“What on earth? Is this my girl singing?” Her roommate and best friend, Wynette, asked from the kitchen where she was frying something. Her highlighted red and gold hair was tied back in a ponytail and her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You don’t eat bacon.”
“I might. I can afford to eat whatever I want now.”
“But it’ll be like tofu bacon or lean chicken breast bacon or boiled eggs bacon or some such crap.” Wynette had a great job at the Coors’ factory, but she was training to be a chef at nights, her dream career, and she was a fabulous cook. She always had a good laugh when Lily asked her to cook whole foods or use coconut oil.
“Wait.” Her friend’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t afford a pot to pee in. You’re always tight on money because you send most of it to your parents.”
How did Wynette know that?
“Not anymore.” Lily couldn’t help but do a little dance. Not that she wouldn’t send most of the money to her parents, but there was enough to go around now.
“Wow, girl. I’ve never seen you this excited. What happened? Big client?”
“Yes!” Lily grinned so wide her cheeks hurt. “You’ll never believe who I am training.”
“Give me a hint.”
“He’s a celebrity.” She squealed, clapped her hands together, and actually jumped into the air. Naturally a tomboy with her obsession with fitness and football, Lily usually didn’t react like this, but come on. Hyde Metcalf. She gave a dreamy sigh.
“Wow. You are like, in heaven. Who could it be?” Wynette’s eyes glazed over as she pondered for a few seconds. “Matt Damon?”
“No. Cuter.”
“There’s nobody cuter than Matt Damon.” She pursed her lips. “Hmm. Channing Tatum?”
“No. Cuter and actually lives in our town.”
“What! We don’t have any celebrities in our town and there is no man on earth hotter than Channing Tatum.” She stirred some kind of sauce on the stove that smelled heavenly—strong on the garlic and fresh tomatoes—then flipped the meat she was frying. “Wait a minute, we do have a celebrity.” She dropped the wooden spoon, spraying red sauce on her spotless cooktop, and turned to Lily with wide eyes. “Hyde Metcalf.”
Lily gasped. “How did you know?”
Wynette abandoned her post at the stove, grabbed Lily’s hands, and dragged her toward the kitchen chairs. “You’ve got to spill it. Now!”
“You’re going to ruin whatever you’re frying.”
Wynette waved a hand. “You got to put your hands on Hyde Metcalf today. I don’t care if I burn down the entire building. I want details!”
Lily giggled, re-living each moment that she had put her hands on Hyde Metcalf. Shaking his hand when they first met, twice, touching his lower back to remind him to keep his posture strong as he did a dead lift, and flattening her hand against his abs as he did a plank and was so exhausted from the two-hour workout he almost slipped on his form. She blushed as she remembered the last one. Those abs. If she was a singer she could belt out an entire song about each striation and muscular bulge of his abdomen.
“All I’m saying is today was the best day of my life.” Hands down. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy, and it wasn’t just about the money she was going to make.
“Girl, you are so obsessed with Hyde Metcalf. I cannot believe you get the opportunity to touch and workout with your man crush. Who gets that? I mean, that would be like Curtis Stone showing up at class and telling me I had to cook with him for the next two months.” She sighed and placed a hand over her heart.
“I know, it’s nuts and he was so nice.”
“Stop for a second. I want to hear all about it, but I’m still having a Curtis Stone moment.”
Lily giggled. She closed her eyes and let herself have another Hyde Metcalf moment. She wanted to call her family and shout it out to the world, but she had to respect his privacy. Oh, she should’ve thought before telling Wynette. She clutched her roommate’s hands. “Hey, Wynnie. Don’t tell anybody okay. It’s in the contract that we won’t talk about it until after he’s done training.”
“It’s going to get out.”
“Yeah, but not from me.”
“Okay, I get it, I get it. But, oh my, I’m happy for my girl. It’s not every day someone’s daydreams become a reality.”
“I’m not dating him, just training him.”
