“Hey, Ma,” he called out. He heard running feet, and his mother, Nancy, emerged from the living room, all five-foot-nothing of her. It never ceased to amaze him that someone so slight could have given birth to a giant like him.
“Honey! How are you?” She threw her arms exuberantly around his neck. “It’s great to see you. How have you been?”
“Ma, you talked to me yesterday. What’s up?”
His mom was acting a little weird, but she grinned up at him. The uneasiness he felt drained away as she released him and smoothed the wrinkles out of her blouse. She patted her short dark hair as she pushed it off of her face. He glanced into the living room at the temporarily abandoned vacuum, dust rags, and can of furniture polish she must have been using. She always managed to keep herself busy at home, but he knew she wouldn’t mind a few minutes’ break.
“Well, your dad and I haven’t seen you for a few days, and we were wondering if something was wrong.”
“Things are fine. Well, they’re fine now.” He looped an arm around her shoulders. “Something happened, and I thought you should probably hear it from me before you heard it on Sports Center.” He walked her toward the kitchen. “Let’s sit down.”
Of course, this was her cue to start fussing over him. He tried to pretend like he didn’t like it, which made him a damn liar. No matter how old he was or how long he’d been on his own, he still liked it when his mom made a big deal about him.
“Do you want something to drink? You must be hungry. Let me fix you something,” she urged.
“No. I’m fine. I can get something out of the fridge if I’m thirsty.” He guided her into a chair at the kitchen table and sat down opposite her. “Relax.”
“Did something happen?”
He stifled a long sigh. “Yeah, it did. It’s been coming for a while, but I broke up with Kim last week. She’s been pushing me to take our relationship to the ‘next level,’ and she wanted me to move her up here. At the same time, she accused me of dating other women, and then she wanted to know when I was going to give her a ring . . . ” He felt his hands form into fists, and he hauled in a breath to calm down a little. Even talking about the fight he’d had with Kim pissed him off all over again. “I wasn’t seeing anyone else. I wasn’t interested. I don’t know where she got this crap.” He felt anger and hurt surging through him again. He knew things with Kim hadn’t been going well for quite some time, and he shared in the blame. Instead of breaking it off like adults, she wanted to make accusations, and he wanted to get as far away from her as possible instead of dealing with what went wrong.
“Of course you wouldn’t do something like that,” his mom said. “If she thought you would cheat on her, she didn’t know you very well, did she?”
“I’ve had enough of the wall-to-wall drama.” He bit his tongue as he remembered his mom probably wouldn’t appreciate his observation that the sex wasn’t worth it either. Maybe it was time to wrap up this whole discussion. “Anyway, I had my assistant pack her stuff and changed the locks on the San Diego house this morning. If that doesn’t convince her we’re done, I don’t know what will.”
His mom’s lips twitched a bit as she struggled to conceal a smile. She had never liked Kim, but Seth knew she was smart enough to listen instead of getting in his face about it. She took his hand in both of hers. “Are you okay? Is there anything we can do?”
“No. I’m fine, but thanks.” He sat back in the chair and sighed heavily. “Kim’s called several times already today, but there’s voice mail for that.”
“Does your sister know?”
“Yeah.”
She held his hand. Obviously, he was a grown man. He didn’t need his mommy to fix things for him. At the same time, it was comforting for him to be here with her. He didn’t come to his parents for a lot of advice anymore. Most of the time, he could handle it himself. He’d had the urge to talk with his mom, though. He wondered if this made him a candy-ass or something.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” she said. “I’m relieved. Kim never liked us.”
“Most of the time, I didn’t think she liked me either.” He stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles as he leaned back in his chair. “Ma, this is the thing I can’t get past. Why did she date me for so long? She didn’t love me. I don’t think she ever did. Was it the money?”
