Page 52 of A Longtime (and now NFL player) Nemesis

His father’s gaze bounced between the two of them. “I was just going to show Irena the guest house.” To Mrs. Gordon, he said, “You’ll have to imagine the place without a couple of men camped inside. It will also look much nicer when you come back.” He turned his attention to Carson. “Perhaps you’d like to take a walk with Megan on the grounds?”

“That’s a good idea,” Carson said. Well, not good, just necessary. The two of them needed a private place. Man, why hadn’t he called Megan, texted her again, done something before she’d come to visit him? Now he was going to have to break up with her all over again. Hopefully, she wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t bethatattached to him or she would’ve made an effort to contact him before now. He walked toward the kitchen. “Let me wash my hands first.”

His father and Mrs. Gordon strolled toward the side door. Megan followed him into the kitchen and watched as he scrubbed his hands.

She leaned up against the counter. “Look at you,” she said teasingly. “I thought I’d seen you at your worst, all sweaty and grass-stained after practice…” She made a show of appraising him. “The construction worker look is definitely not one you should embrace.”

Olivia didn’t seem to mind him like this. Had Megan always been such a snob? He knew the answer to that. He just didn’t know why it hadn’t bothered him before.

He shot her a grin anyway. “Not all work can be as glamorous as pushing a bunch of men to the ground.”

“Right.” She was openly staring, a cat who wanted to be petted.

He had to get this over with as quickly as possible. “Let’s go outside.”

He headed to the door and she followed him. Neither of them said anything until they were outside. A breeze was sweeping through the trees, wagging branches in their direction. Birds squabbled overhead.

He turned to Megan, “This is really awkward. I’m sorry you took the time to come all the way up here. I sent you a text nearly three weeks ago telling you that our relationship was over. Didn’t you get it?”

She stepped closer to him, unsurprised, and ducked her head in penitence. “You have every right to be angry about the way I’ve neglected you. I could give you excuses about being busy, but I know you won’t accept them, so I’ll just tell you that I’m sorry. I’m really, truly sorry and I’m going to make it up to you.” She took hold of his hand, and her expression turned inviting, all pouting lips and doe eyes. “In fact, I can hardly wait to make it up to you.”

This was not the reaction he was expecting. No shock on her part. She was moving toward him, going in for a kiss. He dropped her hand and stepped away. “So you got my text? You just didn’t bother to respond until now?”

She shrugged, penitent again. “Before now, I didn’t know whether you would ever come back to Denver. Long-distance relationships never work out. We didn’t seem to have the possibility of a future together.” She stepped over to him again and put her hand on his arm. “But now you’re coming back. Fate wants us to be together, and I’ve realized so do I. You’re not going to go against Fate’s wishes are you?”

Ah, she knew he was coming back. Suddenly, all of this made sense. Megan had ghosted him when she assumed his career was over. No point in having a construction worker boyfriend. Since he was coming back, he’d have money again, perhaps fame and a long future in the NFL. She wanted to be part of a power couple.

Well,thatwasn’t gonna happen. “If you’re looking for a boyfriend who plays football, there are plenty of guys on the team who’d love to date you. Give one of them a try. I’m no longer part of that demographic.”

Megan’s hand went from his arm to his chest. “I don’t want anyone but you. How many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry? What do I have to do?”

He peeled her hand away from his chest and let it drop back to her side. “I’m sorry you wasted your time coming up here.” And because he needed her to stop trying to convince him otherwise, he added, “We never would’ve worked out. Being back in Montana made me realize that.”

Her expression went from flirting to insulted in a blink of her fake eyelashes. She coughed in disbelief like he was being unreasonable. “You’re breaking up with me because I didn’t answer your text?”

“I broke things off because we’re not right for each other.” That was the nicest way he could put it.

She pursed her lips and her chest heaved with emotion. Two bright spots of color reddened her cheeks. “Are you sure you want to do this? You’re sort of shooting yourself in the foot, aren’t you?” She gestured to the house. “You ought to be a lot nicer to me than you’re being right now because I’ve got the entire trip back to Denver to convince Irena that this is a great buy or a horrible mistake.”

His head jolted back in surprise. “Are you trying to blackmail me into dating you?” That wasn’t it, of course. She was trying to punish him, which made her even worse than he’d thought.

She folded her arms, tight and angry. “I’m just showing you that I can be a valuable ally or a horrible enemy. Especially since my father is one of the coaches. I wonder what he’ll think of you if I come home crying tonight?”

She might be right. She might be able to ruin the house deal with the Gordons and turn her father against him. But that didn’t matter. “If your father asks, I’ll tell him you were several weeks too late with your apology. I’ve already started seeing someone new.”

Megan’s fake eyelashes went into overdrive. “You’ve barely left this place for months. How could you possibly…” She broke off and dipped her chin in a gesture of incredulity. “You don’t mean that woman who was laying flooring, do you?”

Carson’s pulse pounded against his temples. “You saw her?” That meant Olivia had seen Megan too.

Megan snorted and shook her head. “You can’t be serious about her. You’re not going to let the world know you’re dating a construction worker.”

“I’m serious about her.” Time to end this conversation. Carson moved to step around Megan.

She took hold of his arm and peered at him with smug satisfaction. “You aren’t serious or you would’ve told your father about her. He still thinks I’m your girlfriend. He said as much in front of her. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

Carson didn’t wait to hear more. He left Megan and strode back inside. This was definitely going to be a problem. He had to find Olivia.

He called her. Her phone rang. And rang. No answer. The call went to voicemail. “It isn’t what you think,” he said. “She isn’t my girlfriend.” He’d explain the rest in person. “Where are you? We need to talk.”

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