by Carly White
He laughed and slapped me on the back before walking off. “I told you she was off limits.”
I heard his voice, but didn’t look back over, too wrapped up in the woman in front of me. My jealousy was gone, but Nick was right. There was no way that I could ever be anything to her. I was the star quarterback and though my time in school was ending and I was on my way to the NFL, the coach was like a second father to me. I had been playing for him for almost four years and I knew how protective he was of his daughters. It now made sense why no one ever seen them at games. They were too pretty and they would have been a target for guys like me.
I didn’t want to think that I couldn’t have her, already taking her several times in my fantasies. There was nothing wrong with thinking of it, though even that made me feel a slight twinge of guilt. If her legs weren’t so long, chest so bouncy, I may have been able to ignore her, but I couldn’t. Women like her were made to be looked at, I was sure of it.
Getting back to practice, I got sacked twice when my attention was taken away from the game and to the sidelines. The two girls that were with her had went to sit in the nearby stands, while the father and daughter seemed to argue about something. I wondered how old she was. If she was in college, she was old enough, but she didn’t look much older than that. I tried to remember Steve talking about how old they were, he had three of them, but I couldn’t remember.
She was getting more upset and I could hear her tone rising, but not the words that she was saying. It was clear she wanted something and her father wasn’t so enthused about it. I wanted to get closer and hear what it was about, but I knew better.
Out of nowhere, the ball hit me in the chest and I grabbed it out of reflex. Seconds later I was being tackled by two of my teammates. When I cursed them, I was told to pay attention. I nodded, letting them know that I was in the wrong, but I looked back to what was distracting me. The pair was gone and I felt a sinking in my stomach for a moment. What was it that the woman had over me? I have never even spoken a word to her, yet I was already enduring physical discomfort in her pursuit.
I tried to ignore the sidelines and the door going into the building as much as I could. I did a good enough job that I didn’t get plowed over again, but there was still the constant cast of my eyes in that direction. I was saddened when I didn’t see her again. Looking around, it was Nick that ran into me, laughing at me really. “You are going to get yourself killed by the coach or on the field. Pay attention.”
I nodded and mumbled something that even I didn’t understand. “Are you going to tell me that you didn’t find her hot? In that school girl outfit, it did nothing for you?”
“Well hell yeah, but like the two with her, they are all off limits. Beyond the fact that they are from Carvor Prep and won’t look at you anyways, she is the coach’s daughter. Don’t screw up your chances at pro because you want to look under her skirt.”
I knew he was right, of course I did. How could I not? But that didn’t change the fact that it was all I wanted to do and the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t care who her daddy was. I looked back one last time as we were lining up. Lana was coming out of the office with her father in tow and it looked like she had gotten her way. The coach was frowning and she was smiling. I couldn’t help but smile with her and then I heard Nick in front of me and decided that I didn’t want to cause any attention to me.
The coach moved to the team and yelled for a few minutes. We had a game the next day and there was the where and when to meet. I was riding in with Nick instead of taking the bus. Coach Steve frowned upon it, but like most everything else in my life, football made it a little easier. He could buckle down and make me take the bus, but he wanted to keep his quarterback happy. Like most older men that played the sport at one point, he spent the rest of his life living the thrill through others. Coaching gave him that thrill and he was more worried about winning then the players were.
I walked up to him after practice, my eyes scanning behind and beside him but the raven-haired beauty was gone.
“What do you want Curt?”
“I was wondering if you had any tips for Lakeview. Last time we played them it didn’t end so well and there is supposed to be recruits in the stands tonight.”
“I thought you already got an offer.”
I nodded, “Several, but I am hoping that Nick does as well.”
Steve sized me up. He knew that I was not telling the truth. It would have helped if I could keep my eyes from looking for her, but I was unable. “You know that Nick isn’t going to get one Curt. Sometimes you have to leave behind some of your life. He is going to be one of them that you have to let go. We have talked about it before.”
His tone had taken on more of the fatherly quality and I knew that he didn’t see through me. He thought I was worried about Nick, which I was. Nick was mediocre and while I was going on to the big times, he was going to have to actually use his degree to get some kind of job, always wishing that he could still be playing. I felt the same honor that I would be able to go on and do what I love for a few more years. Playing into that, I used his tender heart to get an invitation to dinner.
It didn’t happen often and I was surprised. I was more interested in who else in his family was going to be there, but I didn’t ask. I knew when not to push it and that was one of those moments.
“Thanks Sir. I will be there at five. I still remember the cake your wife brought in for championship.”
“Lavie is a good cook, part of the reason I married her.”
The other reason was she was fine as hell. There was no secret where the daughters got their looks and it wasn’t from the blonde hulk of a man in front of me. I told him I would see him later and walked away with a little more hope for meeting Lana I person. I was tired of seeing her from afar. I knew that if I just met her, maybe the strange pull I had to her would go away. I would realize that she wasn’t as great up-close and that would be the end of the obsession I felt for her.
