Page 11 of Second Down Fake

“Diego…?”

“Salazar.” The confusion dropped from his voice, replaced with mild scolding.

I bit back a grin. “Oh, right. Diego. Sorry, most of the guys I give my number to aren’t quite as eager as you. Haven’t you heard of the forty-eight-hour rule? Or does that not apply to football players?”

“Doesn’t apply. Half of us can’t count that high.”

“Two days, but I love the enthusiasm. You went five years without talking to me before.”

“That wasn’t for lack of trying.” His voice pitched low and seductive. My cheeks burned at his words, and I pushed off the column, pacing along the sidewalk to loosen the grip his words had on my chest.

“What are you doing calling me on a Thursday night, anyway?” I cleared my throat. “Don’t you have some fancy football parties to attend or, I don’t know, a yacht to carouse on?”

“I have practice tomorrow, so no. I’m sitting alone at home wondering how my favorite sports trainer’s sister is doing in Norwalk.”

I grinned. “Job hunting, so not great.”

“Job hunting? It’s almost dinner.”

“It’s also the perfect time to catch a manager at a bar. They’re open, but it’ll be quiet for another hour or so. I’m hoping to charm someone into employing me.”

Diego scoffed. “Where are you applying?”

“Anywhere that will take me, if I’m honest,” I sighed. “But I’m at the Crown & Copper to start.”

“I know the place. The drinks are great.”

“Which means they need great bartenders, and I just so happen to be one.”

“Is that a fact?” he asked, a bemused tone to his voice that made my stomach flip.

“Once I get a job, I’ll have you come for a drink and find out.” I winced at my flirtatiousness, well aware I was being overeager. “Any chance you want to come out for a drink? After I’m done making the rounds, of course.”

The deafening silence over the other end of the line made my stomach flip in an entirely different way. I’d come on too strong, which wasn’t exactly my style, but apparently, around Diego, I couldn’t help myself. Which was exactly the reason I had avoided him for the last five years.

“I’ve got an early practice tomorrow, or I would.”

“Right, of course,” I forced a smile.

“But I actually called to see if you wanted to hang out soon. Maybe on my day off?”

“You get days off? I’m shocked.”

“I had an entire month off, but you missed that. Training camp is wrapping up and then pre-season starts, so I go back to Tuesdays off.”

“Wow, Tuesday? What kind of fun can you have on a Tuesday night?”

“Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I’m pretty sure they schedule our day off specifically so we can’t have fun.”

“Well,” I pitched my voice lower. “Good thing I know where all the Tuesday night raves are.”

He chuckled. “I’d love to hear how you plugged into the local rave culture so quickly. How about Tuesday? I’ll show you around town and you can tell me all your secrets.”

“It’s going to take more than a tour around Norwalk to find out all my secrets.”

“Good. Then I’ll have an excuse to keep seeing you.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, glad I hadn’t completely turned him off with my enthusiasm. He was the only person I knew in Norwalk, and I could use a friend since dating probably wasn’t in the cards.

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