Page 20 of From Fake Dates to Forever Goals

“Being in the spotlight isn’t that bad,” I shrug.

“You sure about that?”

“Well, it does have its pros and cons,” I admit.

“I don’t think I can think of any pros,” she says honestly. “I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“It just comes with the territory. You get used to it.”

“What’s so great about it?” she presses.

The question stumps me for a moment. Most people expect me to say it’s the recognition or the attention—the chance to date whoever I want. But the truth is, those things are just noise. They’re not why I keep coming back.

“The feeling that people believe in you,” I say finally, though I haven’t felt that as much lately.

“Well, you have whole crowds of people believing in you, cheering you on,” she says thoughtfully.

“When you’re doing well, sure. But if you mess up, they’ll boo you to the exit. You’ll hear it on the news, see it in the papers. It’s hard to escape.” I pause. “So, I just try to ignore it.”

Ava nods, acknowledging what I’m saying. I know she’s probably seen some of the things being said about me lately.

“It is nice having someone on your side, cheering just for you, though,” I add.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve had many, many girlfriends come cheer for you,” she says with a playful smirk, rolling her eyes.

I shake my head, a wave of nostalgia washing over me.

“My dad used to come to every game. Now he’s in Australia, so it’s more like once or twice a year. But there was this one girl…” I burst into laughter, remembering my ex-girlfriend.

“Ex-girlfriend?”

“Yeah, I asked her to come and watch my game, and she sat there the whole time, painting her nails and doing her makeup.” We both laugh. “By the time the game was over, she must have re-done her makeup at least a dozen times.”

“Well, lucky for me, I do my makeup before leaving the house.”

“I doubt you need to anyway.”

I know Ava is a natural beauty. I just haven’t ever looked at her as anyone other than my coach’s daughter.

“Like you’ve seen me without makeup.”

“I have, actually. Many times.”

Ava blushes, clearly feeling embarrassed.

I remind Ava of the times when her father would bring her out to the stadium for practice. She would always be buried in her books, paying no attention to anything else. But I was always paying attention to her.

“The days before I was always drowning in work,” she says. I can tell her work means a lot to her.

“I always wondered what made you want to become a naturalist.” My inquisitive ears listen in.

“I just want to make a difference in the world.”

Ava’s beauty and brains are a hard combination to come across. It isn’t every day you see a beautiful woman who knows exactly what she wants from life.

“I never got to thank you properly for what you did. Agreeing to fund my project.” She looks at me with eyes full of gratitude.

“Partially fund,” I correct her.

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