Cam pulled on his pinnie and sidled up beside Tanya. “Your team’s going down.”
She grinned. “We’ll see about that.”
His team broke out to an early lead, but only because Tanya’s team was caught off guard by a bomb unlike anything they’d ever seen from the back-up quarterback, Lacy Bentz. It wasn’t a pretty throw, but a guy like Cam pulled that wobbly ball in and made it look effortless.
Twenty minutes later, things evened out when MJ ran the ball into the end zone. Beneath the good-natured play, Assistant Coach Ray Ross sounded determined to win.
“Trick play,” he said to MJ when they were in the huddle again. “Your call.”
MJ looked at Jillian and smiled.
The next time the ball snapped, MJ gave the ball to Jillian, but instead of heading up field like everyone else expected the wide receiver to do, Jillian started looking for her passing target.
“Fake reverse,” someone yelled.
Cam, who wound up playing defense, made the read and cut towards a sprinting MJ.
Tanya took off too. If she cut between them, he wouldn’t have a clear shot at her QB.
“Martin, what the hell are you doing?” Coach yelled.
Playing touch football the way it was meant to be played, positions be damned. Bottom line, if she couldn’t get between MJ and Cam, then she’d give Jillian another receiver.
Tanya saw MJ reach the end of her pass pattern, look over her shoulder, and lift her hands just as Cam barreled into view. She glanced back and saw the shadow of the ball on the turf. If she slowed her pace, turned her head, and locked eyes on the ball, she could watch it hit her hands before it dropped into her bread basket. Just. Like. This.
She squeezed the ball to her body, broke right, and fired on all cylinders. Run. Run. Run. Run. Her lungs and legs screamed, but she didn’t show them any sympathy.
Cam was behind her. She could hear his feet crunching the turf. Jade Wren was closing in too. By now, the whole team was probably in pursuit.
In the split seconds of silence between her breaths, she could feel him getting closer. She didn’t dare glance back to see how close. The smallest alteration would impact her speed.
His grunts grew louder. “I got y ... ”
She leaped into the end zone, landing in a tuck and roll. Everything hurt. But the cheers helped.
Someone yelled, “Touchdown!” When she opened her eyes Cam was standing over her with a smile and a hand to help her up.
“Nice,” he said. “You really are faster than I remember.”
Faster? Hell, the speed wasn’t what impressed her. What about the agility? “Did I just somersault into the end zone?” she asked MJ.
“Yep.”
“That was amazing!” Jillian rushed toward her.
“That was stupid, Martin!” Coach yelled. “Not worth an injury.”
“How do you feel?” the trainer asked. “Looked like initial impact was with your head.”
“I’m fine. Winded, but fine.” Actually, she was better than fine. That was all offense, baby.
Who said you couldn’t teach old dogs new tricks?
Coach blew his whistle. “Game over. Practice over. See you tomorrow, ladies.”
The crowd around her dispersed, leaving only Cam.
“Whose team did you say was going down again?” Tanya asked.
He grinned. “Yeah well, paybacks are a bitch, Martin. Remember that next week when I take you down on the basketball court in front of your students.”
She made a sarcastic noise and rolled her eyes. “You wish.”
He shook his head. “What I really wish for is a replay of that somersault. I can’t believe you did that.”
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had on a football field.” God, she loved this game.
“It would’ve had a much different outcome if I hadn’t been holding back.”
She nodded. “Because you’re an elite athlete, and we’re just playing around, right?”
“You’re elite athletes too. I’m just bigger.” He puffed out his chest to prove it.
“Size doesn’t scare me.” Her gaze dropped to his crotch for a second. “I thought you knew that.”
His eyes widened.
She held in a laugh and turned toward the locker room, but before she could get away, he smacked her ass. “Hey!” She spun on him.
“What?” He looked so damn innocent. “You don’t smack your teammates on the ass after a good play?” He shrugged. “We do it all the time.”
Bend over, baby, was what she wanted to say, but she’d save that for later.
“We need to get you into the end zone more,” Jillian said when Tanya caught up with her. “Ask Coach if you can play TE.”
A little jolt zipped through her body, but then reason returned. “I’m not a tight end.”
“You looked like one today.”
She’d felt like one too. What if she could do it again in a real game situation? How would that feel? She let the thought linger. “I like protecting MJ,” she said.
“I know, but there are other people who can protect her. Why does it always have to be you?”
Because that was her role in life. It started the day her father moved out. Somebody had to hold the family together. You’d think her brothers would’ve stepped up. But Terrell was too busy getting in and out of trouble, and Tyler was too busy chasing after girls. So she did it. Every basketball game she’d insisted her mom and dad sit together where she could easily see them when she looked into the crowd. Every single game from middle school on. In those moments, they were whole again. She’d lived for those moments. That’s why when it came time for college, she couldn’t leave to play somewhere far away, even if it meant playing at a higher level. So she found something else to play. Football.
Even as part of the offense her job was defense. She was comfortable there. But she’d been comfortable flying through the red zone with the ball tucked under her arm too. It was something to think about, but not now. She had a bachelor auction to think about, too.
