Touchdown on Love

by Lorana Hoopes

Clara couldn’t help the wide grin that split her lips. “Oh yeah? Why? I’m pretty sure I can run faster than you right now.” She darted to her left and then to her right, but she had misjudged how long Mason’s arms were, and he caught her arm as she passed him.

  She had no idea how he managed to do it on crutches, but somehow, he not only kept his balance, but managed to pull her close to his chest. His eyes stared down into hers. “Cheater. It’s not fair to kick a man while he’s down.”

  Her breath caught in her throat, as her gaze collided with his. “You don’t seem to be a man down at the moment.”

  “Well, they do pay me for my skills with my hands as well as my feet.” His eyes were burning through her with an intensity she hadn’t felt in years.

  “Do you have any other skills they pay you for?” She couldn’t believe the words had left her mouth. Was she flirting with him? What did that mean? What did she hope to gain from it?

  The corner of his mouth twitched. “Not that they pay me for, but I happen to think I’m skilled at one more thing.”

  She shouldn’t ask. She could tell from the look in his eyes exactly what he was referring to, but she couldn’t seem to stop her mouth from forming the words. “And what is that?”

  He lowered his head, and his lips touched hers. Tingles raced across her lips, out across her cheeks, and down her spine. She’d kissed a few men since she and Mason had broken up, but none of them made her feel like this. Before she could rein in her racing heart and respond, he had pulled back.

  “So, are you ready for that movie?” His eyes danced with laughter as he stared at her.

  He was teasing her, and she wanted to slap him for it, but she was also kind of glad he had pulled back. She needed to figure out what she wanted before she lost herself again. “Absolutely.”

  18

  Mason

  Mason could not help replaying that kiss in his mind. He had no idea why he had done it. Clara had broken his heart once already and he really didn’t need to feel that pain again, but she’d been so darn cute standing there in front of him. She’d smiled that tilted smile and he hadn’t been able to help himself. And it had been just as amazing as he’d known it would be. The question was where did that leave them now? Were they a couple again? Would she wake up tomorrow thinking it had been a mistake?

  “Are you going to put the movie on or not?” Clara teased him as she took a seat on the far end of the couch.

  “I’m working on it. Are you really going to sit that far away?”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “I wanted to give you space to prop up your foot. You are supposed to be taking it easy, remember?”

  Mason chuckled as he turned on the TV and the movie app. “How could I forget? You barely let me do anything.”

  “Oh, speaking of which,” she said, jumping up from the couch and hurrying to the front door. “I brought this back for you today.” She motioned to the scooter like she was one of the show girls on The Price is Right and he had just won a new car. “It’s a little old, but we’ll get you a newer one when we go to your appointment tomorrow if they have one.”

  “What appointment?” Mason knew the night before had been fuzzy but he was pretty sure she had never mentioned an appointment before.

  “The one with your doctor that I set up earlier this afternoon. You have to be fitted for a boot. I’ve heard they aren’t sexy, but it will help you start walking sooner.”

  The thought of a walking boot looking sexy on anyone curled Mason’s lips into a smile. “If it’s going to help me walk sooner, I don’t care if it’s old and ugly. Hey, bring that over here. I can prop my foot on it, and you can sit a little closer to me.”

  Clara narrowed her eyes at him but complied. “Just as long as you don’t try any funny business, mister. You’re still my charge.”

  Mason made the motion of a cross over his heart with his finger. “I promise. No funny business here.”

  Clara rolled her eyes but sat down in the middle of the couch this time instead of on the other end. Mason bit back a smile as the movie started. If this was anything like high school, she’d be curled up against his chest before the first half of the movie was over. Though Clara loved movies, she had the worst habit of falling asleep in the middle of them and begging him to re-watch it so she could see the end.

  He remembered how much that used to bug him, but he didn’t think it would so much now. Now, he would give anything just to have her closer to him, to feel her body heat and the soft tickle of her hair on his arm.

  Her hand lay just inches from his, and while it wasn’t as nice as having his arm around her, it would do for now. Hoping she wouldn’t push him away, he reached out and laced his fingers through hers. She smiled up at him and scooted a little closer.

  They watched half of the movie that way and though Mason had picked it, he really wasn’t paying much attention to it. He was much more focused on the beautiful woman beside him and how he could convince her to give them another shot. Before he could make another move, her cell phone rang in her pocket.

  She jumped, pulling her hand away from him as she reached into her pocket. “Sorry, I have to get this. I’m sure it’s work.” But as she spied the caller ID, her face shifted. Her finger paused over the button as if she didn’t want to answer it, but after a deep breath she pressed down. “Hi, Dad. What can I do for you?”

  Her father? No wonder she hadn’t wanted to answer the phone. Her father had been overbearing in high school, always dictating what Clara could do, where she could and couldn’t go. Mason had even wondered if her father had tried to break them up, but he’d never been able to prove it. From the sound of her voice, Clara’s relationship with him was still rocky.

  “Nothing, Dad. Just watching a movie.”

  Mason’s brow lifted. Just watching a movie? Why hadn’t she mentioned him? Was she embarrassed? Did she think her father wouldn’t approve?

