Eligible Receiver: A Second Chance Romance Novella

by Haley Pierce

  “Is it a guy? It’s okay if it is.”

  “No. It’s not a guy.

  She started to open the door. He put his hand on her back. “Lacey, just answer one question for me.”

  She paused. “I’ll try.”

  “Well, crap, I expected you to say no. Now I can’t choose one. I’m paralyzed with options.”

  “Please hurry. I’m really uncomfortable with all of this.”

  “Okay, I’ve got it. Are you still playing the piano, at least?”

  The first real tears spilled down her cheeks. She got out and slammed the door, then ran to the apartment and let herself in.

  Abel leaned back and put his head against the headrest. What was she doing in there? He had visions of her with her back to the door, sobbing. Something had happened, something big enough—or terrible enough, God forbid—that had forced her to abandon everything she had ever wanted for herself.

  But in his sadness and confusion was also a tiny flicker of anger. A talent like Lacey’s was too good to withhold from the world. He couldn’t help but feel that part of her was being selfish.

  He also realized that she still made him feel every bit as warm and confused as she had the night of their graduation. Abel made himself a promise: he was going to get to the bottom of the mystery and get her out of this town.

  Chapter Seven

  The night that Abel dropped her off at home, Lacey had felt a wave of self-doubt wash over her. Before she ran out of money, a therapist had told her once that she put too much emphasis on how other people saw her, and that she imagined things that weren’t there. The therapist was also fond of sayings like “If you can believe it, you can achieve it” and “Your attitude will affect your altitude,” so it had been hard to know when to listen and when to run away screaming.

  Lacey spent the evening playing with Dana and watching cartoons. If only she could see herself the way Dana saw her: perfect, in control, a cross between a superhero and a rock star. Supermom. Super-Everything. Lacey had never been one of those people who thought everyone should have kids, but she was willing to admit that there was a type of happiness that only came from your children.

  There was, however, also the inconvenient fact that a child’s belief in you could cause you to doubt your own.

  Lacey had the next morning to herself. She dropped Dana off at pre-school. Moments later, Sasha texted her and asked her to come over. I’VE GOT TO SEE YOU!!!!

  It was the kind of text that was really hard to ignore.

  She hesitated, but replied that she’d be right over. If she went back to her place she would just mope and think about Abel. His surprise had been evident. He’d tried to hide it quickly but she had seen it. Sasha would also remind her of Abel, of course, but Lacey hoped that she’d be so caught up in wedding plans that Abel wouldn’t even come up.

  What a laugh. He was the only thing she could think about. Telling herself anything else was a bad joke.

  Sasha was staying with her parents, Sam and Emily. Norman had gotten himself a hotel room so he could work while he was in town and have his own space. He had told them at that first lunch that it was “crucial” for him to have “space just for Norman” so he could “Get done what needs doing.” Lacey still wasn’t sure what to make of Norman, but Sasha obviously loved him.

  When she pulled into the driveway, Emily ran out to greet her. After her own mother had disowned her, Emily had stepped in as her replacement mom. Emily had been very careful as to how she talked about Lacey’s parents, but it always been obvious that she was disgusted in the way they had treated their daughter. In some ways, Emily had done a much better job than her actual mother, even before the shunning. Emily was patient, understanding, and never hesitated to talk straight with Lacey. Her own mother had always told her she was perfect, even when she failed or fell short at something, so she had never had any reason to think otherwise. Emily could also keep a secret. When she found out she was pregnant, Lacey had sworn her to secrecy. Sasha and Abel were never to know that she hadn’t left town. Emily had kept her word and had never told her kids that Lacey had stayed behind.

  Sasha came out of the house behind her mother and they all shared an aggressive group hug. Lacey tried to participate in the gleeful hoots that Emily and Sasha were assailing her with, but could only muster a big smile and return the tight embrace. When the hug had gone on for what felt like a year, they all went inside and sat in the living room.

  “So Sasha tells me that she’s hoping you’ll play the piano at the wedding,” said Emily

  Lacey felt herself go pale. “She did, huh?” What in the world was she talking about?

