Touchdown on Love

by Lorana Hoopes

  His mind wandered to her again as they walked down the hallway to the meeting room. Had she followed her dream? Was she working for some college team now? Or maybe even a professional team? She’d said that was her dream. For them to be on the same team - him playing ball and her stitching him up. That’s what she’d said her dream was, but they must have been empty words because she’d broken up with him not long after that. He’d pressed her for the reason, but she had just shaken her head and said they were too different. Whatever that meant. So, he’d left.

  He’d joined the Tornadoes and tried to forget about her. That was easier said than done. Though it was true he rarely had time to date, he had tried over the last few years. But none of them could compare to Clara. With her strawberry blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, she possessed an aura that could charm even the toughest grinch. No matter what he tried to do, he couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind.

  He took a seat between Tucker and Jefferson in the back row as most of the other seats were already filled. The other men must have come straight from the cafeteria.

  A few minutes later, the head trainer, Justin, walked in. “Good morning. As you all know, Doug left us suddenly to follow his wife. Though there are only a few games left this season, we didn’t want to go into the final games a trainer down, so we put out some feelers, and I’m pleased to say we’ve found a trainer to take his spot. She comes to us with extensive knowledge and expertise.”

  She? Mason had been spacing out, but at the mention of the feminine pronoun he sat up straighter. True, Clara probably wasn’t the only woman who wanted to be an athletic trainer, but he didn’t know very many. Could they have actually hired her?

  “She’s been working with the University of Texas but is excited to join us now. Though she’ll be working mainly with the offensive line, I’m sure all of you will chat with her at one point or another. Please help me welcome Clara Bradford.”

  Mason gasped and leaned forward as if he’d been punched. Clara was here?

  “You okay?” Tucker whispered beside him.

  Mason shook his head but didn’t even glance toward his friend. His eyes were glued on the door. He saw the shimmery red of her hair before the rest of her appeared. She was a little older but no less beautiful. In fact, if it was possible, he thought she was even prettier than before. Her face was a little more defined, and there was a glow to it that hadn’t been there before.

  Though she was smaller than Justin and probably every man in the room, she commanded attention. She always had. It had been one of the first things that drew Mason to her. “I’m pleased to meet you all and look forward to working with you the rest of this season.”

  “I bet a lot of the guys are going to look forward to working with her too,” Jefferson said in a hushed whisper.

  Mason shot him a glare. He had been so excited to see Clara again that he hadn’t even thought about her working with the other men. It would kill him if any of them started seeing her. He could only hope that she wouldn’t mix business and pleasure. Or that he could convince her they belonged together before she fell for anyone else.

  His gaze traveled back to Clara, and her eyes caught his. She flashed a small smile, sending his heart thudding in his chest. Was she happy to see him? Surprised? Surely, she must have known this was his team. Had she come hoping to run into him?

  “Okay, we’ll let you get to the rest of your day. Don’t hesitate to come to us if you have any questions.”

  Justin dismissed the group, and Mason stood to head to an offensive line briefing with the rest of his teammates. His eyes, however, stayed on Clara until he was out of the room.

  “You have a thing for the new doc already?” Jefferson asked as he elbowed Mason.

  “She’s not new to me,” Mason returned. “Clara is my ex-girlfriend.”

  Jefferson’s eyes widened. “Oh, man, I’m sorry. Did you know she was coming here?”

  Mason shook his head. “We haven’t spoken in years. I wasn’t even sure she had become an athletic trainer, but I guess that question has been answered at least.”

  “Are you going to be able to work with her?”

  That was a very good question. “Are you kidding? This is my second chance. She said we were too different when we broke up after high school, but here we are, on the same team. That can’t be a coincidence, right?”

  Jefferson smiled. “You know I don’t believe in coincidences. God has a plan for everything in our lives, even when we don’t understand it at first.”

  Mason cocked his head at Jefferson. Why did he get the feeling his teammate was talking more about his own life than Mason’s? “Well, I don’t know what His original plan might have been, but I’ll certainly accept her being in my future.”

  3

  Clara

  Clara looked up at the knock on her office door. Mason stood in there, a smile on his face. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure,” she said, trying to calm the pounding in her chest. She had loved Mason Dixon since her Sophomore year in high school and breaking up with him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. Probably the stupidest too, but she’d believed her father when he’d said it was for the best. And she’d tried to put him from her mind, but he’d never been far. She’d always considered him “the one that got away” even though she had initiated their breakup, and though she’d dreamed of seeing him again one day, she hadn’t actually thought it would come true.

  “How are you settling in?” He rubbed one arm and then the other in a nervous gesture that made her smile. Could he still have feelings for her as well?

  “Well, I’m still unpacking as you see.” She motioned to the boxes around her. “My apartment is even more of a mess, but I’m liking it so far.”

  “I could help if you’d like. Practice is over for the day, and I wouldn’t mind catching up with you.”

  “Really?” Clara wanted to say yes. She wanted to spend time with him, but was that a good idea? She had no idea if anyone knew about their past or if there were rules about dating between team members, but surely no one could condemn two friends catching up. “I mean it’s pretty boring unpacking boxes, but if you want.”

