“You’re very impressive. It all looks great.”
Tired, I plopped down on the sofa. “Thanks, Collin. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Sure you could.”
Yeah, but I wouldn’t want to.
Chapter 15
Collin
One thing about Charlie, she took things in stride. Not only have reporters been hounding her, but social media has also been relentless. Naturally, most men who commented didn’t say much about her kicking ability, but more about her looks. I didn’t really blame them because, at first sight, the woman looked like the type of girl you’d trip over your feet to meet. On the flip side, other guys thought it was a marketing ploy by Reese to get butts in the stands.
The thing was, we had a great season last year. We didn’t need marketing tactics or ploys to fill the stadium. It had been suggested that the Thunder allow reporters into practice to get a look at Charlie’s kicks. Except they weren’t allowed until training camp, so they’d need to wait.
“Your girlfriend is a distraction,” DiNardo touted, smacking his shoulder pad into my arm.
Was he kidding?
That was another issue. Social media caught wind that she was staying with me. Some knew that we were from the same hometown and shared a connection via my sister, but that didn’t appease them. If they couldn’t get the scoop on Charlie’s playing ability, then they’d flip it and make it personal. Which, of course, increased their number of followers.
However, when it came to teammates making comments, that was where I drew the line. In regard to DiNardo, I knew why he was bitter. She’d taken his spot. Well, too damn bad. Charlie was better despite his years playing the game.
“You got a problem?” I asked, bringing us chest to chest.
“Yeah—” DiNardo didn’t back down, and despite our height difference, he kept pushing forward. Granted, he didn’t get very far. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Too damn bad. You need to support the team. We’re all in this together.”
“You’re full of it, St. James.”
“Okay, okay, let’s break it up.” Lucas put his arm between us and turned to face me. “Let it go.”
I wanted to say, “He started it.” But I hadn’t used that phrase since I was a kid… if even then. Instead, I nodded. Thankfully, Charlie was on the field stretching and hadn’t witnessed what a douchebag some guys could be.
“Yeah, let it go,” he jeered.
Lucas turned to DiNardo. “Leave. You’re lucky Coach didn’t see or hear you.” Except I had a feeling he did. The guy saw everything. “It’s unnecessary. We’re a team. While you might think Charlie is a distraction, you’re wrong. You’re the only one with an issue. If you’re pissed off because she’s starting, maybe you should think about who’s really to blame for that.”
DiNardo huffed and walked away.
Lucas turned back to me. “You good, man?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t going to hit him.”
He chuckled. “Sure you weren’t.” We both looked onto the field. Charlie was talking to Trent while holding a football. “There’s something super sexy about a woman learning how to hold a football.”
I couldn’t have agreed more. Trent stood beside Charlie, each gripping a football. He was showing her how to place her hand on the ball in order to get velocity. As she had said, her hand was considerably smaller than a man’s, but that didn’t matter. She had one of the best in the league as her teacher, and if I knew Charlie, she’d master that too.
“Don’t let Harley hear you say that.”
Lucas chuckled once more. “She’d completely agree with me.”
I loved my best friend’s fiancée… in the most platonic way, of course. The fact that she had continuously shot him down was enough for me to want to kiss her feet. But the woman was talented. Her hat designs were making a name for themselves. I knew that she’d recently gotten the rights to use our team’s logo and had started to incorporate them in designs for our female fan base. The entire line wouldn’t be ready until next year, but from what I heard from Sophie, it would definitely be a success.
“So, you and Charlie?”
“Not you too?”