Page 3 of Sideline Sweetheart
Leo drains his beer before standing from his seat. “Anyone need a refill?” Both Felipe and Reed request another before he focuses on me. “What are you drinking, Doc?”
“A Corona, please. And Mackenzie or Mac is fine.”
“Mac it is,” he says before heading to the bar to grab our drinks.
Luna watches her husband walk away and then shakes her head with a grin. “So, Mackenzie, how was your first day?”
“It was good. Met with some of the players to introduce myself and went over their medical history.”
“Well,” Jamie says, “we are pretty much your core medical team, so if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask.”
Leo returns with our drinks and sets mine in front of me. “Thank you and thank you all for being so welcoming.”
I glance up to see a man headed toward out table. His large hand lands on Felipe’s shoulder as he addresses the group. “What’s this? Y’all having a party without me?”
I take a moment to study the newcomer. Tall, at least six-foot-three, with dark hair and coffee-colored eyes locked on mine. His broad shoulders command you to notice him and taper to a narrow waist. A black T-Shirt stretches over his torso and dark denim covers his muscular legs.
All the guys at the table laugh while the ladies exchange a look, I’m not sure how to decipher. “Nah,” Allison says. “Mackenzie is new to Greenville, so we brought her out for drinks to welcome her.”
A soft smile tips his lips as his gaze returns to mine. “A newcomer, huh? Welcome.”
I smile in return. “Thanks.”
Leo glances between the newcomer and me. “Bryce, did you want to join us?”
“Thanks, but I’m picking up dinner,” he says as he glances over at the bar. “In fact, it looks like my order is ready. You all enjoy your evening. Nice to meet you, Mackenzie.”
“You too,” I say with a smile. Bryce walks to the bar, retrieves his order, and then heads for the door. Being in a new city may not be so bad after all.
Chapter Three
Bryce
It took allmy self-control not to accept Leo’s invitation to join them for drinks. The gorgeous redhead with porcelain skin and bright blue eyes intrigued me from the moment I saw her. I’ll have to discreetly ask Leo about her tomorrow during our session.
I pull my ‘vette into the underground parking garage and to my designated space. Being single, I enjoy the benefits of living in the city and close to the stadium. The training facility is located on the outskirts of town, and I admit I enjoy the longer drive and time to decompress after an intense workout. I grab the bag containing my dinner, exit the car, and click the lock before heading to the elevator. When the car arrives, I step inside and enter my code for the penthouse. The elevator glides effortlessly to the top floor where it opens outside my door. I enter the six-digit code and the lock clicks allowing me to step inside my sanctuary. I received a two-year contract upon being drafted with the Generals. Proving myself beneficial to the team, I signed a four-year extension which allowed me to move out ofmy small apartment and into something much nicer. The open concept floorplan is great when I want to have some of the guys over. Three bedrooms is more room than I need, so I converted one bedroom to a combination office and home gym and the other I use as a guest room for my parents so they can visit much more often and stay with me, instead of a hotel.
I set my dinner on the coffee table and head to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Back in the living room, I punch the remote and bring the television to life. I get sucked into the Marvel movie while I dig into my dinner. Felipe put me through my paces today and the need for a little comfort food was necessary. I pride myself on my diet both during the season and the off season, but sometimes a guy needs fifteen or so spicy buffalo wings and fries or a homecooked meal from his mom. I didn’t completely ditch the diet; there’s a southwest salad with grilled chicken waiting for me as well.
Once I finish my dinner, I throw the takeout containers in the trash and make a grocery order to pick up on my way home from practice and then head to bed.
The next morning,my alarm wakes me at five. The early morning alarm has been my standard since I started playing in high school. Back then I would get up and run a couple of miles through town before coming home to shower and head to school. Once I started college, I’d head to the stadium and use the treadmill and weight room. Nowadays, I clock five miles on the treadmill before showering and heading to the training facility.
A few other players are already taking advantage of the weight room when I arrive. I head to the locker room and drop off my duffle before walking back in to get started on weight training. Since I’ve already had my cardio for the day, I head to the bench press and lower the weight to allow for warmups.
Felipe joins me and grins when he sees I’ve set the weights at one-hundred-fifty pounds. “Taking it a little easy on yourself, aren’t you?”
I let the weights set back down as I glance at him. “Funny, because my strength and conditioning coach can be a dick about warmups when he wants to be.”
He tips his head back and laughs before he moves the pin in the weights up another seventy-five pounds. “You think I’m a dick now, wait until later.”
I level him with a glare. “I don’t even want to know what that means right now, but I’m sure I’m going to hate you for it.”
He laughs again and walks away.
Finished with my workout, I head to the locker room to shower and then make my way down the hall for my appointment to meet the new team doctor. The nameplate on the wall next to the door reads Dr. Flynn, and I knock announcing my arrival. When the door opens, it reveals the gorgeous redhead from last night. Surprise lights her blue eyes for only a moment, giving way to a smile as I wrench my jaw closed.
“Bryce?”