An hour later at Mama Mary’s, she looked around the table at Cam, Jillian, MJ, and Tag. Terrell was the only one missing, but someone had to man the gym now that Pop was on an indefinite hiatus. If anyone could pull off this auction, they could.
“And you think we can get this ready in three weeks?” MJ asked.
Tanya nodded. “We already have the venue. I printed out some signs announcing the gym’s one-night closing on Saturday, March 28, and Terrell is going to hang them up so everyone has fair warning.” She looked at the notebook in front of her. “Jillian, can the guy who was going to print up T-shirts print up tickets instead? Cam said hundreds of people attended the auction he was in, but most never even bid.”
“It’s a spectator sport,” he said with a laugh.
She could imagine.
“I’m sure he’ll do it,” Jillian said. “What do we want the tickets to say?”
Tanya passed her the mock-up she’d finished with Cam’s help before practice. “I’m going to talk to my mom about donating the booze.” It still annoyed the crap out of her that her mother was the reason her father was in this mess in the first place. Some bottles of wine and vodka were the least she could do.
“Cash bar,” MJ said. “Keep it simple and easy for me to mix drinks and collect money.”
“Sounds good.” Tanya had no worries when MJ was involved.
Cam reached across her arm for a nacho chip. The little brush of skin made her smile.
“We should pull out all the stops,” said Jillian. “Think Magic Mike.”
Cam choked on his chip. When his coughing slowed, he leaned forward to look at Jillian. “This man does not dance, and he sure as hell doesn’t wear a thong.”
Jillian booed. “You’re no fun.”
Tanya begged to differ. He was definitely fun. Just not in a flashy, sequined sort of way. “No Magic Mike. This needs to be something my dad is comfortable with.”
“And my mom,” Cam said. “Let me have my dignity.”
“What about other bachelors?” Tag asked.
“We need guys who will bring in serious cash.” She glanced at her big-ticket bachelor. “I’ll talk to some guys at the gym. Mitchell for sure. A police officer with a famous canine partner has to be worth something. Dante is a firefighter. Rickie is a DJ. They have potential.”
“Remember, they have to come up with their own ideas for dates,” Cam said. “The bigger the date, the better the bid.”
“What’s your date?” Jillian asked.
“An all-expenses paid trip to Boston for training camp. Not the whole thing. Just a weekend.” He said it like it was no big deal, but the thought of him whisking some woman off to Boston to watch him play football had her stomach rolling.
Jillian whistled. “Can I bid?”
MJ laughed. “If you can afford it.”
“No,” Tanya said. “Not even if you can afford it. “We’re going to man phones in case there are telephone bidders. I also need you to work promo magic and create a Facebook page.”
“How much can we expect to bring in from something like this?” MJ asked.
Cam rested elbows to table. “The winning bid for me was fifteen grand.”
Tanya’s jaw dropped. Who the hell paid fifteen grand for a pseudo date even if it was in the name of charity?
“Who was she?” Tag asked, clearly impressed by the amount.
Tanya wasn’t sure she wanted details. Maybe the auction had been how he’d met Sabrina. She’d been working hard these last few days, keeping it light and fun, nice and non-committal. But right now, it didn’t feel that way.
“The bidder was seventy, and her husband came with us,” Cam said. “It was a blast.”
Tanya exhaled. See? Nothing to fear, just a momentary loss of perspective. She didn’t care about what happened at the auction with the exception of how much money it brought in. But … just to save herself the annoyance of watching someone larger-than-life like Sabrina Quick stroll in, she was going to talk to MJ about ways they could vet the bidders.
She’d rather be prepared than be taken by surprise.
• • •
Cam’s next week was full of first-period weight training and flirting with Miss Martin in empty halls every chance he could get. And tonight he would take part in East High’s annual faculty-student basketball game.
He was getting awfully comfortable around here.
Almost three weeks into his visit home, and he hadn’t complained once about being bored. He wasn’t harping about his mother’s work schedule. He wasn’t shoving Boston down her throat. He wasn’t even missing football. Well, maybe a little bit. But it was the off-season, so missing football came with the territory. He just kept thinking this was the best off-season he’d ever had.
He looked up at the uncharacteristically sunny early-March sky and ditched his sweatshirt. He hadn’t felt like driving all the way across town to work out at the swanky gym his agent had hooked him up with, but he needed more of a workout than tonight’s basketball game. So he’d come here. To his old high school track. For the fun of it. For the comfort of it. Because he hadn’t run this loop since he’d been home from college on breaks, and that felt like too long.
A few other people were out taking advantage of the beautiful Sunday. He’d tried to get Tanya to join him, but she was busy putting the finishing touches on the event.
“Watch out for the ruts,” an old guy called to him. “Wouldn’t want your season ruined.”
Cam lifted a hand and nodded a thank you for the warning. He moved off the track to stretch. It was in pretty bad shape. The field in the center was more dirt than grass. Heavy snow could trash natural turf, but this was more than that. There had been winters filled with heavy snow back when he’d been playing here, and it didn’t look anything like this.
