Page 95 of Getting Wrapped Up

She shrugged. “No idea.”

“Do you know what the line of scrimmage is?” Albert asked.

She sighed. “Nope.”

They all sat back in their chairs, thinking about that. Levi figured it had been a long time since any of these guys had run into someone—man or woman—who didn’t know football. The females in Sapphire Falls knew as much about drinking, bullshitting, football and farming as the guys.

The men all exchanged looks, then started nodding.

“Okay,” Larry said. “We can work with that.”

“We’ll save you a seat at the Come Again for the spring game and will talk you through it,” Ben said.

“I have a whiteboard,” Albert volunteered.

“You have a whiteboard?” Ben asked.

Albert nodded. “We can draw out plays for her.”

“Why do you have a whiteboard?” Larry asked.

Albert sighed. “So I can draw out plays.”

“Why do you need to draw out plays?” Conrad asked.

“I like it. I helps me analyze the game,” Albert told him.

Ben narrowed his eyes. “You’re not still e-mailing the coach are you?”

Albert sat up straighter. “That is none of your business.”

“You can’t e-mail the Huskers head coach after every game,” Larry said. “We told you that was going to get you in trouble.”

“I thought he blocked your e-mail address?” Conrad asked.

“I got a new one,” Albert told him. “If he doesn’t want help, that’s his problem. I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t at least offer.”

“Oh brother,” Larry groaned.

“I’m gonna tell Linda to shut off your internet this football season,” Ben said.

“I’ll just go use the computer at the library,” Albert told him stubbornly.

“Here you go.” Dottie finally emerged from the kitchen with a tray of dishes for Levi and Kate. She set the bowls of oatmeal, plates of toast and glasses of orange juice they hadn’t ordered on the table. “Sorry about them,” she said, propping her tray on her hip. “They’ve all got more time than sense. They spend their time here. I’m not sure where they put their sense.”

Kate laughed and picked up her spoon. “Sounds like I’m going to get a crash course in football.”

“Well, you’re going to get a crash course in theiropinionsaboutNebraskafootball,” Dottie said, glancing over her shoulder at the group of men. “They’re full of shit up to their eyeballs and love to hear themselves talk, but no one knows or loves that subject more than those guys.”

Kate smiled up at the woman. “They seem harmless.”

Dottie gave her a wink. “They sure do. But I don’t serve beer in here. You think they know everything now, just wait until they’ve had a couple of pitchers.”

She moved off to refill the coffee cups that covered the tables in the midst of the old farmers and Kate took her first taste of oatmeal.

Levi watched her. She wrinkled her nose, she moved her mouth around as if her tongue were trying to get away from the taste, she frowned. Then she swallowed.

This was cruel. How could he do this to her? Helovedher.

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