“Ooh, but you’re definitely thinking about dating him.”
Lily blushed, but had to admit, “That would be heaven, but it’s never going to happen.”
“What! Why not? You’re a gorgeous specimen my friend.”
“Who was raised dirt poor, thinks Under Armour is the top designer brand, and more often than not smells like sweat. Yeah, I’m really Hyde Metcalf’s type.”
“Scoff if you want, but he’ll notice you, if he already hasn’t. At some point a man’s got to get sick of prissy models and want a girl who can eat real food. Okay, never mind, you still don’t eat real food, but you’re real at least.”
Lily smiled but it felt strained. Hyde Metcalf was never going to notice her like that, and honestly she couldn’t afford him to. She needed that money. Her family needed that money. She wasn’t going to jeopardize her hundred dollars an hour or her ten thousand dollar bonus to be one of Hyde Metcalf’s flings. She knew he’d been through his share of women. It must come with the territory. It didn’t matter how good-looking she thought he was, how impressive his football stats were, or what a nice guy he seemed to be, she would keep it professional and she would get that paycheck.
Chapter 4
Sore didn’t begin to describe how bad Hyde hurt the next morning when he rolled out of bed. There was a thumped-on-the-football-field kind of sore which hurt a lot, but right now the situation was training-muscles-you-forgot-you-had kind of sore, which hurt in a completely different way. He didn’t really enjoy either kind of torture, but they were part of his life.
He crawled out of bed to the smell of pancakes cooking. “Oh, Mom,” he groaned quietly.
Dressing quickly in shorts and a t-shirt, he slipped on his socks and gym shoes and made his way through the upstairs. His mom and dad had built this house when he was three. When he decided to move back in after his dad disappeared and weeks later his mom was diagnosed, he had the entire home renovated and added on two more cars to the garage and then built himself an apartment above the four-car garage. His parent’s master suite was on the main level so he basically had the upstairs to himself.
It was weird to be living in the home he’d grown up in. He’d been on his own since he started college, and in the last couple years, at the advice of his accountant, he’d purchased homes in Dana Beach, California; Park City, Utah; and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; but he knew this was where he needed to be right now or his mom might burn down the house and herself trying to cook. Maybe someday soon his dad would come back home to stay, but if he didn’t, Hyde would either be here or hire someone to be here.
He said ouch as he went down each step. How many stinking lunges had that woman put him through? He grinned to himself. He might be sore, but he was excited to see what she had planned for him today. Being around Lily and her drill sergeant style of training yet with a touch of sweetness and attitude, was like a breath of fresh air. She’d kept things professional between them, which was good, but he was still looking forward to seeing her today.
“Hey, Mom,” he called out as he came into the kitchen.
She whirled, brandishing the spatula like a weapon. Her face broke into a smile when she saw him. “My boy.” She offered a cheek to kiss. Hyde crossed the room and bent down, kissing her soft, slightly sagging cheek. How had his mom grown old without him even realizing it? She was still a beautiful lady and her best friend, Allie, made sure she stayed on top of hair, makeup, and fashion, no matter if she was having a confused day or not.
“Ready for pancakes?” she asked.
“I can’t this morning, Mom. Remember, I told you I�
��d be training every morning?”
She frowned. “But you always loved my pancakes.”
“I do, Mom. You know I do.” He hated this placating act. His mom of even a few months ago would never have done this to him. She would’ve whipped him up a green smoothie or protein shake and told him to go kick some rear, but stay away from all those girls who chased him. He sighed. This was the new reality since she’d been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s a few weeks after the Super Bowl, and had steadily declined. He was shocked by how quickly she’d become confused and lost her zest for life.
At least she still remembered and loved him. She just got irritable easily and forgot a lot of things. Sometimes he wasn’t sure she remembered he was a world-class athlete. “Could you put them in a bag and I’ll throw them in the freezer and eat them Sunday morning?”
