Chapter 16
Landon
The next afternoon, I shower after my workout and greet Grace at the door as she arrives to take over Grover duty.
She looks me over and smiles. “Looking good, Landon.”
“Yes, this is from a trendy Miami menswear designer,” I share, referencing my shirt and shorts set, which is made from a colorful pattern fabric. “Only Rori will see it, but she’s the most important person to appreciate it anyway, I guess.”
“I also meant your glow. You’re glowing,” Grace teases as she pats my cheek lightly.
“Enough from you,” I joke back. “I’m heading on out the door.”
As I get on the road heading south, I blast music to distract my shifting thoughts. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Rori in person that being in her presence is a bit of an unknown at this stage. Uncertainty creeps up a bit as the miles pass.
Will we still have that chemistry and physical connection? Maybe the reason she invited me is a business-related opportunity? Nothing to do with us personally?
Eventually the GPS gets me to her house, and I can stop pondering what’s going to happen.
I park and walk up to her “cottage”—the word she kept using for her place is appropriate, now that I see it in person.
Apparently, it was a carriage house on a larger estate that got broken up years ago.
It looks cozy and comfortable, with a renovation clearly in the recent past given its up-to-date exterior.
The door is light green, and the house itself is painted a cream shade.
A small, bright garden banks around both sides of the walkway.
I ring the doorbell and hear soft footsteps come to the door, which then swings open.
Rori appears from behind it, wearing a smile on her face.
“Hi, you made it,” she says, and I notice a hint of pink in her cheeks.
“I did,” I reply, smiling back. I hold up the large drink tumbler in my hand. “I thought it only fair that I bring a gift—the vitamin-infused water that my trainer makes me drink.”
With a smirk now replacing the flush on her face, she teases. “Oh wow, I cannot wait to try it.” She opens the door wider. “Come in, come in.”
We walk into a small but cozy living room. I look around and then pick a neutral topic.
“This is a nice community, and your house is just as you described it. The ‘cottage.’” I use finger quotes around the word.
She chuckles. “It’s tiny, isn’t it? Not fit for huge football players?”
“I’ll make it work,” I say, winking. “The front gate guard was hardcore.”
“Yeah, the security’s lockdown level. There are some super wealthy people living here, so they’ve really invested a ton into security. When I found this house, I fell in love with the vibes, so I didn’t focus on that aspect of the community. But now I’m grateful for it.”
I nod in acknowledgment, waiting for her to take the reins of the evening.
“Are you hungry? Did you get to eat anything after your workout?” she asks.
“I could eat, but I can also wait. Whatever you have planned, I don’t want to mess it up,” I respond.
“No, it’s perfect—I warmed up some seafood pasta.”
She leads me to a nook with a round dining table between the living room and kitchen. Everything is open concept, so I can watch her unimpeded while she prepares a plate of the seafood pasta for me.
With that view, I notice what she’s wearing more clearly. She has these tiny denim shorts on, with a comfy oversized pink shirt on top—the kind that deliberately slouches off one shoulder, showing lots of tempting skin. I stare in admiration while I know she is too busy to catch me.
She eventually turns around and heads to the table with two large plates, one for each of us. After she takes her seat, we dig in right away.
“It’s delicious, Rori. Did you make it?”
She grins a little. “I wish I could cook. Never quite stood still long enough to learn. No, this is from a local meal prep service. The owner sets me up with meals every time I’m in town.”
“Nice,” I say as I scoop another mouthful.
“So how was hanging out with Johnson last night? Did you guys go out?”
“No, we watched a game at his house. We were good boys,” I say with a big smile.
“Good boys, huh? You’re so innocent, I wouldn’t expect anything different,” she says with a twinkle in her eye.
“You’d know, Rori,” I can’t help teasing back. This is the most flirting we’ve done in a long while. And it feels right.
She laughs as I take another bite. “It was late for me when I got back, with the jet lag. But this morning before practice, I went over to Dad’s and met Buster.”
She whips out her phone and shows me pictures. Our conversation evolves to updates about Grover and my family and we fill each other in about other parts of our day.
I would have thought our first in-person encounter since Miami would be a little awkward to start, but everything about sitting at her kitchen table enjoying a meal feels natural.
“So what’re your favorite things to do when you’re here?” I ask as we start to finish our meals. “Apparently not cooking,” I add with a tease.
“I love to read if I’m not too tired, but after training, my eyes usually won’t stay open if I try to start on a book,” she says.
“Largely, I just catch up on marathons of reality TV that I’ve missed while on tour.
The fun part is that there’s a great crew of us who train here at Pinnacle, so we are usually jumping between our houses to watch TV or movies together after practice. ”
I pick up our plates to bring them to the kitchen sink, wanting to do my part. “Yeah I get that. Johnson and I are constantly hosting mini gatherings of teammates at our places just so everyone can relax. It’s always a good time, even if low-key.”
“Speaking of which, do you want to move to the living room and watch some junk TV with me?” she suggests with a smile.
Determined to try to let her stay in control of the evening right now, I nod and we relocate. In the small cottage, that means walking ten feet to the plush beige couch.
She sits on the left cushion of the couch and grabs the remote. I decide to sit half on the center cushion, half on the right cushion, so I don’t seem like I’m encroaching on her space.
Eventually, we need to have a conversation about what I’m thinking. First, I’m hoping that she shares why she invited me.
I don’t need to wait long.
She starts a show but keeps the volume low. Her head turns to me, and her eyes meet mine, filled with bright sincerity.
“I know my message was a little…” Rori pauses as she considers her words. “Unexpected probably. I’m sorry if it seemed like I demanded you come here, like it was an emergency. I…I really haven’t done anything like this before.”
“Done what?” I ask, not certain what she means.
“I know I’ve given you at least a couple speeches now about how I don’t want any distractions, not to mention leaving your text on read for weeks before that,” she stops, looking like she is mustering up the nerve to continue.
It’s a very un-Rori look, since she’s usually so confident. What’s going on?
Meeting my eyes, she finds her nerve.
“I don’t know how to explain this, but I think I’ve changed my mind.”