  “I want.” He offered a crooked smile and opened one of the boxes. “So, what have you been doing for the last six years? Besides becoming an athletic trainer that is.”

  Clara chuckled and pulled a few of her medical books out of a box. “That’s pretty much it. I went to Texas Tech after high school and spent my years learning sports medicine and working with the team. Then I took a job with The University of Texas after graduation. That’s where I’ve been for the last year.” She wondered if he was fishing for information about her romantic life, and the thought made her smile. She had dated a few guys in college and almost gotten engaged to one of her father’s employees - that was a long story - but none of them had held a candle to Mason, and she doubted he really wanted to hear that information. More likely, he was fishing to see if she was single, and she was curious if he was as well.

  “And what made you want to come here? To Southlake, I mean,” he asked as he placed books on the shelf beside hers.

  “My friend saw the job offer and she knew I’d always wanted to work for a professional team. I didn’t think I had a chance, but she persuaded me to apply, and here I am.”

  He paused for a second and chewed on his bottom lip as if he wanted to ask something but wasn’t sure how. “Did you know?”

  “Did I know what?” And then she realized what he was asking. “You mean did I know that you played for the Tornadoes?”

  “Yeah.” It was only one word, but so much emotion existed in that one word.

  “I did.” Her heart thudded again as a smile curved his lips. “I followed your career, but I didn’t think I’d actually ever work on the same team you played for.”

  “You used to say that was your dream, before…” Mason shrugged as he let the word trail off, but Clara knew what he was thinking. Befo
re she broke up with him. Before she sent him away, heartbroken and confused. Before she had the courage to stand up to her father. Well, she hadn’t really done that yet. She’d simply distanced herself, but one day she would.

  “Mason, I…” She paused. She wanted to tell him she was sorry, but if she did, he would want to know why and she couldn’t tell him. He looked like he might forgive her now, but if he knew the real reason, she doubted he would.

  “Ah, Clara, there you are.”

  Clara jumped at the sound of Justin’s voice in the doorway. Heat climbed across her face as if she and Mason had been caught in a compromising position, and she took a step away from him to increase the distance. “Here I am, unpacking. What can I do for you, Justin?”

  Justin’s eyes narrowed as he looked from Clara to Mason and back again. “I need to get some signatures from you for the paperwork. Do you think we could do that now?”

  “Sure, Mason was just helping me unpack, but I can finish that later.” She glanced at Mason, hoping he would agree and not say anything about their past to Justin. At least not until she knew what the rules were.

  “Yeah, I was just helping her get settled, but I need to be going anyway. It was good to see you again, Clara.” Mason flashed her a small smile before stepping past Justin and out of the office.

  “Again? You two know each other?” Justin asked.

  Clara wondered if he was asking merely out of curiosity or for some other reason. “Yeah, Mason and I went to high school together.”

  “Aha, well, if you’ll come with me, we’ll get you taken care of and you can get back to unpacking before the weekend.”

  Clara nodded and followed Justin, but her mind was still on Mason. Was he happy she was here? She hoped she would have more time to speak with him soon.

  4

  Mason

  “What’s with the goofy smile tonight?” Mason’s brother, Duke, asked as he dealt the cards for their weekly Friday night poker game. It wasn’t every weekend Mason got to join his brother and their friends, but as they had this weekend off, he had the time.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mason said, trying to wipe off his grin. It was impossible though because every time he thought about Clara’s sweet smile, the corners of his lips lifted again.

  “Right,” Pete said. “You look like a cat who ate a canary.” Pete was one of the first people Mason and Duke had met when they moved to Southlake. He owned a local comic book store and though Mason wasn’t a huge fan, Duke was. The man had just about everything Batman that existed.

  “Well, can’t a guy be happy? We made it to the playoffs again, I’ve got another chance at a championship ring, what’s not to be happy about?” Mason looked at his cards and tried not to sigh. He enjoyed poker, but it seemed he always had the worst luck whenever he played.

  “Yeah, but you knew that last week when we met.” Duke tossed a chip into the middle to call. “So, what happened today?”

  “Fine,” Mason said with a sigh as he tossed his own chip in. “We got a new athletic trainer.”

  “I thought you liked your old trainer. What was his name? Doug?” Pete looked up as he tossed his chip in to call.

  “Yeah, I did. Doug was great, but he left when he got married and today we met the new trainer, and she’s also great.”

  “She?” Duke’s brow lifted. “Ah, now I understand the smile. She must be pretty. Is my monk of a brother finally ready to move on with his life?” He laid down the first upturned card of the river.

  A three of hearts would not help Mason at all, but he tossed in another chip to call. “Hey, I’ve dated. They just haven’t worked out.”

  “Because you haven’t wanted them to work out. You’ve been hung up on Clara since she broke up with you.”

  “Wait, who’s Clara?” Pete asked as he raised the pot.

