Penalty Box: A Second Chance Sports Romance (Love in the Arena Book 1)

by Kayla Tirrell

  Silas thought that if he looked at enough of them, he’d find his dream home. The problem was that he kept imagining Miriam in every single one that he and the real estate agent visited. If Silas saw her during the showing, what hope did he have of not being tormented by her absence once he moved in?

  Bernard looked at him expectantly.

  “The pollen would kill me in the spring.”

  Bernard pointed at the paper in his hands that had all the details on the house. “It says here that the A/C unit is equipped with a HEPA filter. As long as you keep the windows closed in the spring, you should be fine.” He paused. “Or chop the trees down if that would make you feel better. I have the number of a great tree guy. He can get those suckers down and hauled away in a day.”

  Silas had to give Bernard credit. The guy was trying really hard to get Silas to fall in love with this place—any place. “I don’t know. Those trees could be home to cardinals or blue jays. Could you imagine if the neighbors lost a beloved bird because I have allergies?”

  Bernard set the paper down and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you even want to buy a house, Mr. Jenkins?”

  “Of course I do.” Silas wanted to get settled in Waterfront. Moving out of his parents’ house was a great start.

  “I find that hard to believe.” Bernard shook his head. “You’ve had a problem with every house I’ve shown you. One house is too sunny, the other has too many trees. You want to be within city limits, but none of the lots are big enough for you. Three bedrooms feels too big, but two bedrooms feels too small. I don’t think you know what you want.”

  Silas knew what he wanted. He wanted a future with Miriam and a house that they could one day enjoy together. With the possibility of a relationship with her slipping away, every house he looked at didn’t feel right.

  “I think I might need some more time to look online.”

  “You think?”

  Silas reached out to shake Bernard’s hand. The agent took it reluctantly. “Thank you so much for meeting with me today. I’ll spend some more time figuring out what I want and then get back to you.”

  Bernard mumbled something that sounded a lot like “or don’t,” under his breath. He then ushered Silas out of the house, locked up, and drove off without another word.

  Silas sat down on the stoop out front. He hadn’t walked through the entire house, but this one had been one of his favorites when he looked online. It was in a quiet neighborhood, while still being close to everything. It was zoned for a great school and had room for a family.

  A family.

  He and Miriam had never really discussed it when they were dating, but now he realized he not only wanted to be with Miriam. He wanted everything with her. He wanted marriage, kids, and the white picket fence.

  Though two giant oaks that kept the house cool in the summer might be just as good.

  Miriam

  Miriam was really surprised when Silas didn’t call her when he got back to Florida.

  Or show up to that week’s player meet and greet.

  Or even come by the office with some kind of excuse to see her.

  She’d finally realized that she wanted Silas. It felt like a cruel joke that he was completely disinterested now that she was willing to give him a chance. Was she just a shiny toy that he’d grown bored of once again?

  It would have been nice of Silas to let her know.

  That way she could have avoided the awkward I-don’t-want-to-date-you conversation with Harris. She’d been under the impression that Silas wanted her, and that time was of the essence. So she’d laid everything out on the table all at once for Harris, crushing him in the process.

  It had been awful. There were actual tears.

  If she’d been able to take her time, Miriam would have slowly dropped hints about wanting to keep things friendly and platonic until Harris realized on his own that nothing was ever going to happen between the two of them.

  It might have still hurt, but it wouldn’t have made him cry—at least not in public.

  Now, things were more than slightly uncomfortable at work.

  Harris had been giving her the cold shoulder all week. He was slamming papers on her desk when he needed to give them to her, making her look bad by not telling her about missed calls, and had a terrible attitude in general. Miriam was shocked that Greg hadn’t fired her on the spot.

  It was possible he wasn’t aware of the drama with the winning streak the Storm was having. The Comeback was happening just like they’d hoped it would, and he was busy reaching out to various news outlets trying to get coverage of the team’s rise to the top of the Eastern Conference.

  Miriam wished she could get caught up in the excitement of the team, but between Harris and Silas, it was getting harder and harder to go in to work at all. She dreaded going in, even for the sake of the team. Her beloved Storm didn’t feel like enough anymore.

  Miriam didn’t know what to do, though she knew what Allie would say: Go get another job that brings you joy. Life’s too short to be unhappy forty hours a week.

  Maybe her best friend was right.

  Just the thought brought a wave of guilt, but it also brought curiosity.

  Miriam looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was near her office. When she made sure the coast was clear, she pulled up a job posting site. Her heart pounded as she typed ‘Waterfront, Florida’ into the search bar. Hundreds of listings popped up—medical jobs, nannying, warehouse work.

  None of it sounded appealing.

  She cleared the search location and typed ‘soccer jobs’ into the search bar. Miriam expected the search results to turn up empty. She shot up in her seat when an entry level marketing position with MLS appeared on the screen. It was in South Carolina—far, far away from Silas and Harris. While the starting pay wasn’t listed, the duties were. She quickly skimmed the post. It was a lot of the same stuff she’d done for the Storm only with a different name.

