Page 27 of The Problem with Sports
Then something occurred to me. “You know, you can call me Nate if you want to.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t given her that leeway after she had said it was okay for me to call her Andie. Especially, since her son has been calling me Nate for the past few days now.
“Nate,” she muttered softly, as if trying to see how the name tasted on her lips. Then she smiled wide. “Which do you prefer?”
“I’ll answer to both, but Nathan Hayes is for the public. Nate is what my family and friends call me,” I told her.
“Can I go with what just feels right in the moment?” she asked, and I liked that question.
“Absolutely.”
Andie smiled. “Let me grab my purse,” she said quickly, and I stepped just inside the doorway as she walked back towards the bedrooms to get her purse.
When she emerged from the hallway, I asked, “Ready?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
I escorted her towards the elevators, and even though it was only one flight up, all kinds or sordid thoughts popped into my mind about just her and me in the elevator.
Aaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnd my dick was starting to get hard.
I did my best to tamp down my raging hormones and followed Andie into the elevator. Inserting my key into the penthouse lock, I pressed the button. Riding up the one floor in complete silence, I wondered, for the first time, if my wealth was going to be a mark against me with a woman. Andie wasn’t the type of woman who was impressed with flash, and I hoped she didn’t view my penthouse as flashy, rather than just my home.
The elevator doors opened, and I placed my hand on the small of her back, guiding her into an open foyer. There were a pair of cushioned benches arched on either side of the foyer with a huge fake plotted plant in the middle.
Andie glanced around. “Are those for…guests?”
I shook my head as I led her towards the front door. “No. They’re for decorative purposes,” I answered her. “Although, I’ve never had any guests here, so I dunno.”
Andie stopped. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve only been living here about three months,” I told her, pushing open the front door and guiding her in. “The only people who have been here are my parents, my bothers, and Sergio, whenever he’s in town.”
“Is it weird that you’ve been here three months and I’ve never seen you?”
“Not really,” I said, shutting the door behind us. “The penthouse comes with its own elevator that goes directly to the condominium garage, so that’s the one I use as I come and go. Also, until recently, I spent a lot of time at my parents making up for all my traveling.” Andie grinned at me, and it surprised me. She wasn’t checking out my place like most people would. She was looking at me as if learning about me was more important than guesstimating how much the penthouse was worth.
“Your mom missed you a lot, I take it?”
“You have no idea,” I chuckled.
“I have a son,” she laughed. “I have a pretty good idea.”
After hanging up her purse on one of the coat hooks near the door, I smiled at her and grabbed her hand. We made our way through the sitting room, and then the living room. “I hope you like Italian,” I said, then looked down at her. “I guess I should have asked beforehand.”
Andie grinned up at me. “I love Italian,” she replied, opting not to make me suffer.
We reached the kitchen and I pulled out a chair for her. “Have a seat while I get the food.” I had already placed out the plates and silverware and wine glasses, all we needed was the food.
“So, you’ve only been here three months?”
“Yeah,” I answered as I delivered the food to the table. “Even though I had made the decision to retire at the end of last season, I hadn’t been quite ready to walk away completely.”
“I bet,” she said. “Walking away from the life you had into a completely new one can be intimidating.”
“It was,” I agreed. “Kind of still is, if I’m being honest.”
“So, why this place?”
“It’s more than I need, for sure,” I admitted. “But I wanted privacy while I figured out my next move. Buying a house where neighbors went out and did their yards and waved to each other at their mailboxes was too wild a concept for me at the time. I’m still winding down, I suppose.”
