t see anything. Carlos stood waiting for her to respond, but rather than get into a confrontation, she chose to ignore him. Lauren turned away from his glare only to lock eyes with Malcolm.

  “I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  “Malcolm—”

  Malcolm leaned closer and said for her ears only, “If you don’t want me to pick you up and carry you out of here, then you should start walking.”

  Not wanting to cause a scene, she said, “Sure, I have a couple of minutes.” He followed her to her office and closed the door. Lauren rounded on him. “I thought you said you weren’t going to go all out and...and...whatever.” She threw up her hands.

  He folded his arms. “I didn’t. I only said I wanted to talk to you. If I were going all out, I would’ve kissed you like I did when we were playing gin.”

  She stared.

  “What? No comeback?” He laughed softly.

  No, she didn’t have a comeback. “You said you wanted to talk to me.”

  “What did Carlos say to you?” He held up a hand. “I saw your expression, Lauren, and I know he said something to upset you.”

  “It was nothing I can’t handle.” She went over to her desk and straightened a stack of folders.

  Malcolm came around the desk and rotated her to face him. “He’s the one who threatened you, isn’t he?”

  She opened her mouth to lie, but the scowl on his face stopped her. “Yes,” she said resignedly.

  He released her and stalked toward the door muttering, “When I get done with him...”

  Lauren rushed around the desk, stepped into his path and blocked the door. “No! You promised me you wouldn’t say anything to him.”

  “The man is three times your size, Lauren,” Malcolm snapped. “I’m not going to stand by and let h
im bully you.”

  She placed her hands on his chest. “Malcolm, please don’t. I don’t want you to get into trouble, and I already handled it.”

  His jaw tightened. “That doesn’t mean he won’t try to do something to hurt you. I will not allow that to happen. Don’t fight me on this, baby.”

  She would never forgive herself if Malcolm got suspended or worse, fired, and had to get him to see reason. “Listen to me. He’s not going to hurt me. He can’t. If no one knew about us before, they do now. You didn’t leave much room for question whispering in my ear,” she added wryly. “Baby, I couldn’t take it if you ruined your career for me. This is my job and I won’t let him or anyone else bully me into doing something wrong or illegal. You have to let me deal with it my way.”

  He let out a frustrated breath, brought his hands up to frame her face and rested his forehead against hers. “You’re killing me, baby. All I want to do is protect you.”

  Her heart skipped. She loved this man. “If I need you, I’ll let you know. I promise.”

  Malcolm kissed her softly and nodded. “I need to go shower.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Yes, you do.”

  He smiled for the first time. “You’re a cold woman.”

  “No, I’m a truthful one.”

  He gazed down at her. “I... I’m glad you’re back in my life, Lauren.” He gave her one more kiss that nearly melted her to the floor and slipped out.

  Lauren leaned against the closed door and smiled. Maybe they would make it this time.

  * * *

  Omar slid into the chair across from Malcolm in the dining room. “So, that’s the new definition of discreet?”

  Malcolm glanced up from his plate. “I told her yesterday we weren’t hiding anymore.”

  “Feel better now?” he teased.

  He smiled. “Shut up.” He didn’t know if better was the right word. Their time together would be limited now that the season was in full swing. The schedule didn’t allow another weekend off until two months from now, when the team had a bye week. They typically had a day off during the week, usually Tuesdays when the regular season started, but Lauren didn’t have the same schedule. And Malcolm typically still came in for a short workout. That only left the evening, and those two or three hours wouldn’t be nearly enough to satisfy him.

  Marcus set his plate on the table, went back for something to drink and came back. He leveled Malcolm with a stare. “So, what’s up with you and Lauren?”

  Omar chuckled and kept eating.

  “We’re dating.”

  “Ah, moving kind of fast, aren’t you? You just met the woman. She’s only been here, what, two months or so?”

  He cut a piece of his chicken and ate it before responding. “I didn’t just meet her.”

  “Malcolm and Lauren go way back,” Omar tossed out nonchalantly.

  Marcus divided a questioning glance between Malcolm and Omar. “Like how far back?”

  “College,” Malcolm said. “We dated for almost two years.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned. I know a couple of players whose feelings are going to be hurt,” he said with a laugh, gesturing across the room.

  Malcolm turned in the direction Marcus indicated and saw Lauren smiling and talking to Darren. For a split second, he felt a surge of jealousy. Then he calmed down. This was her job. She had to talk to the players. He shrugged. “Not my problem. She’s mine.”

  “So, what happened the first time?”

  Malcolm didn’t like rehashing the story, but he relented. “A couple of my buddies went to a party, and one of them got drunk. The other one called me and asked me to come help get him back to the dorm.” Malcolm had lived off campus, but his friends had known he’d be studying at the library that night for a kinesiology exam. He told how he went to the party, searched for his friend and convinced him to call it a night. “We got him outside and two girls followed, trying to persuade us to stay. Both had had a little too much to drink.” He paused as the painful memory came back. “Lauren and her roommate happened to be passing just as the girl plastered herself all over me and tried to kiss me.”

