City of Champions

by Barlow, Chloe T.

  "Aubrey you are the worst whisperer, ever," Jenna sputtered out. "Both of you, out of my ears, now."

  "Is everything okay over there?" Kimberly, their yoga instructor, asked with a soft, tranquil voice.

  "Yes, it's fine. Sorry, I'm just trying to sort something out," Jenna said, before turning back to Aubrey and growling out, "like how I am going to make you pay, girly."

  "Oh, come on, give her a break. And give me one, too, while you're at it. Why are you always fighting me, Doc? This isn't a competition."

  "It's not? I don't buy it. The only people who say something's not a competition are the ones that always win. I've been on the losing end of things enough for one lifetime."

  "Oh good, we're learning about each other now. My sister tells me that's important to women."

  "See, he's showing he's sensitive, Jenna, or at least that he's genetically related to a smart female, so that's something."

  "I already knew he has a sister, Aubrey."

  "Then why are you being so pissy? You seem to be old buds now."

  "Hey, guys," Tea ran up to them breathlessly. "So sorry I'm late, today was crazy and… What in the hell?"

  "Tea, you remember Wyatt McCoy from the Denver game, right?" Jenna offered with a resigned tone.

  "Of course, but I'm just surprised to see him here is all."

  "Well, Aubrey…"

  "Oh, that explains it," Tea said, in that easy, goofy way she had with things, before putting her hand out for him to shake it. "How nice of you to join us, Mr. McCoy."

  "My pleasure. It's great to see you again. Althea, right?" he asked.

  "Oh, Lord, only Griffen calls me that. Please, call me Tea," she said, smoothing her hair back with her left hand.

  "Wow, that is some rock you've got there, Tea."

  "Oh, thanks. How sweet of you to notice."

  "I'd have to get my eyes checked if I missed that," he teased, and Jenna could kick him for being so charming. Instead, she fidgeted with her yoga mat with her big toe, avoiding eye contact.

  "I'm still getting used to it myself," Tea answered.

  "Congratulations. He's a lucky guy. Well, I better get myself settled in for my first yoga class," he said, winking at Jenna, until she had to roll her eyes at him to control her own desire to smile.

  "Wyatt…"

  "Yes, Doc?" he said, turning and looking at her in that intense way that always managed to make her forget all of her words.

  "Um, uh…"

  "Good point, Jenna."

  "Shut up, Aubrey. Wyatt, I meant to say, please be careful with your shoulder, okay? Use some of those blocks and a strap from the back of the room, and if you feel any strain in any position, just ask the instructor for a modification, okay?"

  "You got it, Doc," he said, with a sweet smile that made her feel gooey in the worst way. Jenna turned away.

  "So, Jenna, does this mean you're finally breaking your no-athletes-ever policy?" Tea asked her quietly.

  "Oh, it's a whole no-athletes thing? I get it, so it's not about me?"

  "Wyatt, you need to stop eavesdropping," Jenna spun around and said to him sternly.

  "It's not my fault. Tea is bad at whispering, too."

  "Okay, enough of that, all of you. I assume no one else is coming to class today?"

  "That's true," Wyatt answered. "The instructor was nice enough to let me purchase all of the remaining slots, except for you three, of course."

  "Of course. Fine. Wyatt, you can join the class, but stay in your area."

  Wyatt simply smirked and rolled out his mat directly behind hers, situated perfectly to have an hour-long unobstructed view of her butt.

  "This room is almost empty and you put your mat there? Wyatt, that is not your area."

  "But the view from behind you is good for my Zen."

  She tried to be furious, but a smile was quirking her lips and she had to hide her face.

  "But you realize you're messing with my Zen, right?"

  "I've been trying to mess with you for weeks now, I thought I made that clear?"

  "Let's begin with Cobbler’s Pose today," Kimberly intoned from the front of the room, effectively silencing the four of them.

  To his credit, Wyatt took the class very seriously, even though Jenna was pretty sure he was staring at her ass more than was necessary, but it did make her glad she'd worn her tightest yoga pants. Just because she couldn't ever have anything to do with him didn't mean it wasn't nice to know he enjoyed the view she presented in Plow Pose.

