Keeping Score: A Sports Romance

by Dee Lagasse

  “For old time’s sake.”

  I started to tell her I didn’t think it was appropriate, but she shoved her phone in my mom’s hand.

  “Okay, sure.” I sighed. “But then can we order something to drink?”

  She agreed and went back to ignoring my mother as soon as her phone was back in her hand. “What can I get you?”

  “I’ll have an iced tea, please,” my mom answered before looking at me. “You should probably have water. I imagine you and Isa will have lots of champagne on your date tonight. Want to make sure you’re hydrated.”

  “Mother knows best.” I shrugged, looking up to Kelsie. The perky excitement from moments ago was gone. Her shoulders were slouched, and a frown had settled on her lips. “Just a water for me, please.”

  Without a word, Kelsie walked away from the table. As soon as I saw her head back into the kitchen, I burst out into laughter.

  “Wow, Mom, you certainly mastered the art of subtlety. Also, I wasn’t aware Isa and I were going on a date tonight.”

  “What?” she asked, feigning innocence. “I must have gotten the days mixed up. The ring ceremony isn’t tonight? I mean, I didn’t realize I had to be subtle about the fact that you have a girlfriend.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I shook my head in amusement. “Are you sure that was about Isa? Or was it more because you never liked Kelsie?”

  “Why can’t it be both?” she asked, as a different server returned with our drinks.

  Kelsie was nowhere to be found for the rest of our lunch. Ben, the server that took over, either didn’t care about who I was or didn’t know. Either way, it was a welcome change.

  After the lunch plates were cleared and dessert was ordered, my mom sighed. “You know, I thought I was happy in Florida, but the more time I spend back here in Fox Hollow, the more I start to think that, maybe, it might be time to come back home.”

  “It’s funny, isn’t it?” I started. “I didn’t realize how much this place meant to me until I was back here.”

  There was a brief pause in our conversation as Ben dropped down the lemon cake Mom and I chose to share.

  “The place, the people…” Mom said as soon as Ben walked away. “I feel like I’ve just gotten to know Isa. I didn’t get the chance to really know her when you two were teenagers, and I don’t want to be on the outside of your life.”

  “You’d never be on the outside of my life,” I assured her. “But I certainly wouldn’t be sad to have you close by.”

  After we finished our cake, I settled the bill. Looking down at my phone for the first time since we sat down, I found a text from Isa on my lock screen.

  Isa: Turns out you can’t even go out to lunch without it making it to Instagram. Be sure to tell Kelsie your girlfriend says hi.

  I chuckled as I unlocked it and typed a return text.

  Me: Don’t worry. My mom had your back.

  Jake

  The next few days were a whirlwind.

  Between training camp, trying to spend as much time as I could with my mom before she went back to Miami to start packing, and Abuela’s birthday party, by the end of Saturday night, I was running on fumes.

  It was all worth it, though—especially seeing Abuela’s happy tears when she realized everything that had been done specifically for her, including her surprise reunion with her sisters. She thanked me a hundred times for being there, as if I would have missed it. Even if Isa and I hadn’t been able to find our way back to each other the way we had, I would have made sure to at least stop by. The Colemans were just as much family to me as my own mother.

  I certainly wasn’t sad about spending the night dancing with Isa and filling my stomach with Mama Alma’s food, though.

  Two-a-days were set to begin on Tuesday. The first pre-season game of the year was coming up on Thursday. But tonight, we would celebrate.

  Instead of driving home at midnight when the party wrapped up last night, Isa came three houses down to mine. Once again, she fell asleep watching a movie. Instead of moving her this time, I covered her up with a blanket and took the other side of the sectional myself.

  The warm summer sunlight on my cheeks woke me up. I opened my eyes and expected to see Isa still sound asleep on the couch. Instead, I found the blanket I had covered her up with folded nice and neat over the pillow I had slid under her head.

