Love on the Sidelines: A Small Town Sports Romcom

20. Charlie

Ihad a hard time getting to sleep after the chat with Ava. And I can”t believe I held her hand. She probably thinks I”m a nerd or that I grew up in the wrong era.

There was no way I wanted to scare her off, though. So, while I kind of wish my movement had been smooth and something like a kiss, I have to be happy about it.

She eventually fell asleep on my shoulder. It would”ve been romantic to sweep her into my arms and carry her with ease, but I’m not that smooth. She woke up while I was trying to pick her up. Romance, no. Struggle bus, yes.

From everything she”s told me, she”s got some reservations about relationships. But then again, if I”d been abandoned by my parents, I would probably feel the same way.

The first weekend of games goes well. We win more than we lose and end up in fifth place. In the second tournament, we’ve already won one game and lost another.

It’s day two and I must”ve slept through my alarm this morning because by the time I get up, it”s after nine o”clock and the house is quiet.

A note on the counter says that Marsha took a bunch of the girls out shopping. A quick glance out the window tells me they’ve taken the van.

It takes a minute for my brain to wake up enough that I remember the game isn’t until noon. At least I didn’t miss it. I doubt Emily would forgive me for sleeping through her game. She’d say something about how Mimi never misses, unless she’s stuck in a hospital bed.

I find my phone and start making calls to the people who need me. Sometimes I wish they would just give me a day or two in between phone calls, but again, that”s on me and my delegation process.

”Hey Steve, I got your message about the updates to the locker rooms. What did you decide?”

”I thought I sent you the pictures.”

I pull my phone away from my ear and search through my text messages. ”Oh, I think they”re coming through now.” My phone rarely takes this long to receive messages and pictures, but maybe it”s just one of those days.

I check the photos and then go back to talking to him. ”Those look great. I think the Utah Yetis sign should be bigger. Does it come in a bigger size?”

”The company can make any size you want. It just depends on the size of the room.” He pauses for a moment and then says, ”I can”t believe this is actually happening.”

Nodding, I can”t keep my grin inside. ”I know. This is something I”ve wanted for a very long time. And that we can see the team forming in just a couple of weeks is the best part.”

I turn and see Ava standing there, her arms folded against her chest and her lips in a tight line.

”Steve, I”ve got to go.” I hang up the phone and face her straight on. ”How was the run?” I’m not even sure that’s what she’s been doing, but I thought I’d take a stab at it.

”I took the girls shopping,” she says, her gaze shooting lasers in my direction. “I thought you weren”t excited about what you”re working on.”

She sounds a lot like a jealous girlfriend and I”m not sure how to react to this.

”It”s something I”ve been planning for years. Something I wanted to do with my dad before he passed away. Now I do it in memory of him.”

”So you”re not just a little investor,” she says, as if she”s trying to think out loud.

Shaking my head, I say, ”No. I”ve been working on this for a long time.”

“You’re the one bringing the NHL team to Utah. And you just let me ramble about it. I can’t believe you didn’t just tell me.” She nods and turns on her heel to leave the room. I”m not sure if I should just let her go or chase after her.

“Ava, don’t go.” I walk after her, but she hurries to the room she’s been using, my room, and shuts the door. Instead of slamming it, there’s a soft click as it closes.

That’s almost worse.

She”s explained how her parents ditched her after becoming wealthy, but hopefully she knows that I”m going to be the same person she met a couple of weeks ago. The more mature version of the guy she’s known since she was a teen.

I”ve tried to keep the same personality that I had when we had no money, because I didn”t want the money to define me.

Except I should’ve been upfront and told her. Not that I knew my feelings would morph into this fire inside me now. So much for a sliver of anonymity.

Of all the projects and opportunities I’ve had, I don”t think I”ve ever wanted something more at this moment than Ava.