Chapter 20
NATE
I probably should have taken her someplace nicer—an expensive restaurant, with candlelight, small portions, and servers dressed in suits.
That’s what most guys with money would do. But standing at the edge of the park, with her small hand brushing against mine, with a bright smile on her face, made me realize I had made the right call.
This was me. Just a simple guy on a date with the pretty girl he enjoyed spending time with.
Not the quarterback on SportsCenter or the guy on billboards.
“Our first date is grabbing something to eat from a food truck, huh?”
I pulled the brim of my ball cap down. “Is a lobster roll not up to your standards, princess?” I teased as we approached the back of the line that snaked around the entire parking lot.
Her lips twitched, fighting back a smile. “Are you kidding me? I love seafood.”
I pushed my sunglasses to the edge of my nose, which probably made me look even more ridiculous.
“I can tell.” I huffed out a laugh. “I can hear your stomach growling from over here.”
“Well, at least I don’t look like I’m ready to rob a gas station.” She laughed at the disguise I was wearing. “You do realize it’s dark, right? Wearing sunglasses at night isn’t very subtle.”
“I’m doing my best here.”
The truth was, I didn’t expect this place to be so packed. It was late, way past the dinner rush. But seeing that this was the last Friday before they closed down for the season, I guess everyone in Harbor Bay had the same idea tonight.
“The taco truck doesn’t have as many people.”
I glanced around at the rows of food trucks. Most of them had lines, but not as long as this one.
“I didn’t bring you here for a taco. I brought you because these hot buttered lobster rolls are my favorite, and this is the last weekend where I can get one before spring.”
“It better be worth it. This is a long line.”
“They are. I can’t believe it’s still this busy. I thought it would be quieter by now.”
We were standing shoulder to shoulder in line. Becca was close enough that I was tempted to reach for her hand. If I didn’t think she would freak out, I would have.
“You’re really not disappointed, are you? That I didn’t do something a little fancier.”
She scoffed. “Do I look like I need fancy to you?”
She pulled on her brown sweater that fit her just right. She looked cute tonight in a simple pair of jeans and high-heeled boots.
“You know what I mean.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, you got me. I was hoping that you would pick me up in a stretch limo and whisk me off to Europe for the weekend in your private jet.”
My eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Oh, don’t worry, I still plan on whisking you off somewhere later.” I paused for dramatic effect. “Like the ice cream truck for dessert.”
That earned me a soft smile. “I actually don’t mind this at all. I like this version of you.”
“And what version would that be?” I asked as we shuffled a few steps forward while the line moved.
“You’re relaxed and not so uptight.”
“Careful, Press Girl. You keep saying things like that, and I’m going to start thinking you really like me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Press Girl?”
I rubbed my chin. “That’s your new nickname.”
“I didn’t realize we were at the nickname phase yet.” She shook her head. “What should I call you?”
I shrugged. “Champ works.”
The shift in the line made the mother and her teenage son standing in front of us turn their heads in our direction. The kids’ eyes went wide when he spotted me.
Fuck. He we go.
I cursed under my breath.
“Hey.” The kid squinted at my face under the ball cap. “Are you Nate Sandler?”
“Yeah,” I said, pulling on the rim of my hat.
He grinned. “Dude, that was one hell of a game last week.”
“Thanks,” I replied politely.
He pulled his phone out. “Do you mind if I get a selfie with you?”
I held my hand up. “I hate to be the bad guy here, but no selfies or autographs tonight,” I said, keeping my voice friendly but firm. “If I do that, it will only draw attention. Tonight, I’m just a regular guy out with a girl.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s all good.” I pulled out my phone and clicked on the Notes app. “If you want to give me your email, I can have something signed sent to you from the front office.”
Did kids his age even use email? Guess I was about to find out.
“Really?” His eyes grew big. “That would be cool. Thanks.”
I guess that answered my question. It probably wasn’t his preferred way of communication, but it was better than nothing.
Becca watched the whole exchange with quiet curiosity. Once the kid typed his email into my phone, his mom gave me a grateful smile before they both turned back around.
“Does that happen a lot?” Becca asked.
“More than I’d like.” I exhaled slowly.
She tilted her head slightly. “You handled it well.”
I glanced down at her, my eyes catching on the thin gold chain that fell right between her breasts. I cleared my throat and forced my gaze back up to her face before I came across as a peeping pervert. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”
She pulled a tube of lip gloss out of her purse and ran it over her lips. I was hypnotized just from watching her.
