Page 82 of Second Down Darling

“We’re supposed to talk afterpractice.”

“Hopefully he’ll have some goodadvice.”

“Will you be home tonight when I getback?”

“Yes.” Even though I want to run and hide, I can’t stay in the computer lab for the rest of mylife.

His voice gets husky. “Maybe I can help you forget that you’ve had a badweek.”

Reluctantly, I smile. I know it’s silly to be upset at him for something that happened years ago. “Got any ideas how to dothat?”

He chuckles. “I have a hundred and one things I want to do to younaked.”

Even though I should probably keep my guard up, I can’t. Not with Jake. Not when he makes me feel thisalive.

Heat rises to my cheeks as I consider the possibilities. “Then you’d better hurry home so we can start on thatlist.”

32

JAKE

After a quick shower,I change and book it to Coach’s office. I’ve been jotting down notes all day about what I want to say to the press. I may have initially said I didn’t want to comment about my personal life, but now that Dakota has dragged Charlie into this, I don’t think I have achoice.

“Jake, close the door and have a seat.” Coach motions to the woman sitting across from his desk. “This is Evelyn Prescott. She’s the school’s media liaison. You may have seen her at our press conferences. I asked her to join us and share her thoughts about how we should handle any collateral damage from your ex-girlfriend’s realityshow.”

Evelyn, who’s dressed in a sleek suit, turns to me with a kind smile. “I’m sure we all caught last night’s episode. And I have to ask, are you still dating Dakota’ssister?”

Fucking Dakota. Even my own team believes her. “It’s not like that, ma’am. Yes, I’m currently dating Charlotte, but I was never with her while we were at North Texas. In fact, I only started seeing her in the last few weeks.” I turn to Coach. “She’s the girl who’s been shooting our games for theAD.”

He lifts his eyebrows. “The one from the fire? The one yousaved?”

I nod. “I guess you could say that’s how we got together. But I want to clarify that Charlotte and I were friends for three years before I met Dakota.” Here comes the awkward part. I clear my throat. “And being young and dumb, I didn’t realize Dakota was Charlotte’s sister when we, uh… hooked up… at that party in highschool.”

Coach rubs the bridge of his nose. “You kids and your parties are gonna be the death ofme.”

I’d laugh at his look of exasperation, but I wish I could kick my own ass for what went down thatnight.

Evelyn jots notes in her journal and turns to me. “I was talking to Coach Santos before you joined us, and we both agree the best approach is to continue redirecting the media to focus on football. You’re entitled to your privacy, and unless something truly explosive comes to light on that show, Coach and I think you shouldn’t comment on your personallife.”

Chingao.That’s not what I want tohear.

Coach nods. “Since we’re undefeated and getting close to the playoffs, we’ll have NFL scouts here until the end of the season. You don’t want them to think you’re distracted or have your own agenda. Think of this as your way to keep the teamfocused.”

We’ve had two scouts here for the last few days. All the guys have been on their best behavior on and off the field in the event one of them might overhear ourconversations.

But the idea of not clearing up Dakota’s suggestion that Charlotte somehow interfered in our relationship doesn’t sitright.

“Sir, with all due respect, if we were just talking about me, I would be on board with this approach. But Dakota dragged Charlotte into this, and I don’t think it’s right people might think she’s a home-wrecker. In fact, she transferred to Lone Star State to get away from me. Because she had feelings for me. And I had no idea she was here when I accepted your offer to play football foryou.”

Evelyn holds out her hand. “All the more reason to not comment about the things Dakota is suggesting. Because, frankly, transferring schools looks bad. Charlotte left NTU because she was interested in you. That actually supports what Dakota said, that Charlotte was a third wheel whointerfered.”

Goddamn it. I’m not explaining thisright.

I rake my fingers through my hair and tug at the ends. “It’s not fair to Charlotte. She’s innocent in all of this. She went no-contact for two years. I had no idea when she left NTU that she had any kind of romantic feelings for me atall.”

Evelyn nods. “I hear what you’re saying. I do, and there will be a time and place to release a statement about this once the season is over. But if you start now, you’re opening yourself up to criticism at a crucial time of the season. It could be detrimental to you and your team and everyone’s focus, which should be on making the playoffs and not on some silly reality show. Because the moment you open this door, you can’t close it again. Think of it this way. If you comment and Dakota responds publicly, you’re going to turn our program into a circus instead of a team that’s focused on making theplayoffs.”

I groan, hating that she’s making a lot ofsense.

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