God, not this again. Elena thought her mom had learned her lesson when she unblocked her a week ago. Evidently not.
“You okay?” Jason was peering at her.
“It’s nothing. Sorry, just a second.”
Elena’s thumbs whizzed across the keypad as she returned a message.
I’m sorry, but my mother is mad. I don’t know what she’s told you, but I’m not interested. Sorry to have wasted your time, and tell Mom if you are contacted by her to mind her own business. Elena.
She sent the message and immediately blocked the number. Jason was frowning at her. She had to look like an idiot right now. Elena shoved her phone back into her pocket and gave him a bright smile.
“So, talk to me. What’s Wenstown like? It had better be worth my while coming here.”
“Oh, it is.” Jason’s frown turned into a smile that had Elena momentarily forgetting how to breathe. “It will definitely be worth your while.”
CHAPTER7
JASON
Jason sat in the bleachers and watched as the Wolves went through their paces. They were being worked hard, and it was beginning to show. Their workouts in the gym were intense, and the fieldwork seemed to be picking up as the time went on. The players looked exhausted, but they appeared to be moving better. Things were going well.
Hopefully, that would transfer into the actual game. Doing well in training didn’t mean anything if it didn’t happen when it mattered.
“You’re going to freeze to death if you stay out here.”
Jason looked up to see Carl standing beside him, wearing a coat that made his frame look even bulkier. He smiled. “I can handle it. A bit of cold never hurt anyone.”
“Tell that to people who froze to death in the middle of winter.”
“It’s still September, Carl. I may have forgotten that it gets colder here than on the coast, but I’m a big boy.”
Carl grunted. He sat beside Jason, stretching his legs out as another offensive formation was performed in front of them. Adam Holmes, the backup quarterback, was quick on his feet, and sent the ball soaring through the air right to one of the receivers. It was caught perfectly, and the receiver slowed down and brought it back as the assistant coach applauded the movement, urging everyone back to do it again.
“Adam’s looking good, isn’t he?” Jason watched as the kid lined up again. “He’s really stepping up.”
“He’s not quite as good as Liam, but he’s a fast learner.” Carl nodded approvingly. “We’re going to need him there when we have our first game.”
“I take it Liam isn’t going to be ready in time.”
“Elena says it would be a bad idea for him to come back so quickly. She wants more time to be sure that his knee doesn’t buckle again. But she is working Liam hard in the gym, which he’s grumbling about.” Carl shrugged. “If he wants to get better, he’s going to listen to her. He’s already improving from before she arrived, so something’s happening.”
Jason raised his eyebrows. “It’s only been two days since she arrived.”
“It’s enough to notice the difference.”
Jason wouldn’t know about that. He had been doing his best to avoid Elena since he’d dropped her off at the apartment she was now renting out in a building not far from the football field. Being around her left him feeling strange, unsure of himself. Which left Jason feeling bewildered; he had encountered many beautiful women over the years, and he knew how to talk to them. But with Elena, it was different. Jason had no idea how he was supposed to react.
It was fair enough to say that he found her attractive. Was he attracted to her? He didn’t want to think about it, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to get anything done. Jason couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.
If you didn’t want to be distracted, why the hell did you decide to bring her here?
Carl wanted her, and I wanted to be on his good side. And it’s working. My discomfort can be put aside for that.
“Excuse me, Mr. Munro?”
Jason looked around. One of the security guards was coming up the bleachers towards them. He didn’t look happy.
“Yes, what is it?”