  Miriam leaned back in her seat as she continued to stare at the screen. She didn’t think she wanted to move to South Carolina. The winters would be much colder up there, and she wouldn’t know anyone. But she’d get to work for a new team without the added stress of stupid romantic entanglements.

  The longer she looked at the listing, the more Miriam wanted to see what would happen if she applied. She haphazardly typed up a resumé and hit send before she could think twice about it. It was silly to think that anything would ever come of it. Miriam wasn’t sure she was even qualified.

  But what if she was qualified?

  Focusing on work was impossible after she hit send on her resumé. She looked at the time on her computer. It was almost eleven. She could take an early lunch and go exercise for a bit. She hoped that burning some calories and a change of scenery might help her to focus on her tasks for the day.

  She turned the screen off, left a note on her desk, and drove to Big Results.

  There was something cathartic about putting all your energy into a workout. Miriam was huffing and puffing as she pushed herself harder on the elliptical. She was in the zone and thinking that it was a great idea to go to the gym when two girls got on the treadmills in front of her.

  They both looked immaculate with their adorable ‘messy’ buns and cute workout clothes. Miriam glanced down at her old college shirt and running shorts. Her outfit did the job, but it wasn’t doing her any favors. It screamed, “Yeah, I’m working out. But I’d rather be eating pizza and watching reality TV.” Miriam would never be one of those girls who looked cute at the gym. She sighed as she watched them set their machines to a brisk walk.

  It was strange, one of the girls looked slightly familiar. Miriam couldn’t figure out why until she saw the Storm t-shirt. The girl with dark hair was wearing it, and on the back was a signature. When Miriam squinted to see it better, she saw it was written by none other than Silas Jenkins.

  Miriam realized why the girl looked familiar. She was the gorgeous girl from outside The Sports Em
porium at that first meet and greet. It looked like her love for Silas was still going strong.

  Good for her.

  Miriam tried to ignore the two girls as they talked excitedly. But when Miriam heard one of them say Silas, she gave up on that. She turned her music off, though she left the headphones in, to get a better shot at hearing what the fan club was saying about the golden boy.

  “Come on, McKensie. You’re so making that up,” said the girl not wearing the Storm shirt.

  “I swear.” McKensie held her hand up. “We worked out together two days ago and when we were done, he said he wanted to do it again.” She waggled her brows. “Soon.”

  The other girl squealed. “What did you say?”

  McKensie shrugged. “Only if he was lucky.”

  “O.M.G.”

  “I know. Ever since he got back from Wisconsin, we keep bumping into each other. There’s this chemistry between us. It’s like we’ve known each other forever.”

  The other girl’s eyes were wide. “It’s like fate.”

  “Right? I always had this feeling I was going to date a professional athlete. I thought he would be a football player, but I guess European football is close enough.”

  The two girls giggled.

  Meanwhile, Miriam wasn’t sure what to think. Just because some obvious groupie-wannabe said she was hanging out with Silas, that didn’t mean it was true. People lied all the time to make themselves look better. They talked about their run-ins with celebrities at local coffee shops or pretended to catch oversized bass. Sometimes they told the story so many times, they started to believe it themselves.

  Hearing McKensie talk about Silas was no different.

  Then why did Miriam feel like she might be sick? She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart, but it was no use. Her mind kept going to the what-ifs.

  What if McKensie is more than a fangirl?

  What if Silas changed his mind?

  The timeline certainly made sense. If McKensie was to be believed, they’d started hanging out the same time Silas started ignoring Miriam.

  Fears of something like this happening had dominated too much of her time with Silas, and it was causing problems even now—when they weren’t actually dating.

  She stepped off the elliptical and went to the bathroom. Once inside, she splashed cool water on her face until the urge to throw up passed. She dried her face with a paper towel and looked at herself in the mirror. The reflection that met her was not that of a crazy woman who jumped to conclusions. It was a rational adult who had the means to find out what was going on.

  She pulled out her phone and sent a message to Silas.

  Miriam: Can we talk?

  His reply was fast.

  Silas: I’m so glad you texted me. I have something to tell you.

  Miriam tried to ignore the feeling of dread that pooled in her belly. She knew that something wasn’t necessarily McKensie.

  Miriam: Okay. Should I call?

  Silas: It’s more like something to SHOW you. Can you meet me tomorrow instead?

  She thought it was weird that he didn’t want to talk now, but she’d had almost a week of radio silence. One more day wouldn’t kill her. Plus tomorrow was a rare Saturday where the Storm didn’t have a game. She’d have the entire day off. Without a legit reason to say no, she typed her response.

  Miriam: Okay.

  Silas texted her an address.

  Silas: Meet me here at nine.

  Miriam clicked on the address. When her map app opened, it pulled up a house in Waterford. She zoomed in. There was nothing extraordinary about it. It looked like a regular house.

  Her mind raced at the different reasons Silas would ask her to meet him at a house. They ranged from a surprise proposal—which was insane—to an intervention of some sort. Miriam cleaned up and grabbed her gym bag.