He knew why he’d dated Kim for as long as he had: apathy. It was easier to deal with what he already knew than to start all over again. He’d never been a big fan of change. He told himself he was too busy to break up with her and find someone new. Mostly, he was worried about his picker. He knew the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, but he kept dating the same kinds of women and expecting someone different than who she turned out to be. He’d like to think he had the smarts to find a woman who was a better choice, but maybe he didn’t. He folded his arms across his chest. Maybe the problem was him.
His mom thought about his question for a few moments. “We may never know.”
“But what does that say about me? One thing’s for sure—it makes me look damn stupid. You’d think I’d choose someone who’d treat me and my family well. Evidently not. I made a bad choice.”
“Why would you think it was all your fault? You got involved with a woman; it didn’t work out, and now you’re going to meet someone else. That’s the way things go.” She squeezed his hand. “What about that friend of Lauren’s? She’s always liked you.”
Seth was shocked. He regarded his mom with outrage. “She’s a baby!”
“She’s twenty-two now.” His mother was laughing, though. He hoped she wasn’t serious.
“Too young for me.” He shifted in his chair. College girls weren’t his preference these days either. “Actually, I met someone at work, but I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”
“Why not?”
“She works for the big boss. She’s off limits.” He shrugged one shoulder. “She’s different.”
“What’s she like?”
Seth rubbed his face with his hand. “Well, I think we’re about the same age. She’s funny and feisty. She doesn’t seem to give a shit what I do.”
“Seth Joseph—”
“Okay, Ma, I’ll try to can it with the swearing.” He grinned at her. “I know you don’t like it, but you ought to hear the locker room.”
“We see how it is when you guys play.”
“Yeah.” It always made him laugh when his mom would climb on him about his language. At least she wasn’t threatening to wash his mouth out with soap anymore. It wouldn’t kill him to try to keep it a little clean when she was around. “Here’s the deal with Jillian, though.”
“Jillian?”
“The woman at the office.”
“Oh. Okay.”
His mother busied herself straightening the paper napkins in the holder that had been on the kitchen table since he was a little boy. She aligned the matching salt and pepper shakers too.
“She’s different from the women I’ve dated before.”
His mother’s head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
“She’s . . . she’s normal,” he stammered. “Not a model or whatever. She’s short and curvy.” Seth made hand motions in the air to demonstrate Jillian’s shape. It didn’t explain how her hips swayed when she walked, though, or the laughter in her voice or the softness of her skin beneath his fingers. He could never explain to anyone else how remembering the stuff she’d said to him made him smile when she was nowhere around.
Nancy raised an eyebrow and gave Seth a slight head shake but said nothing.
“I like her. She’s fun to talk with.” He glanced away from his mom’s probing eyes. “I met her when she snuck into the weight room. She was working out to a DVD the other night,” he said.
“What happened?”
“I showed her how to use the treadmill, and we’ve gone for some walks at her lunchtime. We’ve talked a little.” He didn
’t tell his mom that spending time with Jillian was the highlight of his day or the fact he was still having brain-melting wet dreams about her. Maybe her perfume was some kind of aphrodisiac.
Nancy’s hands went to her hips, and she narrowed her eyes. “And this was her idea? You’re not telling her what to do?”
Seth’s eyebrows shot up. “Of course not. Why would you think I would?”
His mom studied him for a moment. “You forget that I’ve known you for a while.” She crossed her arms in front of her. “When did you decide you needed an exercise buddy?”
“It’s not a formal thing. I give her some exercise tips, and she said she’d show me around town a little in return.”
Seth knew he probably should explain to his mother that despite the fact he hated change, he needed some—and fast. Right now, though, he didn’t want to get into it with anyone else, even someone he knew loved him. He’d agreed to come to Seattle because he thought he’d get back the burning hunger in his gut that drove him to achieve from the time he’d walked onto a football field for the first time. He still loved the game. He’d always love the game. He needed more than three hours on a Sunday afternoon sixteen weeks a year, however, and he needed to figure out what that “something more” might be for him.
