Fair Catch - A Football Romance Read Online Free Page B

even did a contact lens commercial a few years ago for Acuvue, and he’s done some photo shoots for a modeling company. The hottest ones are of him in a pool with his eyes just above the surface. Women fall all over themselves for him, but he doesn’t date much. I used to think he was gay, but Jesse says no. So what happened?”
    “Cat, we need to close up. Come on, break’s over,” her scrawny man-boy boss calls from behind the counter.
    Cat huffs and stands up, pointing at me. “You. Do. Not. Move. I’m not done with you.”
    “Yes, Ma’am. I’ll sit here and drink my coffee, Scout’s honor,” I say, holding up my three middle fingers.
    She narrows her eyes. “You were never a Girl Scout.”
    “Was too, for six months in the fourth grade, until it interfered with my dance classes.”
    “Cat!”
    “I’m coming!” she shouts and stomps away.
    Behind the counter, I can hear banging and clattering as she breaks down the espresso machine and stores the baked goods in a freezer for another day. All of the customers are gone. If there had been any left, she would be scaring them off with this little rant. I cringe when she storms past the man-boy boss, who jumps out of her way, pressing his back against the wall to avoid injury.
    That woman has a fiery temper, which is the reason she’s twenty-two years old and still working in a coffee shop. She went to college and even graduated a year early, but she can’t get through an interview without pissing someone off to save her life.
    I love her, though. She may be a little crazy, but she’s hella loyal, and that is what is most important to me.
    Outside in the hot evening summer air, Cat and I walk down the street to my apartment. I’m buzzing from the caffeine bolusboost, and I’m excited to tell Cat about River. It’s not like I’m going to act on that electrical feeling I had when I held his hand today, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream out loud about it.
    “So he stayed after class?”
    “Yep, and he introduced himself and shook my hand.”
    “He shook your hand? Was it like a quick shake and drop, or a lingering, slow, hand holding shake?”
    “You’re really into the details of this, aren’t you?”
    “Uh, hell yes. You never talk about men. It's always dancing this and practice that and auditions and Miss Valentina. I’m jonesing for some man talk.”
    “Well, it was a lingering, hand-holding sort of handshake, if you must know.”
    “I must. So, did you feel anything? Like was there chemistry or electricity when you touched?”
    “You read too many romance novels.”
    “Yeah, so what’s your point? Zap or no?”
    A slow smile spreads across her face when she sees me squirm.
    “There was, you felt a zap! Hot damn, finally, you’re interested in somebody.”
    “It’s not like it matters, though. I have to audition next week. It couldn’t be worse timing.”
    “Angel, did it ever occur to you that you could have more than one thing in your life? Why do you think every second of your time needs to be spent on dancing? You’re a shoo-in for the company, can’t you see that? I think that Miss Valentina has been filling your head with doubts all these years.”
    “Dancing is the only thing I want to have in my life, and Miss Valentina is constructively critical. She’s helping me, not planting doubt.”
    “Okay, so say you make the company, which we both know you will, and you become a prima ballerina and travel all over the world and become famous. Doesn’t all that end in your early thirties? What then? Do you plan on being an old maid dance instructor in a little musty studio in Russia or what? I don’t think you see the whole picture here, and I know you don't give yourself enough credit. You can dance and be in a relationship. It might be hard, but if you find a great guy, it’ll be worth it.”
    “Wow, you’ve been thinking about this a lot, haven’t you?”
    “Eh, yeah, a little. I just never bothered to say anything