  As the class ended and they packed up to leave, she turned to give him a polite farewell.

  "Did you enjoy it, Wyatt?"

  "I did. It was great advice. My shoulder feels better already."

  "Did you feel more centered and focused like we discussed?"

  "I was very focused on your body. Does that count?"

  "That's not the kind of outlet I was talking about when we discussed this part of your recovery."

  "Why not? It's an outlet I am very interested in."

  "Wyatt, please…"

  But he ignored her and leaned closely, and with an actual whisper, he gently informed her, "You and me? We're going to happen, Doc. I'm not afraid to wait. I'm pretty sure you'll be worth it." He let his lips brush her earlobe, sending a shock wave through her body. Then, before Jenna could even fight to get her bearings back, he leaned away and stood to his full height. "See you later, Doc. You too, ladies." As he walked out, Jenna clutched her yoga mat and tried to appear under control.

  "Well, well. Now that was hot," Aubrey said to her, making her jump.

  "Oh, he's got you all worked up, girl. I love it," Tea said, clapping her hands together.

  "Stop it, you two."

  "Why aren't you playing with that bad boy? You deserve to have some fun."

  "Even if it weren't everything I don't need right now, it would be inappropriate."

  "Aren't you giving your opinion soon? So it won’t be an issue after that, right?"

  "I will, any day now, and technically no, it won't be an issue then — but it wouldn't look right. I can't risk losing whatever chance I have at that fellowship. It's everything I've ever wanted."

  "Not everything."

  "Shut up, Aubrey."

  "Good argument, Jenna," Tea said, with a harsh chuckle.

  "Get your mat and let's go or I'll tell you to shut up, too," Jenna teased.

  "Ooh, I'm scared!" Tea laughed out, with her hands waving comically by her face.

  "I'm going to kill you both. Slowly."

  "Oh, come on, sugar, oh wait, now he calls you Doc, right?" Tea said, as she and Aubrey both began to laugh hysterically.

  "Stop it. At least he doesn't call me "gorgeous" nonstop."

  "She's got you there, Tea."

  "Hey, Jenna, that's not nice. It's so sweet when Griffen says that."

  "For you, maybe," Aubrey responded, as she slipped her yoga mat into her bag. "But for the rest of us — blech."

  "All right, Brey. It's not that bad, Tea. I think it's cute," Jenna said gently. She may be annoyed, but she also wanted to let Tea enjoy her new life without torment.

  "Anyways… Quit changing the subject, Jenna. You know that Wyatt's yummy," Aubrey cut in. "And you've been so crabby lately. I think you should let yourself have a taste of somebody. If not him, what about Griffen's bud, Trey? He seems to like you."

  "Trey is a friend and that’s all."

  "Man, you have a lot of rejections ready, woman. I think you should try out a 'yes,'" Tea suggested.

  "Good point, Tea," Aubrey said. "Especially because Trey is hella hot. He makes me want to break my computer just so I can have him come over and fix it."

  "I hate you both," Jenna muttered.

  "Oh, stop. You know you really do need to relax, Jenna. You're too wound up."

  "I'll find another way that doesn't involve opening those cans of worms. Now I really do need to go."

  "Okay, honey, calm down. But this conversation isn't over,"
Tea said, waving her finger at Jenna.

  "It never is," Jenna muttered to herself, as she flung her mat under her arm and made her way to the back of the room where they all collected their coats to bundle up for the blustery walk to their cars.

  "Hey, Gabe, what's up?" Wyatt said, as he clicked his cell phone onto speaker mode and placed it on his coffee table, freeing his hands up to wrap one of his sister's Christmas presents.

  Wyatt had spent most of his day off like this — trying to distract himself while he waited to hear what Jenna would tell his team. His agent had told him the team was informed her report was coming through today, and he'd been wound up ever since.

  He told himself that was why he pulled up the only picture of her he could find on the Internet and stared at it for longer than was probably necessary.

