A male voice came on the line after the fourth ring, breathless as if he’d just made it before voicemail kicked in. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Jay?” My voice was constricted by nerves.
“It is.” I couldn’t read his tone based off those two short words.
“It’s Kayla.” When there was a long pause, I added, “The crazy girl from Ohio State.”
“Believe me, I remember you.” He sounded warm and friendly, and I pictured him smiling. Just the image made me feel funny. I was already off to a bad start. He sounded like the guy I’d driven all the way to Toledo to see. “What are you up to?” he asked.
I rolled and unrolled the napkin in my hands. “Not much. We just finished our second day of cheerleading camp. How about you?”
It was noisy where he was, and I could hear music playing. “I’m in the weight room.”
“Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting you?”
There was a clank of metal hitting metal. “No, it’s good. I just finished my set.”
“Okay, cool. I got your text.”
“Good.”
I realized at that moment, I wasn’t sure what else I was going to say. Should I make a joke that I owed him one and “wouldn’t mind” giving him a hand job? The silence between us dragged, and I arrived with a screeching halt at the town of Awkwardsville, population: me.
“I was beginning to think,” he said, “the next time I’d talk to you would be in Ann Arbor in November.”
He was talking about The Game. It was Michigan’s year to host. I didn’t like traveling to the stadium nicknamed the Big House, but victory was extra sweet when we made them lose at home.
I swallowed a breath, and even though he couldn’t see me, I straightened my posture to mimic confidence. “I thought we could see each other before then.”
“Oh, yeah?” His voice was eager, and it had my heart skipping along. The music grew softer until it was gone, and it sounded like he was on the move. “What changed your mind?”
“Marcy,” I lied.
“I guess that serving platter I sent them is paying off already.”
I couldn’t hold back the smile. “When do you want to get together, and more importantly, where?”
-13-
JAY
When I pulled into the Findlay, Ohio travel plaza’s parking lot, I spotted her Kia Rio with an OSU sticker in the back window, and was relieved. When things sounded too good to be true, they usually were, and I’d been worried Kayla was jerking me around about getting together.
She stood outside her car, leaning against it with her enormous purse on the rooftop, and her gaze turned away from the sun sinking in the sky. I hadn’t been able to get here any earlier. After my second practice, I’d showered as fast as possible and jumped in my car.
When she realized it was me, she gave a smile and . . . damn. Once again, she looked fantastic. She had on shorts and a tight black tank top, and my gaze lingered on her curves. I ran a hand along the seam of my jeans, adjusting. It was fucking insane how my dick threatened to pop a boner already. We hadn’t even spoken yet.
I undid the locks on my car, and she climbed into the passenger seat. “Hi.”
“Hey. You look nice,” I said.
“Thanks.” She gave me a once-over, taking in my jeans and gray button-down shirt. “You, too.” Was the way I looked having the same effect on her? Her voice was uneven.
“How long did the drive take?”
“About an hour, forty-five.” She clicked her seatbelt. “Can you tell me where we’re going now?”
“Nope, but I’ll give you a hint.” I gestured out the windshield. “It’s that way.”
She stared off in the distance where bright lights streamed down, as I put the car in reverse and backed out of the spot.
I’d gone back and forth on what to do tonight. Taking her to a movie wouldn’t work. If I was going to sit in the dark and not be able to talk to her, I’d rather do stuff other than watch a movie. My schedule and the commute ruled out a late dinner, so I’d eaten on the drive down. I had to keep a strict eating schedule or risk not hitting my target weight. Coming in under or over by three pounds would mean extra hours in the gym, and ain’t nobody got time for that.
No obnoxious dive bars, either. Kayla was too good-looking, and I didn’t need competition. I was already starting in the hole with her because I played for her arch-rival.
“A football game?” she asked.
“I thought we could cheer for the visitors. They probably need some bodies in the stands. Dave’s and my high school team was decent, but when we traveled, it was kinda sad.”
Pleasant surprise warmed her expression. “Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s rough cheering to empty bleachers.”