  “Now’s not really a good time, Dad. Work is keeping me busy. One of the players was injured, and I’m in charge of the rehab.” She turned her head slightly and mouthed the word sorry at him.

  He knew her sorry was about having the conversation in front of him, but he was much more concerned with the fact that she wouldn’t say his name. She hadn’t told her father she was with him or that he was the injured player she was working with, and he had to know why. If she couldn’t even tell her father about him, how could they try to rekindle their relationship?

  “Sure, Dad, see you soon.” She ended the call and shoved the phone back in her pocket. “Sorry about that. I would have ignored the call, but sometimes he gets worse when I do that.”

  “Why did you lie to him?” Mason’s voice held an icy note.

  Her eyes widened, and she blinked at him in surprise. “What do you mean? I didn’t lie to him.”

  “Just watching a movie?”

  “We are just watching a movie,” she said as if that was all there was to it.

  “Yeah, but you didn’t tell him you were here with me. You couldn’t even tell him I’m the injured player you’re working with. Does he even know you took a job with the team I play for?” The pitch of his voice rose as the words flew out of his mouth. He knew he was being a little irrational but he couldn’t seem to stop it.

  The aversion of her gaze as she bit her lip told him the answer was no. “It wasn’t important that he knew.” Her voice was so quiet, he doubted she was even convincing herself.

  Mason crossed his arms. “You don’t think it’s important that the man who drove us apart years ago knows that you’re working closely with me?”

  Exasperated, Clara threw her hands up. “He’s not the one who drove us apart.”

  Mason quirked a brow. “Really? You can’t even tell him you’re with me and you expect me to believe he didn’t tear us apart? That he had nothing to do with you breaking up with me?”

  “He didn’t,” Clara said, but Mason knew she was lying. He could see it in the tell she’d al
ways had, the slight pursing of her lips before she spoke. He’d tried to teach her to play poker once, but even after telling her what her tell was, she hadn’t been able to keep from doing it every time she tried to bluff.

  Mason shook his head. How had he been so wrong? “I thought we were rekindling something here, Clara, but it will never work out if you can’t even tell him you’re here with me.”

  “It was just a kiss, Mason.”

  Just a kiss? The words were a slap in his face. “It wasn’t just a kiss to me, Clara. I’ve always known our breakup was wrong, but I hadn’t realized how much I’ve missed you until you came into my life again.”

  “Mason, I…” she paused as if struggling for the right words to say, “I don’t know if a relationship is a good thing right now.”

  “Obviously it isn’t,” Mason retorted, “since that kiss was ‘just a kiss’ to you.”

  “Okay, that was a poor choice of words,” Clara began.

  “No, I think it’s exactly what you meant,” Mason said, interrupting her. “I obviously didn’t mean as much to you back then as you did to me, and I certainly don’t now.”

  “Mason, that’s not-”

  “It’s fine, really. I’m kind of tired, so maybe we should call this an early night.” He wasn’t tired in the least, but he was emotionally drained and he didn’t feel like continuing the conversation any longer.

  “Are you sure?” Clara looked as if she wanted to argue but wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  She held his gaze a moment longer, and he saw the silent question in her eyes. The one that asked him if they were going to be okay, but he didn’t have an answer for her because he didn’t know.

  She let out a frustrated sigh and nodded. “Okay, I’ll be back at ten in the morning to take you to your appointment.”

  “Sure, sounds good.” It sounded about as fun as a root canal at the moment, but perhaps he could convince Justin to send someone else instead. Although, then he might have to explain why he didn’t want Clara, and he didn’t feel like doing that either. What a mess!

  With a final longing look, she grabbed her purse and exited the front door.

  19

  Mason

  “Do you want to tell me why I’m taking you to this appointment and not one of the trainers?” Duke asked as they entered the doctor’s office.

  Mason sighed. He had made the decision last night after Clara left that he was going to find a way to distance himself from her. It was obvious her feelings didn’t match his and having her come by every day would just be torture. “Clara is the athletic trainer they assigned me to.”

  “And? I thought you liked Clara.” Duke’s eyebrows arched in question.

  Mason checked in with the receptionist before answering. “Yeah, I thought things would be okay, but then last night she was at my house, and we kind of had a moment.” He sat down in a chair close to the door.

  “A moment? What exactly is a moment? I’m afraid I’m going to need a little more information to understand this sudden change of yours.”

  Mason ran a hand across his neck. “We kissed. It was probably stupid, but she had this smile, and she looked at me like she wanted me to kiss her. You know that look when a woman’s eyes focus on your lips?”

  Duke chuckled. “Yeah, I know the look. So, what happened?”

  Mason shook his head. “Her father called and suddenly she was different. Stiffer. She wouldn’t even tell him she was with me.”

  Duke had met Clara’s dad a few times, and Mason had often shared his suspicions of her father’s influence, so he was confident Duke understood what that meant. “Did you ask her about it?”