  Disappointment settled in my stomach only to be quickly replaced with relief when I heard coffee percolating in the kitchen. The robust smell of the dark roast quickly wafted over the retainer wall. I kicked off the comforter I pulled from my bed and began to make my way toward the caffeine.

  With her back still turned to me, Isa greeted me. “Good morning, sleepyhead. I was going to wake you up as soon as your coffee was done.”

  “Mornin’, yourself.” I grinned as I took in the sight of my messy kitchen. I’ve cooked chicken on the grill out back before, but I was fairly certain this was the first time food had been prepared on the stovetop since I moved in. Even if I could cook. “Whatcha making?”

  “Banana protein pancakes.” She smiled. “I called my dad and asked him what you could eat. You had everything I needed but the bananas. Luckily, my parents had some, so I just shopped in their kitchen.”

  That explained the sweatpants and the T-shirt she was wearing. The black joggers didn’t look like something she would normally wear.

  “I also shopped in the closet of Alma Coleman.” She laughed, noticing me taking in her appearance. “The pancakes will be ready in a few minutes, but you can get started on your coffee.”

  “Where did you come from, Isa Coleman?” I asked, grinning as I walked closer to her.

  “Three doors down.”

  As she shrugged, I pulled her to me by her waist and took a moment to appreciate her beauty.

  With a small smile on her face, she pushed me off her gently. “Jake! The pancakes are gonna burn.”

  Reluctantly, I let her go. I would have been fine with eating the fresh fruit bowl in my fridge, but knowing Isa had gone through the trouble to make something for me, I wasn’t about to be the asshole who messed up her plan.

  After she returned to the griddle, I took a seat on the bench of the farmer’s table up against the wall.

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as soon as I’m done cleaning this mess up, I have to head back over to my mom’s. Apparently she doesn’t trust my judgment when it comes to making sure I have something appropriate to wear tonight.”

  Tonight.

  I could hardly wait for tonight.

  For a multitude of reasons.

  Don’t get me wrong, I was excited for the ceremony. I was excited to have my Super Bowl ring. But, I was most excited to walk into Hugh Fairgrounds’ home with Isa on my arm…and then go home with her afterward.

  I imagined tonight was like the male equivalent of losing your virginity on prom night. You know, minus the whole being a virgin thing.

  “Jake? You okay?” she asked, handing me a plate with three massive banana pancakes on them. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

  “Just thinking about tonight,” I told her honestly.

  “Are you nervous?” she teased. “I mean, you already won the game…”

  “My nerves have nothing to do with football, Bug.”

  Isa

  For the most part, Alma Coleman dressed like your everyday suburban housewife. My mom lived in leggings and athletic wear. So, she’d pull out all the stops for my dad’s football events and their date nights.

  I had rolled my eyes when she insisted we go shopping together this morning, but secretly, I was thankful for the help. She had been to more of these events before I was born than I’d gone to in my entire life.

  In the midst of the chaos of the morning, I forgot Jake’s mother was staying in my parents’ guest room. When I walked into the kitchen and saw her sitting with my mom, chatting over coffee, I stopped in my tracks.

  “Mija!” My mother beamed at the sight of me. “I w
as just telling Ruth that Jasmine and Franco were so excited to get a call this morning. They’ll be here at three to do your hair and makeup.”

  “Mommmmm.” I groaned. “I told you not to go crazy.”

  “As if I was going to listen,” she scoffed. “Abuela should be ready. Why don’t you go get her and meet us outside?”

  It was of no surprise that there wasn’t a single trace of last night’s party to be found around the house. All of the decorations had been taken down, the trash removed, and per usual, the counters and floors shined. I wouldn’t doubt that my mother had gotten up long before the sun to get her house back in order.

  Knocking on the wall outside of Abuela’s open door, I poked my head into her room.

  “Morning, Abuela. Mom said to tell you we’re heading out soon to get a dress for me to wear tonight. I was surprised to hear you were coming, you little dancing queen!”