Her scowl became deeper. “They aren’t good after they’ve been frozen. I’ll make you a new batch Sunday morning.”
“Okay. Thanks.” He quietly went about whipping himself up a protein shake with powder, ice, water, natural peanut butter, and a banana.
His mom turned off the griddle, sat down and started eating a pile of pancakes with coconut syrup. She was what some might describe as pleasantly plump. Hyde loved her that way and he loved her cooking. But most of it wasn’t in a diet that helped him be ready to play to the best of his ability so he was forever making her sad when he didn’t eat certain things, especially when she knew he loved that food. Sometimes she seemed almost childlike and he hated being a parent to a sixty-two-year-old woman at twenty-six.
The back door banged open and his mom’s twenty-four-year-long best friend, Auntie Allie, sashayed in. “Hey, hot stuff. You’re looking good this morning.”
“Thanks, Auntie.”
She grabbed him and kissed his cheek.
“I love kissing on you. Sexy stubble and all.”
Hyde laughed. “Glad to be of service.”
“So, which beautiful girl you kissing for real this week?”
“None.”
“You said that last week. Come on, boy. They’ve got to be banging down your door.”
“Not much fun to bang down the door when the guy’s living with his mom.”
His mom turned to him with concern on her face. “Girls don’t like you because of me?”
Oh, no. “Of course they like me, Mom, and they all love you.” He glanced to Allie for help. His mom had ruined a few relationships saying awkward things about his girlfriends to the press. He’d never been too serious about a certain girl so it wasn’t the end of the world, but it wasn’t like he could be a part of the single scene right now with his mom struggling and him living at home.
“What girl wouldn’t want our boy? He’s just waiting for the right one,” Allie said.
Hyde drank a swig of his shake, grateful to Allie as always. She dealt with his mom so well.
“My boy doesn’t need a girl.” His mom beamed up at him.
“Yes, he does,” Allie argued with her. She focused on Hyde, “You find you a good, Christian girl who wants to have lots of babies.”
“Only if he stays here with us,” his mom inserted.
The peanut butter-banana shake went down the wrong hole. Hyde sputtered and covered the huge granite bar with brown yuck.
“Hyde!” His mom exclaimed.
“Sorry.” He managed. “I’ve got it.” He pulled a fresh hand towel out and started swiping up the mess.
Allie watched him with amusement. “Babies isn’t a word you like to hear? Or is it living with Momma once you marry your hottie?”
His mom glared at her best friend.
“I’m only twenty-six, Auntie. Cut a guy some slack.” No, the thought of living here with his mom downstairs wasn’t an ideal start to newlywed bliss. That is if he ever found a girl his mom wouldn’t offend and he wouldn’t get bored of, or realize she was all a fake mask after a few weeks.
“You ain’t getting any younger.” Allie walked around the bar and glanced him up and down. “You gotta strike while you’re still hot.”
He shook his head, not shocked by her brazenness anymore, but wondering how he’d ever bring a woman around these two. The few times he’d tried had not been successful, but admittedly those girls had been high maintenance and not Allie-approved.
“You find the prettiest, most fun, and sweetest girl in Colorado and then you bring her home to your mommas and we’ll make sure she’s worthy of you.” Allie helped herself to a stack of pancakes and poured on the coconut syrup liberally. Hyde’s mouth watered just watching her. Sunday was only five more days then he’d take a free day and eat all the stuff that’d been banned from his diet.
“Sorry, Auntie, but I think you two would terrify a sweet girl.” He rinsed the rag out then wiped the counter one more time.
“Maybe, but at least we’d see right through a chickie who just wants you for your body, your fame, or your money.”
It was always tough to know why a woman went after him, but he’d become pretty leery the last two years as the awe of women throwing themselves at him had worn off and his fame had risen to epic proportions. Little boys and girls who wanted an autograph—awesome. Women who wanted him to sign their t-shirts or something even more intimate—so wrong.
