Page 26 of Love Game

They needed a distraction.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Donner, I believe that’s my napkin,” he said, pointedly removing the woman’s hand from his lap. “Let me get yours for you.” He made a show of bumping his elbow against her chair as he presented her with the square of Warrior-green linen he swiped from her lap with a smile so innocent his cheekbones ached. “It’s awful close in here, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Yes, it is.” Clearly peeved, the woman placed her napkin in her lap and reached for her nearly empty glass of wine. “Thank you.”

“Too many helmet heads in one room,” Kate murmured. When he glanced over at her, he saw that her smile was soft and a little rueful. “You boys should have left your shoulder pads in the locker room.”

“We were told they were back in style,” Danny quipped.

Kate’s smile turned wicked. “I see so many of your players here tonight. Will you be handing out participation awards?”

He grimaced, but it quickly morphed into a grin as he acknowledged the hit. “Apparently I have a lot of graduating seniors on the team. They’re just here for the free food.”

“And more graduating with honors than most any other D-one school, I’d wager.” When he rolled his eyes, she rewarded him with a husky laugh. “This could be a good thing. You’ll get a fairly blank slate.”

“Feels like a small consolation at this point.”

“So, your team seems to have a new attitude, Coach. What did you do? Promise them all ponies?”

“I’ve been taking them out for ice cream after practice.”

“Ah, well, that explains it.” Kate beamed an open, cheerful smile at the young man who bent to remove her plate. “I’ll do just about anything for ice cream,” she whispered.

Danny choked back fifty filthy things he wanted to say and settled on scowling at the gangly, young waiter who held Kate’s attention.

“Thanks, Robbie. How’s the knee?” she asked.

“Better. Looks like I won’t need surgery after all,” the young man said, grinning at Coach Ransom as he collected the other plates. “Coach said to take it easy for a couple of months, then we’ll start building back with the camps this summer.”

Kate nodded, and her already-bright smile amped up a notch as she glanced from Robbie to Ty and back again. “That’s very good news for the boys’ team,” she declared the moment the young man was out of earshot. “Maybe someone with a penis can win something around here for once,” she added, not quite under her breath.

“Ouch.” Danny chuckled as he and Ty shared grim smiles across the table. “I believe we’ve been challenged, Coach.”

“Sounds like it,” Ty agreed.

“In the meantime,” Kate interrupted, blocking any chance he and Ty had to plot payback for the insult, “I need to get ready to sing the praises of my girly little national champions. Coach McMillan, can I ask a favor?”

“Yes?” he inquired, keeping his tone light.

Her lips curved into a tight-lipped smile so serene it belonged on a portrait of a saint. He watched in rapt fascination as she worked the clasp on her evening bag and withdrew a small digital camera. “Since you won’t be busy handing out awards, I was wondering if you’d mind snapping a few candid shots while I do mine?”

Chapter 7

Kate yanked open her front door and almost dropped her beloved Tea-Rex mug as she stared bleary-eyed at the surprise addition to her front porch. An oversized shoe box sat on her “Come back after basketball season” doormat.

She toed the mystery box, then glanced from left to right, making sure no one lurked in the shrubs waiting to snap a picture of her bending over in stretched-loose gym shorts and a faded T-shirt. The warm mug curled close to her chest, she squatted and flipped the lid off the box with one finger. Breath caught in her lungs, and she blinked in surprise.

The shoes nestled in the folds of tissue paper were a swirl of outlandishly obnoxious neon colors. So bright mere humans would need a pinhole projector to view them properly. She fell in love on sight.

“Come to me, my pretties,” she whispered, setting her tea aside to draw the box closer. The tissue crinkled as she pushed it back. “Where did you come from, huh? Shoe fairies?” She touched one neon-orange lace and sighed. “Are you looking for a good home?” She peeked at the label on the box. “Look at that. Just my size.”

Caffeine and nowhere-to-be-seen newspaper forgotten, she lowered the lid, gathered the box in her arms, and carried the precious foundlings inside.

Perched on the edge of the sofa, she stared at the prize in her lap. Her heart thrummed against her breastbone, and a giddy, bubbly rush of anticipation simmered in her veins. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had given her a present, much less one this heart-trippingly perfect. She bit down on the tip of her tongue as she tossed the lid aside. A girly laugh of delight rushed past her lips the second she caught a glimpse of the shoes in the light.

Hooking her fingers under the laces, she plucked them from their tissue nest. The box fell to the floor unheeded as she gave the shoes an impetuous little hug. She knew it was silly but didn’t really care. Let other women swoon over toothpick-heeled Jimmy Choos. She was a pushover for leather and mesh uppers with gel-filled insoles.

Setting one shoe aside, she gathered the tips of the laces to line them up. Her greedy gaze cataloged the number of eyelets and mapped the exact route she’d take through the tongue flap. It wasn’t until she reached for the second shoe that she noticed the words inked inside the box lid. The thick, bold slashes of black magic marker seemed harsh and sharply incongruous with the colorful gift.

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