Page 17 of Playing to Win
“Ouch.”
“Sorry. It’s not you. I just—I just had a bad experience with—well, with someone. Someone who played sports. And I swore off all men from then on who had anything to do with athletics. Besides, I’m focused on my career right now, anyway. I don’t have time for a love life.”
“Just because one guy was a jerk doesn’t mean we all are, Curly. I’m a gentleman through and through. But about this career. I know you were studying for a mass communication law test. What is it you’re studying to be, exactly?”
“I want to be a sports broadcaster.”
Kyle let out a laugh. “You want to be a sports broadcaster, yet you have no intention of ever dating a man who has anything to do with sports? I hate to break it to you, but you’ll probably grow up to be an old maid.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t date guys that liked sports or that had careers in sports. Just not athletes.”
“Well, that makes total sense. Do you realize most guys who are broadcasters or analysts were at one time players? Troy Aikman, Tim Tebow, Charles Barkley? Yeah, they all were athletes, sister.”
“But they don’t play anymore.”
“Curly, that theory of yours makes no sense. But who am I to judge? It’s your life. Besides, I have four more times to change your mind.” Kyle threw a big, dimpled smile her way and Callie felt her insides turn to mush. “Like I said, who am I to judge? I don’t date women with red hair.”
“Seriously?” Callie asked.
“Seriously,” Kyle said with a shudder.
“Why don’t you date redheads?”
“Don’t you know how the saying goes? Redheaded people have no souls.”
Callie grinned impishly. “I’ll be sure to tell Aria you said so. I’m sure she’ll have something to say about that.”
“Who’s Aria?”
“The super gorgeous, red-headed Thunder dancer. She also happens to be my best friend.”
“Did I say soul stealer? I meant stealer of my soul,” Kyle said. “I absolutely did not mean your friend doesn’t have a soul.”
Callie looked over at Kyle, who had a frightened look on his face. “Please, please, please, Curly. Please don’t tell your friend I said that,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Honestly? Because she scares the ever loving shit out of me. Your friend is mean.”
Callie threw her head back and laughed. This was way harder than she thought it would be. She had to change the subject before she put his car in park and launched herself over the console into his lap and started kissing him in ways that would make her nana blush. Kyle Kelly was too adorable for words.
“Okay, so a little background about my dad,” she said, changing the subject. “He’s a career coach. Won’t retire. Has pretty much coached everything, but basketball is his favorite. He was my coach growing up and let me tell you, people who say coaches’ kids have it easy have never been a coach’s kid. He was way harder on me than everyone else. But everybody loves him, because he’s the greatest person in the entire world.”
“What about your mom?”
“She died in a car accident when I was three.”
“Oh, Curly, I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. She was coming home from one of my dad’s games. I was sick, so she had left me with my nana and pop. It had snowed and there was a bunch of ice on the road. Dad tried to tell her not to go, but she wouldn’t listen. She never missed watching him coach. I think he blamed himself.”
“Shit, I can’t even imagine.”
“Yeah, he was angry for a long time. Took a year off from coaching. Said he couldn’t do it anymore, that it wasn’t the same without her in the stands. They were high school sweethearts. She cheered and he played. He said she was always the best cheerleader he ever had.”
Kyle brushed a tear off of Callie’s cheek that she didn’t even realize had fallen. “I don’t remember much about her, except that she could sing. I remember sitting in her lap in a rocker with her singing me to sleep. She had the prettiest voice. She liked to sing songs from musicals—“Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. Daddy said she won some sort of big singing contest in the city when they were seniors in high school. She had a chance to go to New York and sing.”
“Did she?”
