Page 71 of The Keeper

Oh, Dawn. You have no idea how real.

He released my hand so we could dig into the food. True to form, the chips were plentiful. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I’d had an apple at Xavier’s place this morning but that was it. I wasn’t about to make him prepare a gourmet breakfast for me. For one, that’s not my style. Plus, it’s not what casual flings do. It falls firmly in the long-term boyfriend column, which he was not.

Still, I was curious about so many things. I pulled out my phone and searched his name on social media. I found him pretty quick.

“Hmm. You really like to post photos of yourself diving for the ball.”

He glanced over at me. The left corner of his mouth ticked up in a smile. “Checking me out, are you?”

“Well, you know. I suppose I should see what the fuss is all about.”

He looked inexplicably sexy in his uniform. Maybe this wasn’t as good an idea as I thought. Getting all hot and bothered scrolling through his feed while sitting next to him wasn’t exactly smart.

A video of him with a young boy no older than six or seven caught my attention. They were fist bumping and posing for a photo.

“Who is this little boy?” I asked, turning my phone so he could see.

“Oh.” His eyes brightened. “He’s my number one fan. Theo. We spent part of the afternoon hanging out at training last month.”

Another longer video showed Theo meeting other players, including Cade. They were all sitting in the locker room laughing.

I smiled. I love when professional athletes give their time in this way. There was additional footage of Xavier chatting with Theo and showing him around parts of the stadium. Looks like this little boy also got to meet the manager.

And he assisted Xavier in goal with some drills.

My heart melted. Sexy, talented, and a really good guy.

I’m so screwed.

“How did this all come about?”

“Funny story actually. He was imitating some of my moves in goal and his dad put together a video with a side by side comparison. It went viral. Apparently the internet thinks I’ll be replaced by a six year old this season.”

I laughed. “Love it.”

I closed out the app and put my phone away. “So, what do you have planned for me for today?” I asked, dipping a french fry in his mayonnaise. “Aside from stopping by the cottage?”

“Do you really want to know or do you want it to be a surprise?” He pushed the mayo closer to me.

“Do you actually have a plan or is this one of your deflection tactics?”

“That’s the fun of it,” he said silkily. “Keeping you off guard.”

“There she is,” Ray bellowed, walking over to me. “I heard a rumor you were out here with this hooligan.”

Xavier’s pout made me laugh.

He waved off Xavier’s expression with a good-natured grin and hugged me. “Just as pretty as the last time I saw you. It’s been too long, Victoria.”

“I know, I know.”

“Thank goodness your father keeps us up to date on what you’re doing.”

My mouth popped open in shock. “He does?”

“Yes, yes. He comes here once a year. Tells us what you’re up to. Brags about your fancy job with that American football team all the time.”

“I had no idea,” I said softly. “I mean, I knew he visited his cousins. I just didn’t know he’d come here.”

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