Page 12 of Tumbling the Cornerback

“Uh...”

“Don’t play confused, kid,” she ordered, glancing at the scrolling numbers as we went from fourteen to one. “You must have an idea.”

The doors opened onto a busy lobby. Numbly, I followed Cass, my mental gears grinding as I tried to keep up with her words. “I... I’d need to sit down and look at the numbers. Talk to Liesel. Get more information on where they want to go long-term. Like real long-term, not just one or two years.” I grabbed my phone from my hip pocket and opened the note-taking app.

Cass pulled me to a stop near the doors. “And don’t forget to talk to Cooper Howard. He’s still part of this, remember. His name’s attached now, his face. So figure out how to make that work or how to fix it before it becomes a bigger problem.”

“Sure,” I smiled thinly. “Totally doable.”

Fuck.

CHAPTER 4

COOPER

“You got yourself a fan,” one of the guys called out from across the gym. “He’s peepin’ on you!”

I didn’t look. “This is a private workout facility,” I grunted instead. “He can talk to security.”

“I don’t think they’re gonna bug him,” Rye noted. “It’s your cheerleader.”

The plates hit the base of the squat machine with a clang, momentarily silencing the rest of the guys. Then a wave of catcalls and laughter burst free as I got to my feet. Sure enough, Lucas was peeking through the window in the weight room’s door, eyes narrowed until he spotted me. He raised his hand to give me a wave, then mouthed something I couldn’t make out. “Huh?”

“He said I’ll wait,” Anders supplied helpfully. “What? I’m good at reading lips!”

That led to a cavalcade of crude commentary about Anders’s private life as I reset the machine. Giving Lucas one more glance, I resumed my workout. I did my best not to get distracted, but it was nearly impossible, knowing he was on the other side of the door, waiting for me. Every once in a while, I’d allow myself a peek between sets. He’d moved to lean against the wall, looking down at something and grinning. Was it his phone? Why was I jealous that someone else was making him smile like that? I stretched a bit further, just on the verge of making my hammy cramp, and felt a mix of relief and affection when I saw what it was. He was holding a romance novel with two guys on the cover, classic shirtless hot dude pose.

I wondered if I should tell him about my secret stash I carried to away games and the box my sister set aside for me once in a while whenever she got new consignments at her shop?

I moved over to the bench for flutter kicks, giving me a better view of Lucas. He glanced up then and met my gaze, his eyes going wide. When I waved, he ducked his chin, but I couldn’t miss the quick flash of a dimple and a smile.

Cutter, our assistant trainer, stopped by the bench to critique my form. “You’re not paying attention,” he scolded. “At this rate you’re going to give yourself a ruptured hamstring before the season starts.”

I tore my attention from Lucas and gave Cutter a nod. “Sorry. Just got sidetracked.”

Anders, nearby and concentrating on his own squats, snorted. Cutter gave him a quelling glance before turning back to me. “It’s important to have a life outside the team,” he murmured, squatting to correct my positioning, “but you can’t bring it in here.”

“Sorry. Lucas is working on a project I got involved in and?—”

“I heard,” he said dryly. “He’s one of the cheer team, right? Then he knows not to interfere with training.”

Before I could stop him, Cutter was up and out the door, talking to Lucas, who nodded in response. Rather than leaving, he settled back against the wall. Cutter sailed back in and headed over to talk to Rye.

Lucas didn’t look up from his phone—at least he didn’t seem to—for the rest of the hour I was in the weight room. When the guys and I headed for the showers, he hung back, out of the way, giving me a small nod when I muttered hey in passing.

“I’ll wait here,” he said, shoving his phone in his pocket.

“I won’t be long.”

I rushed through the shower and changing, ignoring the ribbing from the guys before slipping out and hurrying back. Lucas was still fiddling on his phone. “You could’ve come down to the lock room hall,” I said. “There’s benches.”

“It’s also for team only,” he pointed out, tucking his phone away again. “And I didn’t have a way to get hold of you, and Cait wasn’t really keen on handing out your contact info so here I am.”

“You just happened to know the team’s weight room schedule?” I shrugged my duffel bag higher up my shoulder. His cheeks turned a sweet shade of pink, making a handful of freckles stand out as he tipped his chin defiantly. “I’m teasing. I know it’s posted at the practice field.”

“Marisol knows it,” he muttered. “Her pet project is getting the squad access to a better gym, and she’s been pushing for using this place when y’all aren’t.”

“Where do you go?” I asked, motioning for him to follow me. “Want to grab some lunch? There’s a place not far from here we can walk to if you want.”

---