  Mason fixed him with a pointed stare. “Of course I did, but she said she didn’t actually lie to him, she just didn’t volunteer the information. I asked her if her father was the reason we broke up and she denied it.” He paused and blew out a frustrated breath. “I just know he had something to do with it.”

  Duke folded one arm across his chest and propped his chin up with the other. “I know her father wasn’t easy on you, but I think you might be making a bit of a jump there. Maybe there’s just something going on with her father that you don’t know about.”

  “Like the fact that he doesn’t like me for whatever reason and wants to keep us apart?” The sarcasm dripped from Mason’s voice.

  “Or maybe something else. Look, people withdraw for all sorts of reasons. You remember how sad Dad got when Grandpa died?”

  Mason remembered. He had been ten when their grandfather had been killed. Their father had picked them up from school and burst into tears as soon as they got into the car. It had taken nearly ten minutes for him to get the story out, and then Mason and Duke had joined in with the waterworks. What had been odd was that the grandfather had been their mother’s father, and she had barely seemed sad at all. At least until a month later when she had completely lost it during a church service.

  “Okay, but no one died.”

  “That you know of. How long has it been since you and Clara really talked?”

  Mason opened his mouth to respond but realized Duke was right. They hadn’t talked about her family or much of the past six years. “Maybe you’re right,” he said with a sigh, “but until I know for sure, it just seems safer for my heart to not be too close to her.”

  “Unless she’s the right woman,” Duke said, “then doing whatever it takes is worth it. If you don’t, you might be pushing away the one woman who can heal your heart.”

  Mason didn’t get a chance to respond as he was called back for his appointment.

  “The cast looks good,” the doctor said after examining his ankle. “You’ll still want to stay off it for a few more days, but we’ll get you fitted for a walking boot so you can start putting pressure on it.”

  “The doctor at the hospital said four to eight weeks of recovery time. Is that about right?”

  “I would say that’s a fair estimate. We’ll leave the cast on for a week and then have you come back. We’ll run another scan to see if it’s healing, and if it is, then we can start physical therapy.”

  Mason nodded. It wasn’t what he’d hoped to hear but it was what he’d expected. He didn’t bother to ask for a new scooter as the one Clara had brought him appeared to be working fine. With his new boot on and adjusted, he headed back out to Duke who’d waited in the reception area.

  “All good?” Duke asked as he approached.

  “For now. Follow up in five days.” Mason patted his shirt pocket which held his release papers and all the instructions for care for the next few days.

  Duke nodded. “All right, back home then?”

  Mason checked his watch. More than likely Clara had already come and gone, but what if she’d stuck around to wait for his return? Duke’s words still tumbled through his mind, but he needed more time to process them. “Actually, can we just drive around for a bit? Maybe grab some lunch?”

  Duke shook his head and chuckled. “You’re going to have to face her again sooner or later.”

  “I know, but I’m settling for later right now.”

  “All right, let’s grab some food and then maybe we can work on a plan to get her back. If that’s what you want.”

  20

  Clara

  Clara’s guilt was still weighing on her as she pulled into Mason’s driveway to take him to his appointment. He was right. Her father had been the reason they broke up. Or at least the main part of the reason. He’d offered to pay for Mason’s college funds if she broke it off, and Clara had known Mason could use the money. Sure, she could have said no, but it certainly hadn’t been her idea to break it off.

  He was also right about the current situation. She hadn’t told her father about the interview at first because she’d been afraid he would tell her not to go. Then she had deliberately failed to mention the team she worked for was the same one Mason played for. She’d just known he would pressure her to quit. And she co
uldn’t imagine what he would do if he found out she was spending every day with Mason through his recovery. Drag her back to their small town probably, but why was she letting him control her life still?

  She was no longer a girl in high school, dependent on her father’s money. She had a good job, a steady income, and she could fend for herself no matter what her father said, so why was she so afraid of him? The truth was, she was afraid he would tell Mason. He said he still cared for her, but would he if he knew what she had done?

  She couldn’t let him know. Yes, this way hurt, but this was her cross to bear for her decision, and whatever pain she caused Mason now was way less than he would suffer if he knew the truth. She just needed to rebuild that wall in her heart and make sure she didn’t let it lower again.

  Using the front door key felt even more awkward after last night, but she didn’t want to make him hobble to the door either. So, she unlocked the door and opened it slightly as she knocked. “Hello, it’s Clara. I’m here to take you to your appointment.”

  Mason was not in the living room, nor did he holler out at the sound of her voice. A tremor of anxiety sprouted in her stomach. Was he injured? Just ignoring her? “Mason?” She continued into the kitchen, but he wasn’t there either. However, she did spy a bowl in the sink, so he had been here at some point.

  She spun around slowly trying to decide if she should go upstairs and look for him and that’s when she saw it. A note propped on the table with her name on it. She walked to the table and picked up the piece of paper, knowing what it said before she even read it.

  “Clara, I asked Duke to take me in today. No need to worry about me. I’ll call you if I need you. Mason.”

  So, that was it. He was washing his hands of her. Though she couldn’t blame him after the way she’d acted last night, the dismissal hurt. Plus, Justin had assigned her to help him. What was she going to tell him?