22. Lila
Chapter twenty-two
Lila
Me
Small-town football games…live up to the hype. And this is just a summer scrimmage.
Elise
Honestly, some of the best times of my life. The slight chill in the air. The crappy hot dogs and hamburgers. Wearing my boyfriend’s jersey as I cheer from the stands. The football pants *drooling smiley*
Me
Gross. They’re like 16.
Elise
I haven’t been to one since I was in high school, but I see now that commenting on the 16 year olds is not appropriate. I take it back.
Me
Yes. Please stick with ogling football players at the college level and above.
Me
Shit. Do you think we’re too old to check out the college football players now?
Elise
Why do you ruin everything for me?
Me
It’s why you love me.
Elise
Speaking of ruining everything for you. How go things with your sleepover buddy?
Me
Still annoying as fuck.
Elise
And by that you mean you’re still annoyed you haven’t fucked?
Me
I plead the fifth.
Elise
How is new boyfriend going to feel about you living with your one-night stand?
Me
The one-night stand I can’t stand?
Elise
The one-night stand you definitely want to sleep with again.
Me
Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Plus, I told you Matthew and I are just here as friends.
Me
But, to be clear, I will not ever be telling anyone about JT and me.
Matt—who told me only his aunt calls him Matthew—stands next to me on the Wild Bluffs side of the grandstands. We’re both wearing Wild Bluffs Mavericks shirts, though mine is mostly hidden behind the light jacket I pulled on at the end of the third quarter. Tonight has been a lot of fun. Matt has introduced me to a lot of locals, always letting me know if their kid is playing and what number he is. I appreciate the gesture, as I wouldn’t want to upset any parents by saying something less than positive about their kid’s performance, but I’m being on my best behavior tonight regardless.
The football stadium is way more impressive than I would’ve imagined for a high school team. Set at the foot of the bluffs that surround the town, towering cliffs of sand-colored stone are the perfect backdrop for one endzone. There’s a large WB made from white stones on the grassy hill between the bluff and the field, and a fire truck sits next to it, the firemen setting off fireworks each time the Mavericks score. It feels like I’ve been transported into one of the romance movies I love so much with the sun setting in shades of red, yellow, and orange behind us. If only I were here with a real date like I let JT believe.
Stupid JT Johnson.
The crowd cheers loudly as the Mavericks march their way down the field, the score tied seven-seven with fifty-four seconds to go. I haven’t spent a ton of time watching football—my brother is a professional golfer, after all—but I follow sports in general enough to understand what’s happening in a high school football game. Even if I didn’t, the energy in the air is enough to turn anyone into a fan. There aren’t as many cheerleaders down on the track that circles the field as I would’ve expected, and when I ask Matt about it, he shrugs, saying cheerleading isn’t particularly popular in Wild Bluffs, and even fewer cheerleaders come to the scrimmages.
I follow up by asking if Kelsey or Bryn were cheerleaders, and he laughs so hard, I swear soda comes out his nose. When he gets himself back under control, he says, “Christ. Can you imagine Kelsey or Bryn as cheerleaders? Actually, don’t. Kelsey might murder you just for picturing her in such a bubbly role.”
With twenty seconds left, Wild Bluff’s quarterback makes an impressive throw to his tight end in the back corner of the endzone. I clap along with Matt, the two calmest fans in the entire stands. I swear one mom is considering doing a flip on the field.
“Well, that’s good luck,” Matt says.
“Why’s that?”
“Now the coaches will be in good moods when I introduce you to them.”
Matt promised to introduce me to his two single friends in town, Austin and Bobby. They both help coach the high school football team, Austin helping with the receivers, and Bobby with the defense.
We make our way off the bleachers and start the downhill walk to where Matt parked his vehicle. Earlier this week, I’d offered to have JT drop me at the game, but as it turned out, I was glad it looked like Matt was picking me up for a date.
We pull the tailgate of his pickup down, and I sit on it as we wait for his friends to leave the locker room. Soon, high school boys start trickling out in ones and twos, most of them being hugged by the high school girls who’ve been waiting around the large parking area.
“Ah, here they come.”
Two men walk out the door, heading in our direction. Both are in navy blue polos and black dress pants, their hair hidden beneath matching Mavericks ball caps. Luckily, one is fairly short—though still taller than me—whereas the other is definitely above six feet tall, so I may have a chance of telling them apart, regardless of their matching outfits. They are attractive, though neither is as good-looking as JT with his broad shoulders and deep blue eyes. Not that it matters how they compare to JT.
“Austin, Bobby, hell of a game tonight.” They all do the bro hug, back slap thing, in a way that makes it clear they’ve done it about a thousand times before.
When they’re done hugging, Matt introduces me. “Meet my most recent date, Lila Walker.”
