Touchdowns and Temptations: A Football billionaire Romance

20

Three weeks later, Noah continues to ignore me. He dodges my calls, my messages go unanswered, and he has suspended all of our business meetings until further notice. He can”t even talk to me professionally. I don”t understand him. If we talk, we can make things right, can”t we?

I would like to apologize to him and ask him for a second chance. Then we can try being together and have an official relationship, I don”t care, but I want him back.

On top of that, he got hurt the day before yesterday in the game against Nashville and didn”t come back after halftime. A defensive player from the Nashville Warriors, Logan”s team, knocked him down and hit his right arm. His throwing arm. It didn”t look good from the start, but Noah wanted to keep playing. In the end, he didn”t come back and I have no idea how he is. If he is badly injured or just a little bit. I don”t know anything and it”s driving me crazy. Alex doesn”t answer me either. My messages are delivered to him, but he doesn”t write back. I”m sure Noah gave his brother a good talking to and forbid him to contact me.

I walk into a Starbucks in downtown Boston and am on my way to the counter when I see Alex. He”s sitting in the back with a coffee. I think about walking up to him and talking to him, but I reassess the situation.

“What can I get you?” the barista asks, smiling at me.

“A macchiato.” I look at Alex again and take the money out of my pocket.

“Four dollars,” she says and I hand it to her.

“Thank you.”

I walk to the counter and don”t let Alex out of my sight. He”s my only chance to get to Noah and find out what”s wrong with him. I need to know how badly he”s hurt and where he is. I pick up my drink and walk over to Alex.

Heart pounding, I stop in front of his table and take a deep breath before speaking to him.

“Hi,” I say softly and he lifts his eyes. Alex looks surprised and immediately puts his phone down.

“Hi,” he says, looking at me. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” I mumble, pointing to the empty chair across from him. “May I?”

Alex is hesitant, I can see that. But I also know that we”ve known each other long enough and that he likes me enough to offer me a seat.

“Sure,” he finally says and I smile and sit down next to him.

“Thanks,” I mumble, clutching my coffee to go cup tightly.

“How are you doing?” His question sounds sincere and I swallow.

“Not good,” I admit to him. “I miss Noah.”

“Hm,” Alex says, scratching his coffee cup with his nails. “He”s not feeling well either.”

“Because of the injury?” I ask. “What”s wrong with him?”

“It’s his shoulder,” Alex says and sighs, “at least three weeks off.”

“Shit!” I blurt out. “How is he doing with that? Has he had physical therapy and does he need surgery?”

My questions are so stupid and not useful at all, but I don”t want to lose the conversation before it has really started.

“How should he be, Cara?” Alex shakes his head in disbelief. Ashamed, I bite my lip and look down at my cup. “Sorry” he rows back. “Noah is in Nashville getting his shoulder fixed.”

“He”s in Nashville?” I look at him. “How long?”

“I think two or three weeks,” Alex says. “But I don”t know ... he ... he”s ... weird.”

“Weird how?”

“He won”t admit it, but he misses you, too.” My heart speeds up at his words. “But he”ll hardly be able to bring himself to talk to you again.”

“I can tell,” I murmur. “He is ignoring me...he rejects my calls, my messages, even our business appointments.”

“I know,” Alex replies, leaning back in his chair. “He can”t be persuaded to reach out to you either. I”m sorry, Cara. I”ve really tried everything, but he just shuts down.”

“I don”t understand him,” I say. “I realized my mistake, but now he has to listen to me.”

Alex nods and sighs.

“I know,” he says again. “I”m sorry.”

Talking to Alex doesn”t help either. He can”t or won”t tell me anything more. No one will be able to make Noah talk to me and forgive me.

“Are you leaving already?” he asks when I get up.

“I have to work,” I answer evasively. “See you around.”

Alex”s expression is pained and I sigh. Slowly, I reach out and stroke his upper arm.

“Thank you, Alex,” I say. “Really, thank you, but it”s no use.”