I guess that’s why her lips always look so shiny. Before I could stop myself, I reached out to swipe a bit of gloss that had smeared on her skin.
Her eyes widened. “Sorry, I don’t have a mirror.”
I cleared my throat. “You don’t have to apologize.”
Feeling nervous and uneasy was not something I was used to. Not even on the field. Maybe because I knew what to expect, or perhaps I had more confidence. Tonight, I felt out of my league.
Twenty minutes later, we finally got our food.
I grabbed the tray loaded with lobster rolls, mac and cheese, and our drinks.
“Are you ready to have the best lobster roll of your life?”
“You have been hyping this place up so much, I’m going to be disappointed if it’s mediocre.”
I laughed as we took a seat at one of the empty picnic tables tucked behind a set of string lights. It was far enough away from the crowd and music that we would be able to hear each other talk. “You should know by now there is nothing mediocre about me.”
“We will see about that.” She rolled her eyes, and I found myself grinning like a goof.
Becca sat across from me as the music and chatter drifted through the park.
This is what I needed tonight. Just a relaxing night out.
It felt, dare I say, normal.
Every time someone walked by and glanced in our direction, I would pull my hat down lower.
Becca picked up her lobster roll and took a bite. “Oh, wow. Okay, I take everything back. This is delicious.”
I leaned forward, feeling satisfied. “I’m glad you like it. Now I feel vindicated.”
Becca’s soft and genuine laugh settled deep in my stomach.
God, I liked her.
She was fun, feisty, beautiful, and smart. There wasn’t a fake bone in her body, which was a rare commodity in my world.
I took a bite of my sandwich and wiped my hands on my napkin.
“So, now that the article is finished. What are you going to do next?”
“Well, I’ve been removed from covering you and your team.”
I frowned. I kind of expected that, but I still wasn’t happy about it.
“So, you’ve been reassigned?”
She exhaled slowly. “Yes, I’ll be covering New England going forward.”
I dropped a hand along the back of my neck. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope.” A laugh slipped out of her.
“You’re going to cover my rival?”
She winced slightly. “Yeah.”
I dropped my head back and looked up at the sky. Of all the damn teams in the league.
“That truly sucks,” I muttered. I wasn’t even going to pretend to be happy about it. But this was her career, and she made a sacrifice so she could date me. It would be shitty to complain about that.
“I take it you hate the idea?” she asked, even though I was making it pretty damn obvious.
“Not going to lie. I don’t love the idea of you hanging out with our biggest rivals, not even a little.” I met her eyes from across the table. “However, as long as it clears the way for us to be together, I can live with that.”
Her lips twitched. “I’m not going to be hanging out with them. I’ll be working.”
“I’m glad you still have a job, and I get to take you out on dates like this, but if you start praising their quarterback, we’re going to have a problem.”
She tucked the palm of her hand under her chin. “I didn’t realize that professional jealousy was a real thing.”
“Oh, it is. And you better not cheer for them either.”
I got used to seeing her at press conferences and on the sidelines. Her covering the other team was going to take some getting used to, but it was a small price to pay if it meant we could do this.
I took another bite of my food and watched her from across the table. She was smiling now, probably relieved that I wasn’t making a bigger deal about her covering New England.
Honestly, I should be more annoyed than I was. In a way, it felt like I drove her over into enemy territory and dropped her off on their sideline. Yeah, I didn’t love that, but I had no right to throw a fit over it either.
Her career was just as important to her as mine was to me, and I would never stand in the way of that.
We fell into easy conversation again as the music drifted through the park. Someone laughed nearby, and I was thankful that no one else recognized me or approached our table.
Because I needed this night. More than I realized. I couldn’t recall the last time I was this relaxed on a date. Usually, women tried too hard to impress me. Becca didn’t fawn all over me. She didn’t care who I was. She just liked being around me.
That feeling shouldn’t be so rare, but it was.
“Do you want to browse through the tents before we leave?”
“Sure.” We stood and threw our trash away.
“You know I’m curious about something?” I said as she fell into step beside me. We made our way over to the vendor tents lining the parking lot.
“What’s that?”
I glanced at her sideways, wondering what motivated her and how she had become such a strong, independent woman.
“Where did you get your work ethic from?”
Her brows knitted together slightly. “What do you mean?”