  With no clue of what her show and tell with Silas meant for their future, Miriam was thankful it was only a day away.

  Silas

  Convincing Bernard to come back out to the house was no easy feat. But when Silas said he was ready to make an offer on it, the real estate agent reluctantly agreed to come at nine.

  Silas wiped his palms over the thighs of his pants as he waited for Miriam to show up. With every passing minute, Silas got more anxious about what she would think about his surprise. It might have been a little impulsive to buy a house without letting Miriam see it first, but Silas wanted to prove how serious he was about settling down in Waterfront.

  “Mr. Jenkins, if you’ll just sign right here”—Bernard pointed at the bottom of the page—“we’ll send this right over to the selling agent. Usually, we get an answer within twenty-four hours depending on the terms of the offer.”

  Considering Silas was offering the asking price, he expected it to be an easy decision for the owners. He grabbed Bernard’s pen and signed his name.

  This was it. Silas was going to be a homeowner. But where was Miriam?

  Bernard lifted his phone. “Do you mind if I call their agent real quick? I’ll still have to fax this over, but I can at least let them know that the offer is good to go for their clients.”

  “Yeah, of course.” Silas nodded. “Is it okay if I walk around the backyard while I wait for my...friend?”

  The word didn’t feel right on his tongue. He hoped that by the end of the day, he’d be able to confidently call her something more than that.

  Bernard was already lifting the phone to his ear. He nodded excitedly and pointed to the back door.

  Silas walked out into the cool morning air. It would get warmer later, but if the realtor was to be believed, the backyard would be protected by the giant oak trees. They were impressive. Their canopies stretching out to cover almost the entirety of the property. The sound of birds chirping made Silas curious to know if there were any of the birds that he’d talked about living in the branches.

  As he stood in the shade, he imagined the backyard filled with a playset and laughing children. Would they have his dark coloring or her fair one?

  Slow down, Silas, you’ve got to convince her to date you before you start conjuring up a family.

  He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. Miriam was officially ten minutes late. He wondered if, somehow, she was having a hard time finding the place. Maybe the ‘For Sale’ sign in the front yard was throwing her off since Silas hadn’t told her anything about why he was asking her to meet him.

  If he stood in the front yard, he could wave her down as she drove by. Silas walked through the house, and heard Bernard talking on the phone to the owner’s agent. Silas wasn’t sure what he was listening for, but he hoped the congenial tone Bernard used was a good sign.

  With one last look at the foyer, he walked out the front door and stood on the sidewalk. He looked for Miriam’s car parked on the street, but his search came up empty. The only thing Silas saw was a woman jogging down the sidewalk. Her dark ponytail swayed with every step.

  Silas heart plummeted when he realized that it was McKensie.

  The girl seemed to be everywhere.

  They’d bumped into each other at Big Results earlier in the week, and the way she ran over to him when he first walked in the door of the gym made him think that she’d been waiting for him to arrive for some time.

  And now she was outside of the house he was trying to buy. It didn’t feel like a coincidence.

  Not only was she taking her love of the Storm to an uncomfortable level, her sudden appearance had the ability to ruin everything. All Silas needed was for Miriam to finally get here and see him talking to another woman. He tried to run back inside the house before she could see him.

  “Silas!”

  As he suspected, it was too late.

  Silas wanted her gone—now. He rubbed his hand over his face. “Look, this isn’t a great time.”

  “What are you talking about?” She looked at the sign in the front yard, and her mouth fell open. “Wait, are you buying this house?”<
br />
  The reaction felt fake and forced. She already knew the answer. He didn’t know how she knew he was making an offer today, only that she did. If the sale went through, it would mean a lifetime of ‘accidentally’ running into each other. He’d been so excited to show Miriam he was serious about settling in Waterfront, and it was possible he’d made a huge mistake.

  Silas closed his eyes as he tried to think through the reasons someone could cancel an offer on a house. He was pretty sure there was something about there being a grace period while inspections were performed. That small window could be what saved him from this potential nightmare.

  “This is what you were so desperate to show me?”

  His eyes snapped open at the sound of Miriam’s voice. Silas hadn’t heard her car pull up, and she’d walked up to see him with McKensie in front of a house that was for sale.

  This was bad.

  Silas held out his hands. “I can explain.”

  “Explain what exactly? That you don’t want to be with me? You could have just told me instead of rubbing my face in it.” Miriam’s eyes shifted to McKensie, who made no attempt to move.

  “It’s not like that. I invited you to see this.” He waved his hand at the building behind him.

  “It’s a house.”

  Silas took a step toward Miriam. “I’m buying it.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “I knew it,” McKensie said at the same time.

  Silas wanted to scream. This was hard enough without McKensie standing here giving her commentary. He turned to face her. “Can you just go away or something?”

  McKensie’s mouth fell open. “Do you talk to all your fans like that?”

  “You’re not a fan, you’re a stalker.”

  She lifted a finger. “You did not just call me a—”

  “McKensie!” Bernard’s voice came from the house. “What are you doing here?”

  Silas looked at his real estate agent. “You know her?”