  “I brought it up as a possibility,” said Sasha. “It’s not like it’s set in stone or anything. I figured you’d want to, though.” Apparently Abel hadn’t talked to Sasha about her yet, since she apparently had no idea that Lacey wasn’t actually doing music anymore.

  Oh right, she told herself. You’re the one who told her you were doing a bunch of sessions. How could she ever have gotten the idea that you were still involved in music?

  The thought of Sasha cutting off their friendship when she found out that Lacey had been lying to her was unbearable. Maybe she wouldn’t have, but now that they were back together she realized how badly she had missed Lacey. She had to put her off the scent.

  “I’d be happy to,” said Lacey. “In fact, I’ll do you one better. If you like—and you better—I’ll write an original song for you, how about that? Not everyone gets a theme song for their wedding.”

  Lacey’s heart started pounding as she heard the words. It was like an out of body experience. Who was this person, radiating such bravado?

  “Oh my God!” Sasha jumped off the couch to hug Lacey. “I think that sounds incredible. Oh wow, Norman’s just going to die. And wait until I tell Abel!”

  “Tell me what?” he said, walking into the room.

  Oh great. How long had he been standing out there?

  Judging from the smirk on his face, long enough. “Is Lacey going to do some incredible favor for you that is going to make you both the toast of the town, but also the belle of the ball?”

  “Look at you go,” said Lacey.

  “Abel! Lacey was just saying that she’s going to write a song for my wedding! It’s going to be about me and if I know her, it’s going to be the most gorgeous thing anyone has ever heard. No doubt there’s a record deal coming. Lacey, could you call it something with my name in the title?” Sasha clasped her hands together and shook them. Lacey couldn’t help but laugh. “Something like, oh, I don’t know, ‘Song for Sasha?’”

  “That has quite a ring to it,” said Abel.

  “Absolutely,” said Lacey. “But this ‘most gorgeous thing anyone has ever heard…’ those are your words, not mine. I’ll do what I do and throw myself on the mercy of the crowd’s judgment.”

  Emily excused herself. “Sasha, I’m going to go see where your father’s puttering around. Lacey, we’ll get plenty of chances while you’re here, so let’s do this again soon. So good to see you.” She cleared her throat, then again, as if it were a signal.

  “Oh, I’d probably better go see what Norman’s up to,” said Sasha. “You two can have the room.” She winked at Abel and left.

  Lacey was stymied. What were they trying to pull?

  Abel walked across the room and flopped on the couch. He whomped down so hard that a cloud of fibers burst out of the cushions and hung in the air between them. He looked just like he always had. Relaxed. Confident. Insanely good-looking. And a little cocky, as if everything amused him. It was almost hard for her to believe that this was one of the world’s most powerful professional athletes, sitting here in an earth-toned home with wood paneling and knick-knacks everywhere.

  “You know what I’ve been thinking about?” he said.

  “I’m a waitress, not a mind reader,” said Lacey.

  “I was thinking about the last time we saw each other,” he said.

&
nbsp; Lacey groaned. “You mean when you dropped me off at my apartment? That can’t have been the most unforgettable memory.”

  “No, the time before that. At graduation. Remember?”

  “Of course I remember. You don’t really forget something like that. I definitely don’t.”

  “Well, it’s hard to be sure. I thought we had a pretty good time, but with the way you disappeared, I figured maybe I’d done something wrong. Driven you away, you know. I’m not used to having people run away from me like I’ve set them on fire.”

  There’s so much you don’t know she thought. And there’s so much you’re never going to know.

  “Abel, it wasn’t like that.”

  “What was it like, then?” He smiled. “I remember it all being pretty damned hot. I still remember what it felt like to slide the strap of your dress down off of that shoulder. You were so lovely that night that it hurt. I mean that. I could have died right afterwards and been totally happy. I’ve got to tell you, Lace, there have been plenty of dark nights where that memory is the only thing that keeps me warm. It keeps the pain away.”