This is what I told myself anyways.
Chapter 2
Lana
“I hate when you have your sports buddies over Dad. All we are going to talk about is sports for the next hour.”
“It won’t be so bad. It is all I talk about anyways. If you want to go to the party tonight, then you have to be nice and respectful for our guest.”
“Why him? You never bring home any of the players before.”
“This one is special. Just be nice Lana. That is all I am asking.”
I nodded that I would, though I would have much rather been anywhere else but there. M older sister was staying there while she was in town and the two of us never really got along. I didn’t like or trust my older sister and even though I hadn’t seen her in a year, I could have went longer. “First Jessa and now some jock from work. You are just trying to ruin my day.”
I knew that I was complaining too much, but it was too much. Jessa was already upstairs and I knew that she was going to be the same Jessa that I knew and rightly couldn’t stand. The fake smile when she had walked in didn’t fool anyone but father.
“Don’t be so dramatic Lana. Sometimes you are a little too much like your mother.”
Lavia nudged him as she set dishes on the table for me. She had heard it all. “You told me that you hoped we would have daughters just like me once.”
“That was before we had three. They got more and more stubborn as time went on too.”
As I saw them together, it was what every girl wanted. My parents had that lasting love and even after 25 years, they were still in love as they had been in the beginning. Their children however, were not so lucky in love. I wasn’t really looking to be honest, but my sister Jessa had been for a long time and she was still single in her mid-twenties. We all felt the pressure with the long looks to start a family and have grandkids. I walked away from their arguing, knowing it was going to somehow lead to them making out.
I heard the knock at the door and started t
owards it. When I opened it, I just stood there for a moment before I moved aside to let him in. I imagined that this was Curt and he definitely had the beefy jock look going on. His blonde hair was short, skin tanned and he towered over me in front of the door. I was still standing there with the door open.
He was just looking back at me, his brown eyes calling to me in such a way. “Curt, right?”
“Yes and you must be Lana.”
“Must be.”
It was strange how he said it and as he moved closer, I wondered for a moment what he was doing. He closed the door, leaning in and pushing it from my hand. Curt was just too close suddenly and I took a step back to find my back against the now closed door. My reaction seemed to surprise him as much as it did me. “Sorry, I just didn’t want you to be cold.”
“Thanks. Welcome Curt. You can leave your jacket there.”
I walked back through the foyer and into the large dining room. Everyone was starting to get settled and I saw the look that Jessa was giving him. When she looked over at father and nodded, something between them past and I wondered if this was a set up for her. It would make sense as Curt was older, but there was something in me that wanted him for myself.
While having to go to an all-girls school could be a drag, there was nothing worse than the lack of boyfriends. I had a few outside of college, but I was pretty sure of the reason that my parents had agreed to pay my tuition if I went. Jessa had smeared the family name with her antics when she went to college for the first time. She never did actually graduate though. Instead she would drop out and start another course. She was finding herself and I didn’t want her to try that with Curt.
“So dad tells me that you are looking at several offers in the NFL after you graduate. Have you decided on a team yet?”
I looked over at Jessa and the grin on her face. She was going for it and while I resented the fact that she was, I couldn’t help but wish that I had her kind of courage. I could barely speak when he was around me and she was having no trouble at all. It was the difference between me and most girls.
I waited for the answer as did everyone else in the room. He was noncommittal, but said he was leaning towards our own state’s team. I liked the idea of him staying around, but when the subject got into money and deals, I grew bored. I could have cared less how much he would get on his first contract, but people like my sister were very interested, sizing up the mark. I didn’t know if I should feel bad for him yet. It was unclear if he would take the bait.
As the evening progressed, it became clear that I was to be sent away so that they could have time together. My father and mother were up to their old matchmaking antics, Jessa on the receiving end of it. I had to admit that I wished they had tried to set me up with Curt instead.
So I went off to sit on the porch with a drink I had snuck from the kitchen. It was a clear night and if I couldn’t have the man I wanted, at least there was a good view and liquor. The house was quiet, as well as the neighborhood. It was times like this that I missed the old family house. I was only there some weekends because I had room and board at college. The drive wasn’t too bad, but I had wanted to live more independently instead of commuting. It was days and nights like this though, that made me wish i had made a different decision.
“It’s nice out here.”
I looked up to see Curt standing next to me. I hadn’t even heard him come out.
“Is that something stronger than lemonade?”
I handed him the spiked drink and watched his face as he found out how strong it was. “I guess so. Damn, that is like pure vodka.”
Grinning I took it back and took another drink. It was kind of rough, but I needed something to calm my nerves with Jessa around. There were a lot of things we couldn’t do at school, but drinking was not something that we went without. I offered him another drink, but he put his hands up. “No, I am good.”
“Puppy.”
“Never been called that before.”
“Well I would imagine most people would tell you whatever you want to hear.”
