Page 42 of The Player's Obsession

And the only thing we talked about were her friends and her work. It really was all about her. She never watched my games on TV when she was away on a shoot or visiting her family in Los Angeles. She would constantly complain about missing the California weather and beaches. This far north, the Atlantic Ocean is always cold and not meant for surfing, especially with the rocky coastline. She rarely got to show off her body in a bikini and she complained she lost her tan if she was in town for more than two weeks.

Her parents were okay. Her dad made his money in real estate, and her mother is still teaching. The first time I met them was when I invited them to a game in California, and the next day, we got together for brunch. I saw them again at Christmas because Melanie insisted we spend it with her family. My mother was not happy, and I get it. My brother and I are rarely able to get home at the same time during the season. I suggested we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in August. Mom didn’t think it was funny.

Melanie hated the winters here and booked photoshoots in the Caribbean. As soon as the weather warmed up, she’d come back tanned to show off her bikini body while she lazed around on my boat. There were photographers who loved the candid shots. She was thrilled every time we made a headline. She said there’s no such thing as bad press. She said people love to hear depressing stories better than happy ones. She told me her story of how poor she was in Russia, and every time she mentioned it, made her stock went up. She’d become popular again, landed commercials, and received calls to make appearances in designer clothing on talk shows. She was a shrewd businesswoman.

I guess the jet-set lifestyle wasn’t enough to make her happy because she left me for Nathan. I could understand if she left me for some California billionaire, but Nathan lives here in Maine. Her choices are a real head-scratcher. I’m not sure what she sees in him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy, a real Florida boy, born and raised in Miami. He was playing for the Florida Hurricanes before he was traded to Maine. If he plans on keeping Melanie happy, he needs to get traded back to Florida or some other warm-weather state.

It’s been six months, and I still can’t figure out why Melanie dumped me. When she said she loved me, was it all a lie? Closure would be easier with an answer, but she broke it off via text while I was out of town and packed her belongings overnight. She never wanted to sell her house in Los Angeles, and now I’m beginning to think she kept it as her backup plan. Maybe she was using me all along.

Michael is right. I need to stop obsessing. I can’t help but look for her at every game. I even eavesdrop on Nathan’s conversations in the locker room for any confirmation that Melanie will be at a game.

So far, she hasn’t been to many. I wonder why. I’m happy because she rarely came to mine. Now I just need to stop looking in the stands for the woman I can’t get over.

CHAPTER20

Penelope

Icrank up the heat while I wait in the car for Lucinda. Through the windshield, I watch her lock the door and stride towards me, her long brown hair cascading behind her as she adjusts the strap of her purse over her shoulder. She's dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeved Megalodon shirt, layered under a down vest. Like her, I'm also in sneakers and jeans, but I've added two layers beneath Oliver’s team jersey to fend off the cold. I don’t want to obscure his number with a coat, however, I’ve tossed one onto the back seat just in case I decide I need it later.

“Penelope,” Lucinda says excitedly. She opens the car door and slides into the passenger seat. “I can’t wait to see this game. It should be intense.” Her perfume, a light scent of lilacs, fills the car. Unless she’s sick, she always wears a fragrance that reminds me of a spring day.

“I am excited to see a live game. Besides college games, I’ve never been to a sporting event,” I add—feeling the jitters. I’ve only had one cup of coffee today. I’m excited I’ll see Oliver play. I will see my first pro football game tonight, and I’m wearing a player’s jersey. I feel special. How could I not feel like I have a jolt of electricity running through my veins?

“I can’t believe you were able to score tickets,” Lucinda says as she settles into the seat and fastens her seatbelt. She gives me a quick once-over, and I can tell she approves of my outfit from her smile. I wore sneakers because I don’t know how much walking is involved tonight, but I know the parking lot is huge. I can’t risk leg fatigue—nor can I risk the embarrassment if a heel hits a step at an odd angle in which I would tumble down the stadium's steps.

I have to be taken seriously as Oliver’s girlfriend if this plan is to work. In preparation for the night, I took the time needed to fix my hair and do my makeup. Normally, I can’t be bothered unless I’m going to be working at the office, and even at that, it’s minimal. I used mascara and a new bronzer, a pretty autumn color, for tonight and hope I come off as “polished” enough that people will believe he’s dating me.

The saleswoman showed me how to apply the autumn bronzer that I would associate with lipstick. The bronzer glides on like lipstick over my cheekbone. It is packaged in a golden lipstick-looking cylinder. When she finished my face, I looked in the mirror, I could see a natural glitter-like effect on my face. I love the fact that it fits easily in my purse. She said it’s the only product a woman needs for cheek color. I can wear it all year as it never goes out of style. She also said it looks good in ambient light, and I know there is plenty of that on game night.

We chat along the drive and before I know it, we arrive at the stadium parking garage. Lucinda insists she pays the fee. After finding a spot and parking, we walk to the will-call window. There’s no line, and we have no problem picking up our tickets. From there, we enter the stadium along with hundreds of others dressed in the Megalodon colors.

As soon as we clear security, I smell food cooking. There is one vendor after another, serving grilled burgers, hotdogs, and, of course, beer. I’m taking it all in as families and groups of friends pass by us chantingMegs. I notice pretty girls carrying signs with their favorite player’s name written on them.

I’m walking with a bounce in my step that I haven’t felt in years. I’m on top of the world. These poster-carrying girls dream of dating a famous player. I have one who wants to be my fake fiancé.

I look at Lucinda. “You know, if it weren’t for Oliver, I wouldn’t be able to afford this. If I didn’t fill in for you and fall over that damn vacuum, we would be home watching the game on TV.” I smile and count my blessings. I can’t imagine what would have happened if Oliver hadn’t bailed me out of my shitty financial situation. He asked why I needed the money, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about Carlo. Oliver is smart enough to figure it out. If he’s tech-savvy enough to make billions on investments in robotics, he’s smart enough to figure out Carlo has a rap sheet.

“You’re so sweet, you deserve to have fun. It’s been too long,” Lucinda says, throwing an arm around my shoulder as we walk around and take in the vibrant atmosphere. I put my arm around her, and we walk like besties into the crowd of excited fans.

“Do you want to get food now?”

“Sure,” she says. “Where are our seats?”

I pull the tickets out and hand her one.

“Geez, that’s ground level.” She jumps up and down when it sinks in that we are directly above the Meg's sideline. “Oh, my goodness, oh my goodness. These are great seats.”

We grab two burger combo meals and head to our seats. We flip down our blue plastic chairs and sit.

“Damn, girl, this view is terrific.” She rubs her hands together like a kid at Christmas. Then she picks up her burger and begins to eat.

“We got here early,” I comment, taking a bite of my burger. “What is it about stadium food that makes it taste so good?”

“The atmosphere,” she answers as she nibbles a French fry.

I take in my surroundings. There are the bright lights and a Jumbotron overhead. The green field could not be any greener. Thankfully, this stadium is enclosed. Otherwise, my ass would be frozen in this seat.

“The team should be out any minute,” I say, glancing at my fitness watch.

---