His personal life wasn’t all it could be either. Part of the reason he’d agreed to the trade was that he wanted to be closer to his parents. They were getting older. His kid sister couldn’t handle their parents all by herself. He also couldn’t handle the nagging thought that spending time with Jillian seemed to be a hell of a lot more important to him than it was to her. She wasn’t sneaking around the building, trying to figure out ways to run into him.
Nancy shook her head. Her lips twitched with repressed laughter. “ ‘Show you around town’? You’ve been making trips to see us for years now. What’s really going on here?”
“Ma. Nothing’s going on. It’s not a big deal.”
JILLIAN ARRIVED HOME from the office, fed CB, and stripped off her office clothes. She didn’t smell daisy-fresh. She’d actually have to use the T-shirt and shorts Seth had dropped on her desk last week if she kept walking at lunchtime. She tore the cardboard lid off a frozen dinner, shoved it into the microwave, and hit a few buttons. She needed to relax a little. It hadn’t been that bad of a day, but she had had another encounter with Seth when he stopped by the facility to pick up some things on his day off, and it had taken the rest of the afternoon to stop thinking about him.
He wasn’t in her world. The best thing she could do was to pretend that he wasn’t there and put a stop to his dropping by her desk. She hurried into the bathroom, stripped off what was left of her clothes, and flipped on the shower. If she really hurried, she’d have time to catch a movie tonight before bed. Maybe she should call Kari. She and Kari had been friends since childhood. Kari had grown up and gotten married, but her husband traveled for work. She might have time for an evening out.
The phone rang while Jillian was drying her hair. The caller ID indicated it was Kari. Jillian laughed as she grabbed up her phone. “You must have known I was thinking about you.”
“So, what are you up to tonight?” Kari said.
“I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the movies. I need to get out of the house.”
“That bad, huh?”
“No. I just need to see something besides the television and the kitty. How are you doing?”
“Oh, work’s stressful, but I can deal. Patrick’s on a trip to London. He’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”
“You must miss him.”
“I do, but it’s a great time for us to catch up with each other,” Kari said. “Want to come over? I’m not sure I’m up to the movies tonight because I don’t have a sitter lined up, but I’d love a chat. The baby’s asleep for the night already. Have you had dinner yet?”
“I’m making one of those frozen dinners—”
“Dump it. I’ve got stir-fry,” Kari told her. “Get in your car and get over here. Don’t forget your overnight bag.”
An hour later, Kari and Jillian brought bowls of chicken and veggies and a bottle of wine to the family room table in Kari’s house. Jillian had kept up her friendship with Kari through Jillian’s many moves over the years. Kari’s house was as welcoming and familiar to her as her own.
“So, Jill, tell me everything. How are all those gorgeous guys you work with? How’s your boss?”
Jillian had to laugh. Kari was happily married, but like many other women in the Seattle area, she was pretty interested in the exploits of the local pro football team. They’d had this conversation multiple times already, but it never got old, at least not for Kari.
“Well, let’s see here. One of the defensive guys came through the front office the other day in nothing but a pair of football pants. He wanted to talk to John, and John wasn’t in. It’s always weird to have a half-naked guy hanging out in the office.”
“It’s not bad if the guy in question has a body to die for.”
“No, it wasn’t bad at all,” Jillian told her. “He didn’t have a lot to say to me. He vanished fairly quickly when I told him John would talk with him the next morning.” She settled back against the couch. “The linebacker we got from San Diego caught me in the weight room after hours a couple of weeks ago.”
Kari’s eyes got huge. “What happened? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this the minute you got here!”
“It’s a little embarrassing—”
“Come on!” Kari took a long swallow from her wineglass. “That’s Seth Taylor, right? God, he’s gorgeous. I saw his pics in the ESPN The Magazine body issue.” She let out a sigh. “His body is unreal.”
Jillian had seen him up close. “Unreal” didn’t explain it.
