Page 11 of Playing for Keeps
“Just tired.” I lied.
Easton with a nod, though I could tell he didn’t take my answer as truth. “So, not about coach Marshall’s daughter then?”
“What? Why…”
Easton, with a grin, as he interrupted. “You don’t think I noticed the interaction between you both in the locker room? Was she the girl you went home with after the party?” He paused as though he waited for me to say something, and when I didn’t, I knew it only confirmed what he thought. “Figured as much. Both of you looked like a deer in headlights.” He chuckled, both of us with a glance at the coach with his return to his seat.
“You can’t fucking say anything,” I whispered with a stern tone.
Easton scoffs at my insinuation. “You know better, bro.” The truth was, I did. Easton and I have had each other’s backs since we were young, since dad and his mother brought him home.It never mattered to us that we were half-brothers; there was a bond between us that was unbreakable. I knew that if there was anyone I could talk to, share things with, help me break a rule and hide it, it was Easton. He had become a pro at breaking rules.
“I can’t get her out of my head,” I admitted, as we looked at one another.
“Why do you have to?” He asked. I motioned toward the coach with a nod, and Easton chuckled. “I ask again, why do you have to?”
“You heard what he said.”
“This is going to be a long conversation if I have to keep repeating my question, man.”
“You don’t get it,” I responded.
“What don’t I get?” Easton asked as he repositioned in his seat. “You met this chick at a party, hit it off, at least enough to go home together. You are caught up on her. I’ve never seen you ponder a woman before.”
“She’s the coach’s daughter, man.”
“She’s the coach’s daughter,” Easton repeated in a mocking tone. “So, the fuck what. What’s he going to do, ground her? What, bench you? Could you imagine the shit storm that will cause in the office?” I knew Easton was right, but that didn’t change the facts. Football had been my life for as long as I could remember. Was I willing to risk it? Was I comfortable with the potential tension this could bring to the team, to Hannah, and her father?
“It would never work anyway,” I added.
“Seems to me it’s worked out fine so far.” Easton, with another shift in his seat, laid his head back. “Girl got my brother sitting here all sappy and shit. Gross.” My lips curled into a grin at him. “It’s a rule, boo hoo.” He continued with a teasing voice. “Pathetic.”
“You done?” I asked with a broader grin, Easton looking back at me.
“Depends.” He answered. “You know, I get shit all the time for being ‘that guy,’ but I don’t care. I’m living my life for me, having fun and making the most of the opportunities I have. So, when my time is up, I can say I have no regrets. Does that involve breaking a few rules now and then?” He paused with a mischievous smirk. “Sometimes rules need to be broken.”
I hated to admit it, but Easton was being the voice of reason, making sense. Perhaps I just wanted to hear what he had to say. Maybe I just wanted an excuse to break the rule and call Hannah. If anyone could give me that push, it would have been Easton. Looking at my phone, I licked my lips and gave myself a slight nod as though confirming the words in my head before I could even say them.
“What do you say to something different than the same party with the same people?” I asked, as my brother and I looked at one another.
“Like what?”
“A different spot. Interact with some fans.”
“Could be fun. “Easton, with a nod in agreement. “What did you have in mind?”
“A little rule breaking.”
CHAPTER 12
HANNAH
Friday night had come, and for a night I was supposed to be excited about, I couldn’t help but find myself wishing it was already over. I was supposed to have my date with Cameron that night, our first official, yet I’d heard nothing from him since the locker room. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Who would risk their career for a date with me? Not that I wanted it, at least that’s what I worked hard to convince myself of. He and I shared a magical night, and that would be all it was, which I needed to accept and live with. I wasn’t the typical one-nighter kind of girl, I thought, but hey.
I knew we’d share those awkward moments if I visited the stadium or any party the team was involved in, but I could live with those. I had gotten skilled at ignoring the players of my father’s teams. A pro, one might say. I would keep busy and fully immerse myself in work until he was out of my mind. I nodded my head, my inner pep talk. With a quick smile at Marty, I moved along the bar, grabbing empty glasses from the top and dumping them into the sink. With a quick swipe of my towel along the smooth surface, my attention shifted to the group of men that entered.
“I can’t believe Jenson made that tackle, insane.”
I paused as another of the men joined in. “Phoenix was on point the entire game. It was impressive.”
