3
Noah
“Hey. Noah, right? Do you have a second?”
I paused just outside the door to the weight room, turning to see who was calling me. When I realized who it was, I forced myself not to grimace.
“Ah, sure.” I let go of the door’s handle and shifted the bag on my shoulder. “Good to see you again, Ms. Connors.”
“Please. It’s Juliet.” She glanced around the wide hallway. The place was busy since practice was scheduled to begin in a couple of hours. “Can we go sit down over by the windows?”
I nodded my assent and followed Juliet a few yards down to a rounded nook made up of solid glass. The view from there was spectacular at night, taking in the city lights. A couple of chairs faced the windows. Juliet sank into one, and I dropped my bag to the floor and took the other.
“It’s kind of bustling around here today, isn’t it?” She peered around me to look at a bunch of guys shouting insults to each other as they headed down the open steps.
“Yeah, most of us like to maximize our hours before practice. We get in some time in the weight room or work with the trainers. A bunch of the guys—the QB and some of the receivers—like to fit in a class with our resident yoga teacher.”
She grinned. “But not you, huh?”
I wagged my head. “I went a couple of times, but I learned pretty quick that I wasn’t very bendy. Nelly says that people are either flexible or strong.” I paused. “It’s possible she said that to make me feel better when I couldn’t twist my body into her positions. But anyway, I tend to stick with the weight room these days.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hijack your workout time. I just wanted to apologize about the other day. In Coach’s office, I mean.”
I rolled my shoulder. “Nothing to apologize for. I didn’t take any offense.”
“Still.” She sighed and crossed her legs. I noticed absently that she was wearing a dress today, something loose and flowy with tiny straps holding it up. It was long, but when she moved her legs, the split up the side revealed a long length of leg. She was short, yeah, but somehow, those legs looked endless. Her shoes were made out of some kind of rope stuff, and the ribbons wrapped up her calves. I’d never really been drawn to petite women, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from those legs.
“ . . . and I just have a knee-jerk reaction when I feel like people are handling me, you know? All my life, I’ve been Goff Connors’ baby girl, and now, I’m doing my best to make my own way. Yes, I took this job knowing that Carl Nance—a man I grew up calling Uncle Carl—probably gave it to me because of who I am, not because of what I know. But that’s my issue, not yours, and I was rude to you when you didn’t deserve it. So . . . I really am sorry.”
I realized that I’d missed most of what she’d been saying because I’d been preoccupied with her damn legs. Frowning, I sat up straighter and cleared my throat.
“Yeah, I guess that’s got to be tough. But I honestly didn’t think anything of it. And don’t go too hard on Coach—he was just . . . you know. Trying to do whatever he could to make things easier on you.” I shifted a little in my chair. Juliet’s perfume or whatever women were wearing these days—Ang used to like some kind of light spritz on stuff that had a different name—was drifting over to me, and for some reason, the scent was affecting me in an unexpected way. Meaning, I was getting somewhat . . . aroused.
“Oh, yes, I know. Don’t worry, I wasn’t too harsh with him.” She smiled, and it struck me suddenly that she was a lot prettier than I’d thought at first.
“Good to know.” I eased myself to the edge of my chair. “But listen, if you need anything, I really don’t mind doing whatever I can to help. So don’t hesitate.”
“Actually . . .” She lowered her head and gazed at me through her long eyelashes. “If you’re serious, I could use some advice. I have to find a place to live.”
I cocked my head. “Where are you staying now?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly. “In a condo that my father owns. He wants me to stay there, but I really need to be independent. I was thinking if you could maybe let me know what areas would be most convenient to the stadium and also safe for a single woman living on her own, I’d know where to start.”
I flipped over my wrist to look at my watch. “I’d love to do that. Right now, I need to get into the weight room and get my lifting in, but if you have time . . . maybe Saturday? I have practice early, but my afternoon’s free. I could drive you around to a few places, let you see where you should focus the search.”
“And you’re sure you don’t mind doing that the afternoon before your opening game?” Her eyes were wide.
“Nah.” I shook my head. “Nothing else I’d be doing anyway, except maybe knocking around at home. I don’t have any plans.”
“All right, then.” She reached into her bag and took out a cell phone. “If you don’t mind giving me your number, I’ll text you my address.”
I spouted off the digits as I stood up, and Juliet read them back to me. I watched as her fingers flew over the keyboard before my own phone buzzed.
“There.” She rose, too. “Thanks, Noah. I really appreciate your understanding. I’ll see you Saturday afternoon.”
As I watched her go, I wondered if I knew what the hell I was doing.
“Just what Coach asked you to do,” I mumbled to myself as I strode across the hall to the weight room. “That’s all you have to do. That, and nothing more.”
