Page 95 of Sack

If he could just win the Super Bowl, his life would be so different. If he didn’t need to put all his focus into winning, he’d have more time for his personal life. If he had that time maybe Ivy would be willing to give him another chance.

If.

If.

If.

New determination filled him. He would make it happen. There were only a couple more games to go. Hewouldwin.

And if you don’t?

Colt shoved that thought from his head.

He couldn’tafford to lose.

Ivy

A body filled the seat beside her, and Ivy looked over to find Cassie, head bent, searching for something in the depths of her bag. “Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.”

“What’s wrong?” Ivy asked as Cassie pulled out a few items, digging to the bottom.

“I can’t find my cell. I think I left it in the car. At least I hope I left it in the car and not at home. I just remembered I have a dentist appointment scheduled for the same time as my next class and if I don’t call to cancel, I’ll get charged the office fee.”

“Do you want to borrow mine?” Ivy fished her phone from her back pocket and held it out.

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver.” She woke the phone. “Um, you have a missed call and voicemail from someone named Colt.”

Surprised, Ivy’s heart started pounding. “Go ahead and make your phone call, I’ll check it when you’re done.”

Colt had texted regularly at first, but once she put her foot down, he'd respected her boundaries, and it had been a little over three weeks since she’d last heard from him. Which made her all the more curious why he was calling. She’d been keeping up with the news enough to know he was okay. Great, in fact. He’d held on to his winning streak and now the Phantoms were headed for the conference championships—the last game they needed to win to make it to the Super Bowl.

The time it took for Cassie to look up the number and call felt like eons, but finally, she handed her phone back… Just as their teacher walked in.

“Good morning. Is everyone ready to get their paint on?”

A buzz rose from the class collective as Ivy clicked through screens to reach her voicemail.

“Cell phone away please, Ms. Clark. You know how I feel about those infernal gadgets.”

Right. It’s a creativity killer. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and gave the teacher her attention. “Sorry.”

“Great. Now, by show of hands, is there anyone with a sketch that needs approval?” Two students raised their hands. “Okay, I’ll get to you both in a minute. For the rest of you, go ahead and get started. I’ll make the rounds for anyone who has questions.”

Ivy had one, but it wasn’t something Mr. Anderson could answer. Only the cell phone burning a hole in her pocket could. But she couldn’t risk taking it out no matter how antsy she was to listen to Colt’s message. So instead, she stared unseeingly at her canvas.

Soon the broad strokes and shapes of her drawing pulled her in. She was tackling a beach scene, and her mind started to formulate the different colors she would need. Shades of yellow and brown for the sand. A variety of blue hues for the ocean.

So lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed anyone come up behind her until she heard Mr. Anderson’s voice near her ear. “Everything okay here?”

Her hand flew to her chest. “You startled me.”

He grimaced, looking contrite. “Sorry about that. Do you need help? You’re the only one not started.”

Ivy glanced around the room, noticing everyone busily working on their piece. She quickly grabbed her palette and a tube of paint.

“Remember, it’s better to start with the mid-level tones and do the shading and highlighting after.”

“Right.” Ivy dropped the paint and picked up a tube a few shades lighter. She squeezed a dollop onto her palette and loaded her brush.

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