  “I thought nothing hurts you, Mr. Tough Guy.” Do not fall in love with him. Lacey, you are absolutely, positively, not allowed to fall in love with him. And don’t you dare try to make his pain go away. He’s a big boy and you have too much at stake here.

  “You’re talking to someone who makes his living getting rammed into by squads of behemoths. I know a thing or two about pain. I know I look like Adonis reborn, but I can’t remember the last time my body actually felt good.”

  “Adonis reborn?”

  He snorted. “I can’t seem to avoid joking about myself. And you’re avoiding the subject.”

  “I know,” said Lacey. “I feel like we’re in a dodge ball game and you just won’t stop throwing, even though the referee blew the whistle.”

  “I know I sound like a broken record,” said Abel, “but is it so wrong of me to want to know why you just vanished? I came to your house. Nothing. I called you. Nothing. I asked all of your friends. They said you wouldn’t talk to them either. Nothing, nothing, nothing. We all just wanted to know what we’d done wrong. And I was good to you.”

  “You were, Abel. You absolutely were,” said Lacey. “And no, it’s not wrong of you. But trust me, it’s not wrong of me to keep it from you either. There’s just a lot more to the story than you think.”

  “No doubt, but that’s on you. I have to work with the information you’ll give me. Can you imagine how it must have felt to me? Getting that text? I was so head over heels in love with you at that point that I would have done anything for you. And then I open my phone, totally thrilled that it’s a message from you. Then I read it, and…do you remember what it said?”

  You were in love with me? “Yes.” It was still in her phone.

  “Abel, I’m sorry. Don’t call me or come see me. We’re not going to talk again,” he said. His face grew serious. “I never thought a broken heart could actually feel broken. I mean, you can’t break a muscle, right? But wow. I was done. I was really done for a while. Sasha and my mom were the only things that got me through.”

  “And that multi-million-dollar contract, I’m guessing.”

  “That didn’t happen for a while. And it wasn’t enough, whether you believe it or not. But listen…” Abel’s face lit up with a smile.

  Do not fall in love with him. Lacey felt seasick, tossed about by her emotions. She thought of Dana, sweet little Dana, and everything she wanted for her. You can not afford to fall in love with him. He’s leaving. You’re staying.

  But she had to ask herself if she’d ever truly fallen out of love with him. The answer hurt.

  “I feel like changing the subject,” said Abel. “How’s that sound?”

  “Heavenly.”

  “My thoughts exactly, because as it happens, there’s a rehearsal dinner coming up tomorrow, and you’re going to be my date. Don’t say no, I have to have you there. If you don’t come with me, I can’t go, and if I don’t go, Sasha will probably become so distraught that she’ll call the whole thing off. Then Norman will probably be so stricken with grief that he’ll make a terrible movie about the whole thing and that will all be your fault.”

  “I don’t understand why anyone has to rehearse a dinner. It’s still just chewing and swallowing, right?”

  “Drinking, too.”

  “No doubt. Abel, I don’t think I can.”

  “Oh, you can. And there’s more. You’re going to be my wedding date, so this isn’t just a rehearsal dinner. It’s a rehearsal for…whatever happens next.” He pantomimed opening a bottle of champagne and spraying it everywhere. “Oh, I’m sorry, it’s getting all over you.” He stood and then sat next to her, pretending to wipe the champagne off of her clothes.

  He was so close. But for the distance between them, the gulf that she had caused in the past, he might as well have been on Jupiter.

  You are not allowed to fall in love with him.

  “You two doing okay?” said Emily, coming back in.

  “Great!” said Abel. “Ms. Thang here just agreed to be my wedding date. She didn’t feel right about playing a song but not hanging out on my arm.”

  “Yay!” said Sasha, hurrying in behind her mother. “This is going to be the best thing that has ever happened. I’m serious, not the best wedding. The best thing in the history of history.”

  “Sure,” said Lacey. “How could it not be?”