  Her hospital biography picture didn't really do her justice, but it was good enough to occupy his attention in his quiet house on Washington's Landing. It was a small cluster of homes and townhomes on an island in the Allegheny River that was once the site of industrial pollution, but now had been revitalized into a clean and stunning private haven complete with wildlife and trees, even though it was deep in the heart of the city.

  Usually, its quiet beauty reminded Wyatt of when he was very young growing up on Lake Travis. Right then it just made him feel like a caged animal, desperate to escape and grab his own future in his claws and not let it go. Instead, he could only wait — and talk to his agent.

  "It looks like you don't have the kind of irresistible force over women you thought, Wyatt."

  "Shit. That doesn't sound good."

  "Jenna Sutherland supplied her diagnosis."

  "And?" Wyatt asked, even though he had a sick dread in his stomach that showed he already knew the outcome.

  "Surgery, with six to eight months of recovery. And she suggested a change in your playing style to prevent future injury and improve your stats. The GM ate it up. She's some kind of football savant apparently."

  "Yeah, she appears to be," he answered morosely, feeling his jaw tightening.

  "She's not wrong, you know. Her tips sounded pretty good actually."

  "You're just full of good news today, aren't you? I heard some of her ideas, I thought they were good, too. But the only idea that matters is that she said surgery. Do you know anything else?"

  "I know that management is definitely on the fence about you. They'll wait until the end of the season to decide what to do with you, but if you go out for surgery — there's really no telling what will happen. I've already gotten calls from other teams."

  "A third team in three years?"

  "Right. And this transition would be to a backup position. Pittsburgh could kick you down to backup, too."

  "Hell, no."

  "You could move up to starting QB from there, if you prove yourself — for the Roughnecks, or some other team. Nobody wants to take a chance on you right now, Wy. A pay cut and backup position is much safer for any team that's considering you. Maybe you should think about it, too."

  "I'm in my ninth year. That's when I'm supposed to be finally hitting my stride. How would surgery and being second string affect our other plans? My endorsements, modeling, broadcasting?"

  "It won't help them. I also talked to my friends at Fox Sports and ESPN. They liked your off-season appearances on their NFL shows, but I won't lie — they usually want someone that's gone out with a bang, not a whimper. At least gone to the championships. Play-offs aren't enough. I'll keep hooking you up with modeling gigs and endorsements, but if your plan is to support your family after you retire…I think we need to have another idea — a Plan B."

  Wyatt looked at Jenna's UPMC biography picture again and then at Claudia's half-wrapped gift. It was a key chain for the car he planned to buy her in honor of the holiday and graduating early. It would be a safe, reliable car that would take care of her for years — just like he wanted to do, for her, and the rest of his family.

  He steeled himself for what he had to do. Maybe he hadn't been able to persuade Dr. Sutherland yet, but he could still push harder. Even if he wasn't sure how it would turn out, he had to try — there was nothing else for him to do.

  "Are you still there, Wy?"

  "I already have a Plan B, Gabe. I'll get started on it now."

  "Wyatt, what are you thinking? If it has to do with bothering that surgeon, give it up. You didn't affect her opinion this time. You don't really think you can get her to change it, do you?"

  "Don't worry about it. Just keep trying to figure out what Pittsburgh wants to do. If they have anyone else in mind to take my position and who it is, okay?"

  "Dammit, Wyatt…"

  "Talk to you later, Gabe, bye."

  "Fine. Bye."

  Wyatt knew Gabe was pissed at him, but he couldn't worry about that now. Instead he dialed Jenna's number, trying his damnedest to ignore the tightening in his stomach that happened as he waited — hoped — she would answer.

  This wasn't about fun — it was all business, he assured himself. It was time to see if Dr. Sutherland was in the mood for a little holiday ice skating. He figured women were into that kind of thing, or at least he was hoping this one was.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Wyatt was wrapping up a lengthy round of photographs and autograph signings with eager young kids, all of whom were clearly ecstatic for a chance to meet their football heroes, when he saw Jenna watching him seriously from the edge of the rink, her gloved hands clutching the railing.