He chuckled a little and sat down on the swing next to me. “I get the feeling that you aren’t that type of girl.”
I had never thought about what type of girl I was, but getting all moony-eyed wasn’t really my thing and even though I had a lapse when I first met him, it didn’t seem that difficult suddenly. Of course the vodka could have been helping as well. I took another drink in case that was the case. “I don’t think you are here to talk to me Curt.”
“Yeah, I get the feeling you are right about that. Seems a waste of time, doesn’t it?”
“It just makes you not believe anything that anyone says. Makes you wonder who is there for you and who is there for the money.”
“I can see that. I bet it’s going to get worse when you get drafted.”
He looked down for a minute and it seemed to genuinely bother him. I couldn’t imagine wondering what people wanted from me all of the time. I suddenly saw it through his eyes, exhausting.
“Stick with the people you know that were there before you got rich and famous. They were your true friends.”
Curt looked at me as if I had given him an epiphany. “You don’t really care about all of that, do you?”
“Not really. I am going into teaching knowing there is no money in it. You have to do what it is you love to do. You love playing don’t you? I’ve seen you at games and at practice, you look so happy, so that is what you should do. That you get paid a ton is just a bonus in my book. Everyone should do what they love.”
“You have such conviction about it.”
“Life is short.”
He got quiet again and I could tell he was thinking about something. I took another sip of the drink and offered it to him. Curt didn’t grimace that time when he took a drink and if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that he needed it just as much as I did.
“Sorry if what I said bothered you. You got really quiet.”
Curt took another drink and it was almost empty when he handed me back the glass. “Yeah I just never thought of it like that. Everyone is always so worried about the money, but I just want to play ball.”
“And you get to, plus the life that goes with it. Money, cars, women throwing themselves at you.”
He kind of chuckled and I don’t know why I disliked that sound so much all of a sudden. “You would not believe how many times I have been set up by well-meaning parents with daughters.”
I couldn’t help but think about my own father trying to set him up with Jessa. They were not compatible at all, but I knew that a lot of it had to do with his future career and how well he would take care of his future wife. I kind of grinned back at him, acknowledging my own parent’s shamelessness. “So how do you like her?”
“Like who?” He genuinely seemed confused for a moment and I really liked that for some reason.
“My sister Jessa.”
“She is nice and all, but not really my type.”
By the way he was looking at me, I had a feeling that I was more his type. I smiled back at his evaluation and leaned back in the swing. My sister didn’t get to have all of the fun after all. Curt was more than I had thought him to be. Dumb jock wasn’t a stereo type for no reason, but he did not fit in that category. I always thought that guys like him loved the attention, but he seemed worried about what that attention meant in the way of how people really were and what their intentions would be. That was something that I never had to really think about. Men wanted me for my looks and that’s about it.
“I like my women a little more free-thinking and less worried about what I can do for them. I have a feeling your sister would try to get me married off and her knocked up on the first date.”
I had to giggle. It was actually exactly what she would try to do. I could see the way her eyes glinted when he had talked about his contract. All she could see was money when she looked at Curt. “She just might and you would no doubt fall for it hook
, line and sinker. Jessa has a way with the fellas. I have always been jealous of her for that.”
“Maybe I would have fallen for it, if I didn’t have my eye on someone else. You have absolutely nothing to be jealous about Lana.”
When he leaned in, I panicked and sat up, nearly knocking into him as I got up. I was still a little unsteady on my feet, the alcohol making my senses less than they should have been. He stood up suddenly with me to help steady me with a hard grip around my waist. I pushed his hands away from my hips, the feel too familiar between us and me not able to handle the way he made me feel. “Thanks but I got it.”
He let me go and for a moment I wished that I hadn’t said anything and I had allowed the moment to happen. He had wanted to kiss me and as much as I wanted him to, there was something holding me back. A man like Curt was no good for me. My mother had always told me that if there was a man that made it hard to think, run. I was always supposed to be looking for the man that made me feel safe. I didn’t feel very safe in that moment or around him. Curt had the ability to leave me practically catatonic, so that couldn’t be good.
I took another step towards the door, half-expecting him to try and stop me but he didn’t. Instead he let me go and I was left to wonder why. He was interested, that much was clear, though he must not have wanted me too much if he was so quick to give up.
“What are you doing out here Lana?”
My dad was standing in the doorway and I closed my mouth. “Just enjoying the night. You told me to get lost.”
His eyes narrowed and Steve looked back at the quarterback that seemed to be doing the same thing. I had a feeling that Curt had seen him before me. Maybe he did want me, but couldn’t say such a thing in front of my father. This gave me new hope, but I still couldn’t have him. Even though I couldn’t, I still wanted him to want me.
I bade the two of them a good night and went back into my parent’s house while the coach and player talked. My sister Jessa was telling my mom how much she liked Curt and I just kind of smiled when she said something to me about it. She was so sure that no one could turn her down. “Good luck with that sis. I am going to go lay down for a bit.”
