Page 53 of Sidelining the Safety

He wasn’t tired. Antsy, maybe? Hmm… he debated about calling his mom. With the one-hour time difference, she’d be awake. He texted instead then hit the shower.

He’d just pulled on his briefs when the phone rang. “Hell-oh.”

“So…” Mom said, ignoring the need for pleasantries and diving right for the goal line, “how was it?”

“Good morning to you, too.” Lee chuckled, then put her on speaker and continued getting dressed.

“Right, right. Good morning… Is it? A good morning?” She was nosy, but he loved her anyway.

“Yesterday was better, but only because I have an apartment of one at the moment. They left after breakfast yesterday.”

“But if someone asks, I can say you’ve got a boyfriend?”

Lee grinned. He didn’t have one boyfriend. He had two! Two! Holy shit… He sat on the edge of the bed, a fresh set of worries nixing his joy. “Mom… you can’t tell anyone.”

“What? Why? You know I don’t care. Auntie doesn’t care.”

“Drew might. Mac might. My team might. The front office…” Lee groaned. He had to tell… someone. But who? PR? The GM?

“Lee, calm down. It’s not like you’re the first. Isn’t that punter of yours out? With the owner of the Bathtubs distillery?”

Relief flooded Lee. Garrett… He’d forgotten. He’d talk to him first thing. “I love you, Mom. You are the smartest person I know.”

“What can I say? Comes with age and beauty.” Her laughter lifted Lee’s spirits higher, and with a plan formed, he finished getting ready.

In the locker room, Lee was on pins and needles. He jumped at every sound, his laughter sounded stilted. Everyone around him was giving him the side-eye. He kept looking for Garrett, but the team’s punter never showed up by the time he hit the weight room to warm up.

Then he went and made a further fool of himself, tripping getting onto the treadmill, almost dropping a weight on his foot, and bumping into the doorway on the way out to the field.

He stumbled, he dropped passes; he got beat out again and again by the receivers. Yowie, Jakes, and Anders kept looking at him like he had two heads… and they weren’t wrong because one head certainly wasn’t paying attention.

“Matty!” Coach Mike hollered after he went ass over tea kettle trying to keep up with Gunner, their ever-speedy wide receiver. “Front and center.”

Aw shit. When Coach Mike barked out military commands, they knew they were in for a freaking death knell. Lee picked himself up off the ground, brushed off the grass and dirt he’d accumulated, and then jogged over to the sideline.

Coach Mike looked him up and down. “You don’t look hurt.”

“I’m not.” Lee popped his helmet and braced it under an arm before accepting a water bottle from one of the ever-present trainers.

“Not hurt, then what the hell’s going on in here?” He poked Lee’s forehead. “The last time you were like this was when…” Coach frowned. “Do I need to have him removed? Rosie will be pissed, but?—”

“No!” Lee shook his head. “No. It’s not that. The opposite, but…” He trailed off, not ready to discuss his relationship with his coach without getting some advice first. He glanced toward the tunnel and then toward where the kickers were practicing on the other side of the field.

“The opposite but— Oh goddamn it. This has something to do with what happened at the brewery. Sheesh, this team has hitched its wagon to relationship’s drama. You” —Coach grabbed Lee’s shirt and tugged him forward a step— “need to figure your shit out. Today. Got it? I don’t want to have to keep you on the sidelines for the next game.”

“Yes, Coach. I’m trying.”

“Try harder.” Coach gave him a shake before releasing him with a slight shove. “Ten laps. Go.”

Lee offered him a small smile, knowing he got off easy. He tossed his helmet to Yowie and set off to clear his head. Ten laps weren’t enough to get his thoughts together, but it did the trick enough to keep him upright and catching the ball for the rest of practice.

He finally caught up with the team’s punter in the locker room. “Garrett, you got a minute?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“Um…” Lee glanced around, making sure they had a smidgeon of privacy before he lowered his voice as he leaned closer. He shuffled his feet, barely making eye contact as he asked, “If I need to tell someone about someone I’m dating, who should that someone be?”

“That’s a lot of someones… and I mean someones.” Garrett snickered. “Start with Caitlin. She’ll handle the rest. You want me to set up a meeting for you?”

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