  Nestled in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh's Market Square, this holiday ice rink with its centerpiece of a Christmas tree was a perfect scene to melt Dr. Sutherland's icy barrier to him, but it was his own that he felt breaking down. There was no denying he was attracted to her. She was dressed simply, but even in jeans and a winter coat, she was downright distracting.

  The kids began to skate around the rink, giving Wyatt a chance to take a break and talk to her.

  "Well, well, well, look who we have here. How are you, Doc?"

  "Hello, Wyatt. You know you're the one who invited me, right?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

  "I'm just surprised to see you came after all. I figured you'd back out. I think I'm growing on you."

  "It appears so — kind of like a fungus."

  "All right. I'll take it," he laughed. "I'm glad you came to see me."

  "Maybe I agreed to come because I wanted to remove the element of surprise. If you're going to keep popping up in my yoga classes, who's to say you won't appear somewhere else — maybe at the Giant Eagle when I'm out getting groceries?"

  "Nah, I'm an Austin, Texas boy, I go to the Whole Foods here. That's my hometown store after all. But if you ever shop there, let me know, I'll meet you at the salad bar."

  "Another intriguing offer. But I like this one — who can resist an ice skating rink with a big Christmas tree? And I love kids."

  "Good, then I guessed right."

  "You did, but I have to say, I'm actually surprised you called. I figured you'd disappear after I submitted my opinion. I'm sorry about that, Wyatt. It wasn't personal, I really did take into account all your worries, but it's what's best for you…"

  She looked down at her hands and it seemed like she honestly did regret having to deliver news that was so devastating to him. Though, he couldn't let that mean anything to him except that he might be able to get her to reconsider her decision.

  He touched her chin for just a moment and turned her face up to look at him. "Hey, you aren't getting soft on me, are you?" he teased, until she shook her chin out of his hand and released a laugh.

  "No, never. I'm tough," she said, with a small smile.

  "Look, don't feel bad. You were just doing your job. This is my way of saying there are no hard feelings. Who knows, maybe you'll find out you can even enjoy spending some time with me."

  "True, who knows?"

  "Pretty good event, huh?"

  "It is. But there's really no press here?" she aske
d, looking around a bit nervously.

  "You don't trust me?"

  "It's not that, it's just, I hate the idea of a lot of attention. I like to live a pretty private life."

  "Then this is perfect. It's just for the kids, no publicity, and it wasn't even announced, so you should be safe with me."

  "Thanks. I don't know how you guys do it."

  "What, ice skate?" he asked with a half-smile.

  "No, silly."

  "Hmm, you think I'm silly now, do you? That seems like an improvement…"

  "Oh, stop, I just meant how do you deal with all the attention. Never being able to go out for a gallon of milk without people trying to get your autograph or take a picture of you with their phones… Just the thought of it makes me feel so…exposed."

  "Now don't go talking about you being exposed, you wouldn't want to get me all worked up in public, would you?"

  Jenna rolled her eyes at him, but she smiled before continuing her thought.

  "I mean, anyone can find you anywhere."

  Wyatt leaned across the railing and said softly, "I'm not worried. I'm tough, too." He leaned back and looked at her, adding, "Besides, that's how my life has always been. You begin almost not to notice the attention anymore. Though I won't lie — I do try to have privacy when I can find it."

  "Hey, Wyatt, come here, it's time to skate with the kids," he heard his friend, J.J. yell from the other end of the rink. Wyatt looked back at Jenna apologetically.

  "I'll be okay, get out there. I was promised to get to see you guys skate around with kids, you better get to it."

  "You got it, Doc," he said confidently, and skated away.

  Wyatt spent the next twenty minutes with some of the nicest kids he'd ever met. Each of them was selected for being an "at-risk" youth, and this was clearly the making of a great moment in their lives. He felt a pang of guilt for never doing more of these things. They had always seemed like a distraction from his ultimate goal of "get in and get out" in the NFL, without becoming too emotionally involved. For all Wyatt knew, these events were just another example of the league's rabbit hole that had taken his father.

  Yet, he couldn't help but think that there was nothing bad about this — and it didn't hurt that a certain pink-nosed blonde was watching him the whole time.