  She chuckled at my reference to her dancing with Jake, Javier, and Adam last night. She spent just as much time with us on the portable dance floor my parents rented for the night as she did sitting down, catching up with her sisters.

  When Fox and Lynx Mendez stopped by to drop off some game day tape for Jake, they ended up staying—at Abuela’s insistence—and she conveniently kept finding more excuses to stay with us.

  Because my parents didn’t have enough guest rooms, one already preoccupied with Jake’s mom, Abuela’s sisters opted to crash at the hotel in town.

  “Should we call Tia Rosa and Tia Josefina?” I asked.

  The thought of having an audience as I tried on dresses was daunting, but I knew Abuela’s time with her sisters was limited.

  Abuela waved me off, though. She said they were taking the morning to rest after all the chaos of traveling and then the party. She grabbed her purse from her nightstand, and then we met Ruth and my mom outside to make our way to the mall.

  After three stores, just as many hours, and no dress in hand, I started to lose hope.

  I sighed as I reached for the last dress hanging on the dressing room door. I knew it as soon as I stepped into the dress: this was the one.

  I never would have chosen the yellow chiffon maxi dress for myself. Blue roses were scattered on the fabric, making it look more like a piece of art than an evening gown. The behind-the-neck halter tie, ruffled accents, and a draping flowy skirt brought it all together.

  The three gasps that followed once I opened the dressing room door solidified my thoughts.

  My mom nodded in approval as I did a spin. “Si, mija. That’s la única.”

  Ruth reached for the tissue box sitting on the glass table between the dressing room sofas. Dabbing her eyes, she began to apologize. “I’m sorry.” She let out a small laugh. “I just never got to do stuff like this with Jake. Of course, I love him and I wouldn’t have traded the cleats and smelly uniforms for any amount of dance shoes or tutus, but, this was nice. Getting to do this with all of you gave me a small glimpse of what it would have been like to have a daughter. So, thank you.”

  She turned to me specifically before she continued. “You look beautiful, Isa. For what it’s worth, I agree with your mom. That’s the dress.”

  Growing up, I didn’t get to see much of Ruth. She was a single mom, and Jake’s family wasn’t like mine. From what I was told and what I saw later on, they didn’t help much. She did it all on her own. Understandably, Jake always spoke so highly of her. To the point that her very presence intimidated me.

  She always carried herself with such confidence. Much like my own mother, she didn’t look like she was in her fifties. There wasn’t a single wrinkle on her face. Her blonde hair didn’t have a visible speck of gray in it. A quick glance on her social media would tell you she spent just as much time in the gym as her professional football playing son. Marathon training now filled her days.

  “I think so too,” I admitted about the dress. “And, I know I said we didn’t need to do all of this…but, thank you. All of you. For being here. It kind of made me forget how nervous I was for a bit.”

  “Nervous?” Ruth scoffed. “What on earth do you have to be nervous about? Jake adores you.”

  “I messed up six years ago. Pretty bad,” I began, letting out a breath.

  I’d never talked to my mom or abuela at length about Jake. Not like this. I think at this point, it was safe to say that everyone knew there was something more than friendship between us. I never spoke of it, though.

  “When Jake kissed me, I panicked. Feeling something as strongly as I did for Jake at eighteen—or as I do—was terrifying. I had never felt that before. I haven’t felt anything like it since. What I feel for your son scares me. I’m just not running from it anymore.”

  My mother’s silence following my admission surprised me. Until I realized she was letting Ruth take this one because she knew how important it was for the two of us to bond. Out of the three women sitting together on the sofa, my mom knew both me and Jake—collectively and separately—the best. She was not his mom. She never tried to be, but she played such a vital role in his life. Then and now.

  “Jacob has been sure of two things in his life: football and you.” Ruth’s lips curled into a smile. When her phone started to ring in her purse, she pulled it out, laughing once she saw the name on her screen. “Hi, Jake.”