  Chapter Eight

  Abel was sleeping when he got a call from an old friend from the high school football team. Steve had been the running back and they’d always been close, but he hadn’t been able to make the jump to college football. When scouts had visited their games, Abel’s talent had overshadowed the other players to an insurmountable degree.

  “Hey big man, you want to go check out the old bar? It’s been a while,” said Steve. “I’m sure they’d let you take a bite out of everything for free, as long as you’re willing to let a few people take a bite out of you while you’re there.”

  “When have you known me to turn down a hungry fan?”

  “Right on,” said Steve. “I’ll pick you up in a few.”

  Emerald’s Pub had been their favorite spot. The bartender had always been willing to look the other way and serve drinks to the football players, particularly Abel. In hindsight, thought Abel, serving alcohol to football players who needed to be able to practice, study for school, and function as teenagers probably wasn’t a great strategy, but they had all loved it at the time.

  As soon as they walked into Emerald’s, Steve started laughing. “I knew you’d love it,” he said, enjoying the horrified look on Abel’s face.

  “I can’t believe this,” said Abel. There was a shrine in the corner that would have looked cultish if he hadn’t known better. A life-sized, cardboard cutout of himself stared at him, arm retracted, prepared to pass. Actually, it wasn’t life-sized: it was at least eight feet tall, a giant version of Abel. There was a glass case of footballs next to the cutout, all autographed, all from significant wins.

  “Yeah, the only thing missing is a crown full of jewels,” said Steve. “You haven’t seen the best part, though, come here.”

  Abel followed Steve across the bar, feeling the eyes of the women devour him. He felt like an exhibit in a museum. Steve reached up and pulled a string that was hanging from the glass case of footballs. The cardboard cutout’s eyes lit up bright blue and a mechanical voice said, “No doubt, no fear, no hesitation. I win because I refuse to lose.” There was a hiss and a crackle as some mechanism caused a brief glitch in the sound.

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Is that from—”

  “Yes!” Steve clapped his hands. “They took the voice from your radio interview and slapped it onto this guy here. Remember how cute that reporter was? She was all over you.”

  “I do. The whole thing was kind of weird, but it was pretty flattering as a kid. ‘

  “I’ve go
t to say, those blue bulbs for your eyes are creepy,” said Steve. “How’d you like to wake up next that?”

  Abel laughed and shook his head. “No thanks.”

  “I always thought your eyes were your best feature,” said a blonde woman, appearing at his side and putting her hand on his arm. “And yes,” she said to Steve, “I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d love to wake up next to that.”

  “You can speak for us too!” said a woman at a nearby table. Her drinking buddies quickly agreed. They started chanting Abel’s name. One of them pulled back an empty chair. He tried to be gracious, smiling and thanking them, but ultimately saying that he had to catch up with Steve.

  Steve and Abel sat at the bar and made small talk. From time to time a woman approached, circling like a moth around a flame, but Abel was putting out the vibe. Not available tonight. The truth was that he couldn’t stop thinking about Lacey. He just could not get her out of his head, and there it was, the story of his life. Guys like him weren’t supposed to have stories about the ones that got away. Three beers later he was pouring his heart out to Steve, who had never heard any of this before. There was a small part of Abel that was still sober, and that part of him could see Steve’s surprise. His friend obviously couldn’t believe that Abel was talking about a woman like this. Abel, who could. have anyone he wants.

  “I mean, I liked Lacey,” said Steve. “But I can’t believe you’re hung up on her, of all people. But I guess I didn’t know anything about it. It’s just weird to hear you talk like this. Abel, you’re living the dream. I think anyone would be surprised to hear you say this stuff.”

  “I’m not as great as you think,” said Abel. “And my life’s not as easy as people think. I’m not…” He pointed at the cardboard cutout. “I’m not that guy. I’m not that tall.” He could hear how badly his speech was slurring. Another woman approached in his periphery. To stall her, Abel loudly ordered a round for everyone in the bar. Everyone cheered. Once more, he remembered how easy it was to give people a special moment. Abel slipped out during the ruckus. They were probably all in there toasting him, not even having realized that he left.