“Gosh, you sure know how to make a girl feel special,” I joke as I shake both men’s hands. “For the record, I was totally going to turn him down, he just beat me to the punch.”
“Oh, really?” the short one, Austin, asks.
“Nah. Janice scares me way too much for me to bail after one date. I was sure I was going to have to go on at least three.”
“And as far as the town of Wild Bluffs is concerned, we’ve now gone on two,” Matt points out.
“Doesn’t the entire town know you’re still pining after some lost love?” I ask.
Both of his friends nod, but Matt shakes his head. “Everyone knows I let a girl go that I shouldn’t have. Not everyone knows how hung up I still am on her.” He turns to load up in his pickup so we can go to the house Bobby and Austin share for a couple of drinks, but before I climb in the backseat with Austin, I turn to Bobby, who is making his way to the passenger door, and ask, “Everyone knows, right?”
He just nods solemnly. Bummer for my guy Matt.
I can’t help but imagine what JT’s response to my question would’ve been—something about only blind people not being able to see it—but I shut down that line of thought, shoving JT from my mind.
A few minutes later, we pull up in front of a house just across the street from where I’ll be living in a few weeks. “Woah. We’re going to be neighbors,” I say, holding my hand out for a high five. Bobby smiles as he gives me one. “I just moved in a few months ago.”
Though in my mind I hear JT finish the sentence with, so it seems like the street is really on an upswing.
I smile but internally add “next-door neighbor” to both guys’ Cons lists. Living across the street from your boyfriend? Definite upsides. Living across the street from your ex? Just go ahead and sign me up for the next train leaving town.
We head into the house and all grab beers before the three men drop down on the couch to watch sports highlights.
“So what do you do for fun?” Austin asks.
“Work has been taking up a lot of my time lately, but I’m a big reader.”
“Oh, really? What do you like to read?”
“I’m a big romance fan. Well, romance, romantasy, that type of thing.”
Bobby snorts a laugh. “Wait, you’re kidding, right?”
“Nope,” I say, mentally adding another large mark to the Cons column for Bobby.
“I thought only my grandma reads that. Isn’t it unrealistic smut geared at women who have nothing better to do with their time than sit around?”
“It’s the most popular genre of books, and at all ages, not just older women.”
“Huh. Who knew?” Austin cuts in, clearly trying to stop Bobby before he says anything else.
Bobby shoots me a remorseful smile. “Sorry, that was rude. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sure there are some great romance books out there.”
I know there are a lot of people who don’t understand romance, and open-door romance in general, but I can’t help but think of how JT has never once made me feel frivolous for enjoying them. Hell, he’s read a spicy alien romance.
“I also like to golf,” I say a few beats later to dispel the awkward lull that’s fallen over the group.
“Oh, cool. I guess that makes sense, with your brother being who he is,” says Austin.
“Have you gotten to play much since you moved here?” Bobby asks.
“Yeah. I’ve played a couple times with Kelsey, Izzy, and Becca.”
“That sounds like fun,” Bobby responds.
I take a swig from my beer and feel a smirk pull at my mouth as I ask, “Did any of you ever date a Harper sister?”
Matt snorts. “No.”
“What? Not even in high school? Why not?”
“They’re pretty intimidating, if you haven’t noticed,” Bobby says.
“More so than other women?” I ask.
“We all grew up with them being good at everything. They were athletes, they were smart, and they’ll argue with you about the color of the damn sky. They dated in high school but not a ton. I think all the guys were a bit scared. I know I was. And now, I think that aura just hasn’t gone away, even though we all know how amazing they actually are.”
“Unfortunately, your brother had to go and steal one from us. I think Austin was just about to work up enough nerve to ask Bryn to coffee too,” Matt jokes.
“Really?” I ask.
“No. Not really. He never would’ve had the balls to handle Bryn.”
I laugh. “That’s crazy. Bryn is awesome.”
“Oh, trust me, we all know how awesome she is. Kelsey and Izzy too. We’re all friends with them. Dating them…it’s just the next level,” Austin says with a sigh.
That doesn’t bode well for me. I may be even more to handle than Bryn is. I think of the way JT has never once made me feel like I was too much for him but quickly push JT from my mind for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. No need to focus on that spark just waiting to burst into flames.
The conversation flows smoothly from there, and it feels like I’m one of the guys. While I’m super excited that I can stroll across the street in six weeks and have a buddy or two to hang out with, I can also say without hesitation that I’ve cut two more potentials from my dating possibilities list. As much as I want to find a partner and settle down, I’m also starting to realize how much I need there to be a little fire, that slightly dangerous spark, in a relationship. Unfortunately, JT Johnson seems to have thrown sand over all the men in my life, dimming the sparks of every interaction I have except for the ones with him. And he doesn’t date.