“I”ll keep trying,” he says, smiling at me. I believe him, but have little hope. Then I turn and walk out of the Starbucks.

***

Late in the afternoon, I”m not getting out of my Porsche in Boston to go to dinner with Marina, but out of a taxi in Noah”s hometown, because I don’t remember where his parents live.

“Thank you,” I say to the friendly and very helpful cab driver, giving him a hundred dollars. “That”s way too much, miss.”

“No, no,” I say with a smile. “You”ve helped me so much.” And he really did. I tried to describe to him the exact neighborhood of Noah”s parents” house, but the man couldn”t help me either. I wish I”d remembered the address and written it down.

The taxi driver offered to drive me around the streets, but that didn”t help either. Now he”s dropped me off on the main street, and I”ve decided to eat at a diner and ask around. It’s a small town, Noah kept reminding me that when I visited. Someone will be able to tell me where the parents of the famous McCarter brothers live.

“Then I wish you good luck, miss,” he says, smiling at me. “The man would be a fool not to forgive you.”

I smile shyly.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “And I hope he forgives me.”

He nods at me again and gets back into his cab. I reach for my bag and realize he dropped me off in front of a small diner. I go in and look around. The place is decorated in typical American style. The walls are covered with merchandise from the local sports teams and the local high school teams. There is also a photo of the McCarter brothers, how surprising. I find a table and sit down. Sighing, I sit back and run my fingers through my hair. I desperately need a game plan.

“Hi!” A young man smiles at me. “What can I get you?”

“A Diet Coke,” I say and he nods.

“Would you like a menu?”

“Sure,” I reply and he turns and disappears behind the counter again. I take my cell phone out of my purse and see that I have a couple of messages from Marina.

*Marina: Did you get there okay?

*Marina: Cara?

*Marina: Please contact me!!!

*Marina: Are you okay?

*Marina: Did you find Noah yet?

I grin because she”s really cute when she”s worried. Marina offered to come with me to Nashville, but in the end, she didn”t want to sit on the plane unnecessarily because of the pregnancy. A super hysterical pregnant friend wouldn”t help either. 99.9999% of the time she won”t be able to find the right words to tell Noah.

*Cara: Arrived safely!

“Your Diet Coke,” the waiter says, setting it down in front of me. “And the menu.”

“Thank you,” I say, smiling at him.

“Is there anything else I can get you?”

“Yeah ... maybe,” I mumble. “You know the McCarter twins?”

He blinks once and blinks again before laughing out loud.

“Who doesn”t know Noah and Alex?”

“Right,” I groan. “Who doesn”t know them. And... do you know where they live?”

“Yes,” he says and I can already see myself at the destination of my dreams. “So, where?”

He wedges his tray between his stomach and his hands and licks his lips. He looks at me with a grin.

“If I had a dollar for every woman who came into the diner asking for Mr. and Mrs. McCarter”s address, I”d be a rich man.” I roll my eyes. “Sorry, honey, but it”s an unwritten rule around here that we don”t give out the McCarters” address.”

Somehow I respect his decision, but it frustrates me immensely. If the waiter is so secretive, what about the rest of them? I bite my lip and consider offering him a hundred dollars for the information, but that seems wrong.

“Okay,” I sigh. “Too bad.”

He nods at me and disappears. When he”s gone, I grab the menu and open it. I go through each dish meticulously. But the only thing on my mind is Noah and how to find him.

“Cara?” My head jerks up. “What are you doing here?”

Emily is standing in front of me, eyebrows knitted together, looking at me. She”s wearing white pants with chunky side pockets, the kind construction workers wear. Over them is a washed-out light gray polo shirt with a physiotherapy practice printed on it and a white long sleeve underneath. Such a beautiful woman and such an ugly outfit.

“Hi,” I say in surprise. “Oh God ... I”m so happy to see you. What are you doing here?”

Emily giggles and sits down in the chair across from me, brown paper bag in hand.

“I”m getting my lunch, and you?”

“I”m desperately trying to find out where the McCarters live,” I summarize. “From the looks of it, everyone here is very secretive.”