  Marcus shook his head. “No need to say more. I hope it works out this time.”

  So did Malcolm. He finished eating and stood to leave. The running backs’ meeting wouldn’t start for another twenty minutes, but he had something he needed to do first. “I need to go talk to Coach for a few minutes.” Both men looked at him with concern. Knowing he could confide in them, Malcolm braced his hands on the table and quietly told them what Carlos had done.

  “So do we kick his ass now or later?” Omar asked.

  Marcus made a move to stand.

  “I promised Lauren I wouldn’t say anything to him, but I never said I wouldn’t mention it to the coach or management,” Malcolm said.

  Slow grins spread across Marcus and Omar’s faces, and Marcus said, “Okay, but if he threatens her again, all bets are off. I’ll leave Jaedon to pick up Carlos’s remains.” His attorney brother was ruthless in the courtroom and had been instrumental in taking down Omar’s former agent, who had tried to ruin Omar and Morgan’s reputations.

  Malcolm nodded. “We think alike. I’ll see you later.” He passed Carlos on the way out, and it took a great deal of control to keep that promise he’d made.

  He knocked on Coach Smith’s open door. Martin Smith had been head coach of the Cobras since the beginning of Malcolm’s career, had taken the team to the playoffs seven of those eight years and brought home the championship trophy three times. He reminded Malcolm of retired coach Tony Dungy because of his uncanny way of connecting with the players and his calm demeanor. The two even favored one another slightly, with the exception of Coach Smith’s darker skin. “Hey, Coach. You have a minute?”

  Coach Smith waved Malcolm in. “Sure, Malcolm.” He set aside his papers and clasped his hands together on the desk. “What can I do for you?”

  He reached for the door. “You mind if I close this?”

  “Not at all.” He frowned. “Is everything all right? You’re not coming in here to tell me you’re retiring?”

  Malcolm smiled. “I still have a couple good years left in me, so I’m not retiring yet.”

  Relief flooded the other man’s face. “Thank goodness.”

  “I wanted you to hear it from me first that Lauren Emerson and I are dating.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

  “Yes. She and I have...history. I assure you this won’t affect either of our jobs.”

  “Well, there aren’t any policies against it, so I’m not following why you needed to make an announcement.”

  “There’s something else.” He paused a beat. “She’s been threatened by one of the players who wasn’t happy about her reporting his weight stats.”

  Coach leaned forward, concerned. “Exactly what do you mean by threatened...physically?”

  “No.” Malcolm shared the details of the threat. “He wanted her to do the same thing Stan did last year.”

  Coach scrubbed a hand down his face and rose to his feet. “I thought we handled all of that.”

  Malcolm wondered if Carlos had been part of the original scheme and had somehow slipped through the cracks. It could be why the man had felt bold enough to approach Lauren the way he had.

  “Who is it?”

  “Jenkins.”

  “Carlos?”

  “Yes.”

  Coach Smith shook his head. “I’ll talk to Green.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention me talking to you to Lauren.”

  A smile broke out on his face. “Don’t want her to know you’re interfering in her business.”

  “No.” If Lauren found out, she’d be livid. Malcolm’s feelings for her now were stronger than they’d been in college, and he couldn’t risk losing he
r again.

  He clapped Malcolm on the shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about her finding out.”

  “Thanks, Coach.” Malcolm left feeling much better. If management dealt with Carlos, he wouldn’t have to.

  Malcolm didn’t get home until after eight. He was tired but wanted to talk to Lauren. He trudged up the stairs to his bedroom, tossed his keys on the dresser and removed his shoes and shirt. He stretched out on his bed and called the number that topped his frequent-caller list.

  “Hey, Malcolm,” Lauren said when she answered.

  “Hey.”

  “You sound tired. Are you just getting home?”

  “Yep. How’d the rest of your day go? You didn’t have any more problems, did you?”

  “It was fine, and no. You should probably go to bed.”

  “What? You don’t want to talk to me? I think my feelings are hurt.”

  She laughed. “Silly man, your feelings are fine. I’d love to talk to you all night, but I know how exhausting your day can get.”

  Malcolm had always appreciated that about her. She never hassled him about the long hours he put into football. “Would you really?”

  “Really what?”

  “Talk to me all night.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then talk to me, baby.”

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I don’t know. Everything. Nothing.” The sound of her voice seemed to ease the weariness steeped in his bones, and he wondered if this was what his brothers meant by coming home to that special one. “You said you’ve changed. Tell me what’s changed about you.”

  “Okay. Hmm...let’s see. I’m not insecure anymore, and I go after what I want.”

  Malcolm’s heart rate kicked up a notch. What was she telling him?

  “But I still like to eat my Baskin-Robbins chocolate-chip ice cream in two cones.”

  He laughed so hard he started to choke. “I can’t believe you still do that.” The first time they’d gone to the ice cream shop, she asked for a second cone, and when they got back to his apartment, she’d divided the one scoop between the two cones, saying she liked a little ice cream with her cone. “And you still only get the one scoop?”