  “Just his high school sweetheart who dumped him after graduation for no good reason,” Duke replied. “Too rich for my blood. I fold.”

  “Ouch, that sounds rough,” Pete said as Duke laid down the next card. An Ace of Hearts. That would help him as he had an Ace in his hand, but it also might help Pete who seemed to have a never-ending string of luck whenever they played. “So, tell us about this new trainer. What’s her name?”

  Mason bit his lip. He shouldn’t have brought this up. It was obvious his brother was still angry at Clara. He probably should be too, but he was still convinced there was more behind their breakup, especially after today. Still, he’d opened up the can of worms; there was no putting the lid back on now. “Clara.”

  Though it hadn’t been noisy before, the silence that fell around the table was deafening. Mason pushed in a few chips before glancing up. His brother’s mouth hung open in shock and the look on Pete’s face was pure confusion.

  “That’s a weird coincidence,” Pete said slowly as he matched Mason’s chips.

  “It’s not a coincidence.” Duke’s voice was low and hard. “He’s talking about the girl who stomped on his heart.”

  “It wasn’t exactly like that.” Mason’s defensive wall was up, but he wasn’t sure he could really explain to his brother why not. “I told you I thought her father was the reason for her breaking up with me. Anyway, no one said I was dating her again. It was just nice to see her again, and I’m happy that she’s doing what she always wanted to do.”

  That was mostly the truth, but Mason would be lying if he wasn’t hoping there was a chance they would date again. Clara had been his first love, and he was fairly certain, she was his true love. Perhaps now that she was no longer living under her father’s roof, she would see that too.

  Duke shook his head sadly as he laid down the next river card. “I know you better than that, Mason. You know I’ll support you, but I just hope you aren’t headed for Heartbreak Road again.”

  So did Mason. He’d survived their breakup once, but it had done a number on him. He wasn’t sure if he’d survive a second time. “Fold,” he said, throwing in his cards. The last card hadn’t helped him and he just didn’t have the energy to bluff. Maybe coming over here tonight hadn’t been the best idea.

  5

  Clara

  Clara watched the city fade behind her as she headed out of Southlake. It was Saturday, and her day off. Though she had started on a Friday, Justin had still given her the weekend to get settled into her apartment and to take some time to visit her best friend from college, Adrienne.

  She and Adrienne had met in the dorms at Texas Tech. Clara had somehow managed to snag a coveted single while Adrienne had been sidled with the roommate from Hades. The two girls had met in the hallway one night and traded horror stories. Clara hated living alone, and Adrienne could barely hear herself think over her roommate’s music. At the end of the semester, the two had decided to get an apartment together near campus.

  Though nearly polar opposites, somehow it worked for them. Clara ate a healthy breakfast of a protein waffle or eggs every morning while Adrienne had Dr. Pepper and a bag of Doritos. Clara liked enchiladas while Adrienne ate boxed Mac N Cheese for nearly every dinner, and while Clara had been born in a wealthy family, she’d still had to do her own laundry. Adrienne, however, took her clothes to a dry cleaner and then ironed them again when she got them home.

  Clara chuckled as that memory surfaced in her mind. She’d come home to find Adrienne ironing a pair of jeans. Jeans!

  “What are you doing?” Clara asked as she watched her friend move the iron slowly over the denim.

  Adrienne looked up, confusion clouding her blue eyes. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m ironing.”

  “I see that, but why are you ironing jeans?” Clara hated ironing and avoided it whenever possible. Still, she’d been known to use an iron when a dress or nice shirt was too wrinkled, but she’d never once seen anyone iron blue jeans.

  Adrienne’s brow furrowed. “How else am I supposed to get the crease line?”

  Clara threw up her hands and laughed. “Jeans
aren’t supposed to have a crease line. There’s a reason they aren’t considered work attire. They’re supposed to be casual wear.”

  “But they look so wrong if they don’t have the crease.”

  Clara hadn’t won that argument. Even four years later when the girls had gone their separate ways, Adrienne still ironed her jeans. She had learned to use a washer and dryer though and stopped paying for a dry cleaner. Clara supposed she could count that as a win.

  Now, Adrienne was married to a man she had met at her job and had two small children. Clara wondered if Adrienne had relaxed her standards with the addition of the kids. It was certainly hard to keep everything pressed and put away with kids in the picture, but somehow Clara could picture Adrienne wandering through the house after the kids were asleep and picking up after them. At least her diet probably hadn’t had to change much. Adrienne had always eaten like a kid which was such an anathema compared to her perfection in every other area of her life.

  Adrienne’s house was just as Clara pictured it. The grass was manicured to perfection and still green though it was January. They probably had the sprinkler system on a timer if Adrienne’s husband was as meticulous as she was. A white picket fence surrounded the land, and a wraparound porch completed the look. Clara pulled up to the side of the fence and turned off the car.

  As if she had heard the sound of the car, Adrienne popped out of the front door a moment later. She held her youngest on her hip, and the older boy toddled behind her. It had been a few years, but other than wearing a slightly harried expression, Adrienne looked exactly the same with her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and soft smile.