“Yes, we remain stubbornly silent.”

“Hm,” I grumble. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

“So,” she says, unpacking her food. “What are you doing here if you want the McCarter”s address?”

“I”m looking for Noah,” I say. “He”s here.”

“He is,” Emily confirms. “I”m working on his shoulder.”

“You”re working on his shoulder?” I ask. “Why are you telling me this now and ... and where is your office? When can I meet him there?”

Emily swallows the big bite of her sandwich before answering.

“Sorry,” she says, “I”m really hungry.”

“I see that,” I chuckle. “How is Noah? What”s wrong with him?”

“He dislocated his shoulder,” she answers. “Nothing dramatic, but still three weeks out - at least.”

“That”s what Alex was hinting at,” I say.

“Were you at the stadium?”

“No,” she says, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “Daisy told me.”

“Of course she did,” I scoff, and Emily raises her eyebrows. Maybe I shouldn”t forget that they”re sisters and Emily doesn”t take too kindly to me making fun of her sister. “Sorry.”

“It”s okay,” Emily mumbles. “This thing between her and Alex is ... well ... complicated.”

Of course, that”s one way of putting it. Although I think she meant to say something else. Emily likes Alex, more than that, and I bet she doesn”t like Daisy bragging about having sex with him at all.

“Back to you and Noah,” she changes the subject. “Does this have anything to do with the newspaper article?”

“Kind of,” I say. “Noah and I had completely different views on our relationship - or our being together, as I prefer to call it - and it escalated that night. In the worst possible place, and everyone saw it. He”s been avoiding me like the plague ever since.”

“Are you surprised?” she asks and I swallow.

Anxiously, I reach for my Diet Coke and take a sip.

“You really hurt him and even a blind man could see that you had a crush on each other. Why did you do that?” she scolds me.

“Because of his job,” I confess. “I don”t want to live like my mother and raise my children the way she did with me. It would all happen again with Noah by my side.”

“I see,” Emily says, leaning back. “I”m sure you know that Daisy broke up with Alex because she didn”t want to either, right?” I nod. “To leave town and move further away than Nashville. She”s too proud to admit it, but she regrets her decision and I think she still loves Alex.”

I almost let an ‘What about you?’ slip out, but I manage to stifle it.

“And what does this have to do with me?” I ask.

“You”re too proud to jump over your shadow, too,” she explains. “You”re afraid of what this job will bring. Moving and little time together. But if you love Noah and he loves you ... why are you being so stupid?”

“I”m stupid, not him,” I clarify. “Noah wanted us from the beginning.”

“And do you think he won”t miss you and your children just as much?” she asks and I bite my lips. “I don”t have a father who was gone every two weeks, and I didn”t grow up in the spotlight. Ultimately, I”m judging the situation from the outside, but if you love each other, you”ll make it. How long will Noah play? Ten or fifteen years at the most.”

“It depends on how healthy he stays and...” Emily rolls her eyes. “That”s not what you mean, is it?”

“No,” she replies, “I mean that you shouldn”t use ten or fifteen years as a standard for the twenty or forty years you have left.”

“To be honest, I”ve never seen it that way,” I say quietly. “I always saw my childhood and my mother. But you”re right. My parents are happy and enjoying their retirement because they have enough money to have a nice life. They travel a lot.”

“You see,” Emily instructs me. “My partner and I will probably have to work until we”re in our mid-sixties, or maybe longer if we don”t have enough money.” I refrain from saying that she wouldn”t have to if she were at Alex”s side. “While Noah and you get to enjoy life.”

“You”re not making me feel better,” I mutter. “Not at all.”

“Probably,” Emily replies with a grin and stands up. She quickly packs her things. “I”ll take you to my place for now. Come on.”

I look at her irritated and get up from my chair.

Emily puts money on the table for my Diet Coke and smiles. “Come on, Cara.”

“And what about Noah?” I ask again.

“I”ll take care of it,” she says, winking at me.