Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
AUDREY
OCTOBER
“Thanks, Davide!” I call as I step out of the black Town Car.
I turn back to grab my purse off the bench.
“I’m really glad your mom is feeling better.
” Two weeks ago, when Davide dropped me off at the game, she was battling bronchitis.
“It’s so wonderful that she’s on the mend just in time for the holidays. ”
He tips his hat, which I don’t think he sees as a cliché for a driver, but it definitely is. In his suit and his shiny shoes, he fits the classic driver look. “Thank you, Miss Audrey.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that Audrey is fine?”
“I simply couldn’t.” He waves the suggestion away.
I wink at him. “We’ll work on it!” I turn from the car and start heading toward the stadium with a wave.
I’m not sure what he does while I’m at the game.
Maybe he reads or even runs by his mom’s.
She apparently lives not far from here and he has easily four hours to kill.
But you know what they say, Houston is an hour away from Houston.
Maybe he reclines the seat and takes a nap?
I turn the corner in the concrete and cinder block hallway and find Lydia in our usual spot. “Hey, Lydia!”
“Good to see you!”
“You too! Too many away games in a row.”
She waves her hand. “Don’t I know it.”
“It’s good to be back.” We walk side by side toward the field to an area where I can see Noah before the game starts.
I smile to myself thinking about how lost and overwhelmed I was the first time I came to a home game a few months ago.
Crazy to think that I had no idea what it would be like, or how at ease I would come to feel.
The first time I was here, I had to follow behind Lydia, not sure where I was going.
Now, I walk in step with her, my cowboy boots clacking against the floor.
It’s surprisingly hard to find an outfit in theme for every game.
Today, I’m wearing a jean skirt, my boots, and Noah’s jersey tied up in the back.
I’m really embracing my Texan side. Feels appropriate, all things considered.
You’d think in October it would be too cold for skirts, but I remember Christmases where it was too hot for jeans.
I’m never prepared for the feeling that stepping on the field gives me.
I think it’s hard to tell how massive a stadium is on TV.
The field seems to go on forever. If it were the horizon, you’d never find the end of it.
The din of everyone moving and talking hums behind warm-up music blasting.
I’m a little early, so Noah is still sitting under the goal post, cross-legged with headphones on.
Press photos flash around us, and some of the WAGs who are more social media-minded have their phones out taking video.
I’m sure I could do some of that and bring attention to my business, but I’m not there yet.
It seems like we just got things ironed out.
I want clients to come to me naturally, not because I’m attached to Noah.
My stomach flutters when Noah gets up and his eyes land on me.
He jogs over, helmet in hand. His normal stature is inflated by his gear, making him tower over me more than usual.
I’m sure the spikes on his cleats give him a few extra inches, too, but the pads on his shoulders make him as wide as a boulder.
I’m a little dizzy being on the field, looking up at the height of the stadium ceiling.
It feels like an ant wandering around under a magnifying glass.
“Hey, babe.” He kisses me and I can feel the adrenaline buzzing through his lips. It soaks into me, and I embrace it like I can take some of it on for him.
“Hi, how are you?” I keep my hands thrown over his shoulders, holding him close.
“Did you get all your warmups done?” I know he has a very detailed routine.
Some of the other guys do too. Mack eats one singular sweet potato fry the night before.
He said he did it one time in college, and they went on an eight-game winning streak, so he never stopped.
“Much better now that you’re here. I’m afraid you’re part of my pregame warmup now and I’ll suck if I don’t see you before every game.”
I giggle like a schoolgirl, flattered. “Are you asking me to go to every away game?”
“If you want to? Or you could just FaceTime me before?”
“I think we can make something happen.”
I fear something is already happening. So much so that I can’t say no to anything he asks me for.