He set out on a light jog, taking in more of the dilapidated surroundings. Something looked funny when he went into the first turn. Where the hell was the goal post?
Cam slowed to a near-walk alongside the man who’d warned him about the ruts. “Excuse me, do you know what happened to the field?” He pointed. “No goal post.”
“Hasn’t been a goal post in years.”
“How do they play without a goal post?”
“They don’t play here. Get bussed to the community college.”
Home games weren’t even at home? That sucked.
He thought about it as he picked up his pace and managed two miles without breaking much of a sweat. Something needed to be done. When he was finished with his run, he pulled out his phone and left a message for his agent.
Between the time he left the track and the time he reached his mother’s house, his agent had returned his call and they’d hashed out a plan. He was going to give back to this community that had given so much to him. Tanya would love that. And tonight—after the basketball game—would be the perfect time to tell her.
Chapter Eleven
Cam walked onto the East High basketball court amid cheers. He towered over the other students, but that was the point—their not-so-secret weapon against the faculty. He lined up next to a kid named Sean, who had made it clear in the huddle that the tip was coming to Cam. He didn’t have the heart to tell these kids basketball wasn’t his thing. He was only here for the fun of it … and for their gym teacher.
On the other side of the mid-court line, former all-city, state champion Tanya Martin stood in the center circle, wearing an East High t-shirt and baggy shorts that looked every bit as enticing as something made of lace.
He smiled until his cheeks hurt. Despite the noise and chaos in the gym, she smiled back at him … and missed the tip. He laughed until the ball came his way. With a leap, he snatched it out of the air and dribbled to the net for a quick layup. His teammates swarmed him before they headed back on defense. High-fives all around.
“I taught you that,” Tanya mouthed with an enthusiastic point at her chest.
“I know.”
The very next possession, she drained a three-pointer from the top of the key. The crowd oohed and awed. All he could think was, “That’s my girl.” And just like she’d done in high school, she turned to the stands for the thumbs-up from her mom and dad. His heart swelled.
“Don’t let her show you up,” one of the kids said.
But when she managed to steal the ball mid-pass and take it to the rim, he knew it was a lost cause. He liked when she showed him up, because then he could watch her.
By the third quarter, the students had figured out that triple teaming Miss Martin was the most effective form of defense, which left Cam with way too much court to cover. He was beat. Wrecked. And having the time of his life.
With one minute left, the teams were separated by four points. Faculty 54. Students 50. Make that 52. Cam hung on the rim for a second as the ball he’d slammed off the backboard swished through the net. The noise turned deafening.
Tanya nodded and gave him a little smirk that seemed to say she was impressed. Hell, he was impressed too.
In the end, that was his last hurrah. Even a flurry of foul shots that put the students on top, 56-55, couldn’t sustain a win after she sunk another three-pointer at the buzzer. But nobody seemed to mind. The gym was electric. And for once, he wasn’t the athlete everyone wanted to see.
They surrounded her, pulled on her arms and her T-shirt. Jumped up and down and hung on every word. She beamed in the middle of the commotion. Again, his heart puffed up until it literally ached. So much … respect. He’d never met a more talented, determined, independent, beautiful woman. Never.
He hung back, let her soak up the limelight, and after the crowd cleared, he stayed to help the small crew that included Tanya with clean up. It felt easy and natural being here. Places like that were hard to come by with the life he lived. Even his condo in Boston didn’t quite feel like his. But this place … this place was a part of him.
Fixing t
hat field was the least he could do.
When they finally left the building, he drove her around back and parked in the empty lot behind the chain link fence that bordered the football field.
She eyed him up suspiciously. “Why are we here?”
“I have a surprise.”
“I’m too old to have sex under the bleachers.”
He chuckled. “You’re never too old for that, but that’s not why I brought you out here.”
“We can’t work out. I ditched my sports bra when I changed.”
Really? He raised his brows. “You’re not wearing a bra?”
“Of course I am.” She unzipped her jacket and lifted her shirt giving him a cleavage-heavy look at red lace.
Damn. He’d never seen her in anything like that. It was all he could do to keep his hands off her now.
She laughed. “You were bound to lose that game. I figured this would be a consolation prize.”
“Come here.” He reached for her, but she raised her hands to block him.
“Not until you tell me what the surprise is.”
Right. He sat back and stared at the space where the missing upright should be. “I’m going to fix this.”
“Fix what?”
“The field.” He looked at her. “After I worked out here today, I talked to my agent. We’re going to redo the whole thing. Turf it too. New scoreboard. Bleachers. Everything.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s going to cost a fortune.”
“Probably.” He grinned at her.
She stared at him. Her lips parted as her eyes roamed his face, and the connection with her was so strong he felt his body swaying closer. But then she looked at the field, and her face wrinkled.
Why? What had she thought that shifted the energy and made her look … afraid?
“The kids will love having home games at home.” She glanced at him. “They will really love that. And their gym teacher will be able to take them out for class in the fall and spring. Not sure they’ll all love that part, but the gym teacher will.”
Her cheeks balled up and her eyes sparkled as the energy shifted again. He loved being able to make her face do that.
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