Page 65 of Catch
“Are you okay?” Parker asked.
I waved her off as though this happened a lot. “I’m fine. Still not awake and still making bad choices.” The smile she gave me took my breath away. I was already nervous to talk to her, but now that we were in each other’s personal space, I felt skittish and wanted to bolt back to the table. “How’s cheerleading?” Hayley would kill me if she knew that was my opening question.
“It’s good. How’s football?”
“Painful, but I’m excited about the new season.” I took another sip of coffee and tried to mask the burn but failed.
“You should probably wait to drink that,” Parker said.
“I keep telling myself the caffeine will wake me up, then I forget it’s hot as fu—” I stopped myself. I wasn’t around the guys. I was standing in front of a new cheerleader and I was trying to make an impression. “It’s just too hot.”
She smiled. Her smile was beautiful and made my stomach do backflips. She wasn’t like the other girls at Oak Grove. She seemed more refined and delicate. Even her clothes weren’t casualfor school. I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt and she was wearing pants and a sleeveless top. Her arms were toned and tanned. She looked amazing. Her flats screamed money whereas my Converse should’ve been tossed over the summer. I looked worn and I had never been so self-conscious in my life.
“Have fun making posters. I’ll see you on the field, quarterback,” she said.
What she said wasn’t even flirty, but I felt a bounce in my step like I was Missy getting ready to direct a cheer. I sat next to Max again.
“Who were you talking to?” Max asked.
“New girl.”
Max gave me a look. “I know it’s the new girl. What’s her name? Where’s she from?”
“Her name is Parker and I think she’s from heaven.”
He bumped my shoulder and laughed. “Maybe she’s the one.”
I couldn’t stop staring at her. She sat down with the defensive tackles and made small talk with them as they painted their signs. They laughed with her, but every few seconds, her eyes drifted my way. “Yeah, maybe she is.”
Chapter Twenty-six—Touchdown
Present
In my adult life, only two people have ever lifted me off my feet. A linebacker from Texas A&M scooped me up and out of the way when students rushed the field after we won a college bowl, and head coach Bill Tatum swung me when we made the playoffs. Both were painful, but exhilarating moments in my life.
I felt the tears on my cheeks before I realized I was crying. My career was riding on this season. We made it. I sat on the players’ bench, found a towel, and cried. No, I sobbed. I knew cameras were on me, and I didn’t care.
Massive palms slid into my view. “Let’s go, Coach. We aren’t done yet.” I looked up into Grayson’s smiling face and put my hands in his. He pulled me to my feet and hugged me. He was sweaty, dirty, and happy. I assumed that he would want the season to end, but he played like a wild animal out there fighting for yardage. Reporters were clamoring for an interview from him, but he checked on my well-being before talking to anyone.
“I’m good, Grayson, thank you. Go do some interviews.”
He shook his head. “Not without you.” He pointed to the towel. “Dry your tears. We’re going to be interviewed. Together.” He waited until I was presentable and pulled me over to an NBC reporter who was waiting for the exclusive.
“Grayson, how does it feel to take an expansion team to the playoffs?” Nikki James had been with NBC for over ten years. She was one of the first women on the field reporting from the sidelines.
“It’s the best feeling. Who knew I could do this?” He pointed at me. “She knew. Coach McCoy never let me give up. She was there at my lowest point and helped me see how important leading this team was. I did a complete one-eighty about two months ago thanks to her.”
“Coach McCoy, big praise coming from your biggest player. What do you say to that?”
“Grayson is a natural leader. Without him, we wouldn’t be here right now headed for the playoffs.”
“It looks like you’ll be playing the Rams. How do you feel about it?” she asked.
“I’ve had my eye on them since the beginning of the season.” It was before then, but I didn’t want to come across as a football geek even though I was.
“What’s next for you, Coach?”
“More late nights, a fast new year, and hopefully, another win.”