  After retreating into the dressing room, I quickly changed out of the dress and back into the clothes I had borrowed from my mother earlier. When I emerged, Ruth was saying goodbye to my mom and abuela. “Jake’s going to pick me up outside in ten minutes. He got me a meeting with a realtor and wants me to meet with him before I head back to Florida.”

  When Jake told me his mom had decided to move back to Fox Hollow, he had been so excited. My family served as his second family for a long time, but no one would ever be able to replace his mom.

  I thanked Ruth for coming, which she completely brushed off. “No, thank you for letting me tag along.”

  As soon as Ruth walked out of the dressing room, my mom stood up and pulled me into her arms. I hugged her back, but there was no way to mask my concern as we put space between us after the embrace.

  “What was that for?” I asked, looking over to Abuela for some sort of hint.

  “I understand why you didn’t tell me about Jake,” my mom started. “But I wish you didn’t have to go through that alone, mija. I knew you had a crush on Jake. Everyone knew. I didn’t realize how much you loved him—how much you love him, though. If I had known…”

  Abuela, who had been sitting there quietly, stood up and took my hand in hers. “No tengas miedo. Todo lo que necesitas es amor.”

  I didn’t know it then, but her words would play back in my head repeatedly later that night.

  “Don’t be scared. Love is all you need.”

  Isa

  By the time Ruth returned to my parents’ house from the meeting with the realtor, I was sitting in the kitchen getting my face contoured by my mom’s event aesthetician.

  “If you go this big for a first date, I can’t wait for the wedding day.” Ruth chuckled as she took a seat in one of the empty chairs. “Not that I’m rushing it!”

  At exactly six o’clock on the dot, my parents’ doorbell rang.

  Like a scene from a movie, my dad’s face lit up in recognition. “Give me a second with him before you come in,” he said. Then, he winked and grinned before making his exit out of the room.

  “Daddy! Don’t you dare!” I called out, causing a ripple effect of laughter from Mom, Abuela, and Ruth. Following behind him, I stopped short when I saw Jake.

  The jacket of the slim-fitting navy suit he was wearing was open. It exposed the crisp white cotton dress shirt underneath. The top two buttons were undone, giving him a more relaxed look.

  He laughed at something my father said but stopped abruptly when he saw me. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and shifted his body. “Wow, Isa. You look— no, you are beautiful.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.
” I grinned.

  The moment was lost once Ruth came barreling into the room. “Wait! Before you go!” She held up her phone and shrugged. “I know this is lame, but I missed out on prom night. Both of them.”

  She pointed to the photographs of Jake and I that were taken on the nights of our junior and senior proms. I hadn’t noticed until now that three photographs of me and Jake had made their return to the mantle.

  When Wes and I started getting serious, he asked why there were photographs of me and Jake plastered all over my parents’ house. Granted, there were only three—one from each prom and another from our high school graduation—but nevertheless, I told my mother it bothered him.

  The next time we came over, the photos were gone.

  “Ooooh!” Abuela exclaimed. “Afuera! Junto a las rosas!”

  “Okay, fiiiiiine,” Jake conceded, throwing his hands up in mock defeat. “But we have to make it kind of quick. Isa and I have to be there by seven.”

  To anyone else, this pre-date craziness would be, well, crazy. For me and Jake, it only seemed appropriate our family would be involved. Honestly, at this point, I was a little surprised my brother and Adam hadn’t shown up too.

  As we all headed to the backyard, my mom told the story of the rose trellises to Ruth, airiness in her voice as she recalled how my father decided instead of continually buying her favorite flowers for them to only die in a week or two, he would give her hundreds of red roses year after year. The white trellises lined the entire back fence of the yard—one of very few things my dad hired someone else to take care of.

  My parents didn’t have a housekeeper. My dad mowed the lawn every Saturday morning. He watered all the plants. My mom and abuela took care of the small vegetable garden. The roses had their own gardener, though. It was undeniably the most romantic thing I’d ever seen or heard of.