Hyde swigged the rest of his shake, rinsed the cup, and put it in the dishwasher. He quickly put away all the ingredients for his shake and the pancakes. It was six-forty-five. “I’d better get going. I have a training appointment at seven.”
“With whom?” His mother asked.
Hyde lit up. His mom was interested? It was Allie who asked all the questions and made sure he was doing all right. It was Allie who’d brought Mom to the hospital to visit when he’d been admitted with pneumonia and then brought him home the next week. He’d tried to hire Allie as his mom’s caretaker but she wouldn’t hear of it, so he just tricked her husband, Lon, into telling him who their mortgage carrier was and then talked the bank officer into letting Hyde pay off the entire thing. His mom had confided in him before she got sick that Lon and Allie had a decent retirement for when Lon decided to quit accounting full time, but no debt would help. Allie had been ticked that day, but she’d forgiven him.
“A lady down at the Fitness Academy. She worked me really hard yesterday. Even my eyeballs hurt.”
Allie laughed. “Maybe the two of us should pay her to whip us in shape.”
“Yes, you should.” He hid a smile at the thought of these two in spandex trying to do burpees. Allie was determined enough she’d do it. His mom would tell the trainer that it was unladylike to sweat and that floor was probably covered with germs so no way was she planting her face on it.
“We’ll just dig in the flowerbeds today.” Allie said. “That should be enough to work off these pancakes.”
Hyde paid a gardener and a housekeeper, and had a chef deliver whole food dinners four nights a week, but these two didn’t seem to notice. They went on playing in the dirt, cutting flowers for arrangements, baking with Crisco, and wiping everything they could with Clorox wipes no matter how clean the housekeeping service kept it.
He also paid the gardener and housekeeper to stop in at Auntie Allie’s at least once a week. The woman was a saint and Hyde wasn’t sure how she kept up with everything. Her husband was a quiet guy who never complained, but Hyde wondered if he wouldn’t rather be vacationing with his wife rather than watching her take care of her best friend. It was probably the reason Lon wouldn’t retire for a while.
“Bye, Mom.” Hyde walked around the large peninsula and gave her a hug and a kiss.
“Have a good day, sweetheart.”
“I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Okay.”
Auntie Allie took his hug and kiss, but kept a hold of him and walked with him through the large laundry room to the garage. “You go do whatever you need to do. I’ll be here with her. Since you came home from the hospital you’ve spent too much time playing nursemaid to an
old woman. Go take some pretty girl to lunch or play ball with some friends or something.”
Hyde didn’t know how to tell her that all of his high school friends had grown up and moved away. His college friends were busy with their lives, and his NFL friends were off enjoying their own break from the season. He was kind of a loner at the moment.
“Thanks for being here. I don’t like her being alone.”
“Me neither. Have you heard from your waste of a father?”
“Just postcards since the Super Bowl.” His dad had never missed a game. He coached him through little league from seven years old on up. His dad had retired from being a running back with the Denver Storm after seven seasons. He’d done well for himself, but there wasn’t the money in it back in his day like there was for Hyde and his teammates. Dad started a company filming high school games and making highlight films for players hoping to play at the next level. It had worked out for Hyde, especially with his dad’s connections.
His dad arranged his schedule with work to never miss anything throughout high school, college, and the NFL. Hyde made sure all the travel was taken care of for his parents, and he loved the support, but his dad liked to wander. The day after the season was over, his dad had gone M.I.A. with only a short letter for Hyde. It had happened before, but it made Hyde sad and irritated. He knew his parents didn’t have the best relationship, but they’d provided a great childhood for him and his older sister. His sister was living in upstate New York with her husband and three girls and Hyde didn’t expect her to uproot herself and move here. She’d offered to have mom come live with her, but the doctors agreed with Hyde that it would be a setback to leave the home and neighborhood she was comfortable in. Plus, how would she leave Auntie Allie?
Pass Interference: Book 6 Last Play Romance Series (A Bachelor Billionaire Companion) Page 3
