Page 23 of Second Down Fake

A few short days and the picture had made it online. Not just online, onto the Norwalk Breakers gossip site. I took the phone, pleased they at least picked a flattering picture of me. Diego, on the other hand, looked like a handsome deer in the headlights.

I wrinkled my nose. “We’re not really friends. Not exactly anyway.”

“You certainly look friendly.” Kendall took her phone back with a shrug. “Barton! You’re Rebecca Barton’s sister. I should have put that together.”

“Yep,” I confirmed. “So, you’re actually a football fan?”

My sister didn’t have a household name like Diego, but she’d shared a couple of features with him when she moved from college to professional football. A trainer following her most successful athlete and the athlete who credited her with his success. The headlines practically wrote themselves, but only the super fans remembered Becca’s name.

“I was raised a Steelers fan, but when Virginia got its own team, I switched allegiances.”

“Along with the rest of your entire family?”

She shook her head. “My dad nearly disinherited me, but he grew up in Pittsburg. He moved down here for my mom. So, how long have you known Diego? Since he was playing college ball?”

“We met once when he was in college,” I said, ducking my head to slice a lemon so Kendall didn’t catch me blushing. “Briefly. Barely. I flew to town for a game with my mom. Becca took us out to dinner, and I went to a booster’s party for a couple of hours. We ran into each other.”

“But he trains during the off season in your hometown.”

I shook my head. “I haven’t lived in Franklin Notch since I graduated.”

“Then how exactly did you…?” Kendall tugged her head toward her phone.

“We ran into each other when I was helping Becca pack her office. She took a job with New England to be closer to home, and I took over her apartment lease.” Mooched off her apartment lease, but Kendall didn’t need to know that. “He offered to show me around town. He was just being nice. For Becca.”

“Huh,” Kendall said with a huff of disbelief. “I wish my sister had friends like that. She only hangs out with my nephews, and they’re pretty lame.”

“Cuter than Diego, though, I’m sure,” I said with a laugh.

She rolled her eyes. “Speaking of which, your friend is calling you now.”

My eyes widened, skipping to my phone tucked under the bar countertop. Diego’s name flashed on the screen.

“It’s almost time for you to clock out, anyway. Get out of here,” Kendall said with a smile.

I grabbed the phone. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself,” Diego answered, his voice low and warm. “So, guess what I saw today?”

I groaned as I grabbed my purse from under the bar and waved goodbye to Kendall. “Is this about our bet?”

“You owe me a round of disc golf.”

“Those damn kids!” I walked out the back door and into the darkened parking lot, illuminated by the cars rushing past downtown on their way to the suburbs. “I can’t believe I trusted them.”

“Yep, you could have just rested on the laurels of beating me with a four stroke per hole handicap and never touched another disc in your life.”

“The dream,” I laughed, pulling open the door of my car.

“Where are you?”

“Just getting off work. What about you?”

“My place. I had practice this morning and a massage scheduled for the afternoon.”

“I really missed out by not taking up sports professionally, didn’t I?”

“Well, maybe it’s time to take your natural disc golf ability into the pro league.”

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