Jillian nodded. “He’s handsome, and he towers over me. He was pretty mad when he walked in there. I was a little scared.”
“What did you do?”
“I was doing a workout DVD. He came in to lift weights, and there I was. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was afraid I’d get in trouble with John.”
“John won’t care. He likes you, doesn’t he?”
“It’s going well so far, but I don’t want to push it.” She pulled a throw over herself. “I haven’t been there that long, and I wasn’t sure it was okay to venture into the players’ area.”
Kari waved off her concerns. “So, did you talk to him?”
“John or Seth?”
“Who do you think? Out with it! You’re blushing. I know something happened!”
Jillian took a deep breath. How was she going to explain to her friend what had happened? She wasn’t sure herself.
“Like I said, Seth seemed kind of mad. He asked me why I was there, and I told him I worked for John. He said he didn’t remember me.” She studied her hands clasped in her lap for a moment. “I guess that’s the way it is, but it hurt. He’d talked to me in the office before . . . but he didn’t remember me.”
“I don’t think he’ll forget you now,” Kari said. She reached over and patted Jillian’s hands. “What happened then?”
“Oh, it gets even more embarrassing.” Jillian let out a long sigh as she told Kari about her first encounter with Seth. “I thought he’d think I was a weirdo or something, but I’ve run into him a few times when I’ve gone for a walk at lunchtime.” She took a sip of wine. “He even brought me some workout stuff and shoes from the team’s equipment closet.”
“Sounds like he’s interested, Jillian.”
“No. He just broke up with his girlfriend. He said he’d give me some exercise pointers and asked if I’d show him around town.”
“I’ll bet. ‘Show him around,’ huh?” Kari laughed.
“Kari, he’s not into me.”
“Guys who aren’t into you wouldn’t go out of their way to spend time with you. Something’s going on with him.”
“I don’t know.” Jillian picked at a loose thread in the throw. “Have you seen his ex-girlf
riend? I’d have to be insane to think I had a chance with him.”
“How old is he?”
“He’s almost twenty-nine, evidently.”
“Ahh. A younger man.” Kari tucked her feet up underneath her. “How do you feel about this?”
“What do you mean? I’m thirty. He’s not that much younger.”
“You know what I mean. Are you interested?”
Jillian could feel the heat rising in her face. She’d have to be dead to be uninterested, but this was not a conversation she was having, even with her best friend.
“It wouldn’t be realistic. The guy dates these fashion-model types. Plus, Kari, he’s great to look at, but I don’t know how I feel about any guy who works out eight hours a day.”
Kari leaned forward again. “Stop putting yourself down. Maybe he likes the fact that you’re pretty, you’re easy to talk to, you’re funny, and you’re nice. Why can’t you believe that maybe he’d like to spend time with you?”
“Is this the part where you tell me that I should be doing affirmations and practicing better self-love?” Jillian rolled her eyes.
“God, Jill!” Now they were both laughing. “Listen. Give the guy a chance. Maybe he sees something in you that you don’t realize.”
“He practically picked me up to help me onto the treadmill the other night,” Jillian said.
“Oh, really? How’d that go?”
“He’s strong.” Jillian took a breath. “He smells good.”
“Cologne?”
“No. Just him. Clean and nice. His eyes are really beautiful too.”
“They are, huh?”
“You can stop this at any time. It’s really not going to happen. Ever.” Even if Jillian wished it would with all of her heart.
Kari grinned at her. “Okay. I can take a hint. Let’s just watch a movie, okay?”
Chapter Five
DESPITE ANOTHER LATE-NIGHT pizza fest with his kid sister, Seth pulled his ass out of bed a little after six o’clock on Saturday morning. It was time to go for a run before he was due to practice. He also needed to burn off a little pent-up energy because he’d had another sexy-as-hell dream about a feisty blonde named Jillian, but that was beside the point.
Chasing Jillian: A Love and Football Novel Page 4
