Rookie (Playing The Field Book 2)

by Rebecca Barber

“Check the shifts. You’ll be on there for Tuesday.”

  By the time I got home I was off my face. A combination of deliciously flavoured booze flowing through my veins, lack of sleep, and pure relief. I’d done it. I’d somehow managed to save myself from drowning, and I was finally able to take a breath. Even if it didn’t last, right now I felt like I could finally breathe.

  It was after three when I stumbled through the door and straight into the coffee table. “Motherfucker!” I swore. Even through my drunken haze my toe throbbed like a bitch.

  The light was turned on, blinding me temporarily. Blinking hard, I tried to see through the harsh lights and focus on the bare-chested guy standing in front of me. “Jesus, Claire. What the hell are you doing?” Jason chastised, coming towards me.

  “Nothing,” I slurred and wobbled before leaning heavily on the kitchen bench. Dropping my shoes on the floor and trying to inspect my toe.

  Before I fell arse over tit, I was swept off my feet and into Jason’s arms. He was warm, hard, and smelt so damn good. “You’re pretty,” I murmured, nuzzling against his neck.

  “I know, sweetheart. And you’re drunk.”

  “Just a little bit.” I giggled.

  “Come on then. Let’s get you to bed before you hurt yourself.”

  “You smell pretty.”

  “And you’re going to regret this in the morning,” Jason reminded me as he yanked the covers back, my favourite kitten pyjamas falling on the floor. “Right, drunky smurf, in you go.” With a nudge I fell forwards, my arms windmilling before I fell flat on my bed.

  Way too soon there was a banging on my head. At least it felt like it was on my skull. Prying my eyes open, I groaned, dropping my arm over my eyes trying to block out the world.

  “Someone’s not a happy camper this morning,” a thick, gravelly voice taunted.

  “Ugh.”

  “So, I take it from your reaction, you’re not really up for taking on the dunes this morning.”

  Even the thought of running made my stomach lurch. Vaulting out of bed as quickly as possible, I rushed towards the bathroom before dropping to my knees and wrapping my arms around the cool porcelain.

  After emptying my stomach, I washed my face and rinsed my mouth before stumbling back into my bedroom to face the music. Spying Seth sitting on the end of my bed, I crawled back in and pulled the blankets up over my head.

  “Big night?”

  “Not really.”

  “Well, if this is you after ‘not a really’ big night, I’d like to see how you pull up after a big night.” The bastard had the audacity to sound smug. Prick. He could’ve at least pretended to be sympathetic. Even if he had to fake it.

  “I’m never drinking again,” I declared, pulling the pillow over my head in attempts to placate the tiny little guys in my skull from continuing their mining on my brain.

  The bed creaked, and I felt like I was being watched. Slowly, I peeled the pillow off my face and cracked open my eyes only to find I was right. Seth was staring straight at me. I could only imagine how bad I looked, let alone how bad I smelt.

  “You say that now.”

  “Mean it.”

  “Well, I was just stopping by to see if you were up for a run this morning, but I’m guessing you’ll be spending the day in bed. So, get some sleep.” He bent down and kissed my forehead gently. “Give me a call when you’re feeling better.”

  “Won’t be. I’m dying.”

  “You’re dramatic.”

  “Not dramatic. Dying. Send flowers.”

  With a deep chuckle that I felt in the pit of my stomach, I heard him say softly, “Call me later,” before the click of the door sounded, leaving me to wallow in my own misery. Or stupidity as the case may be.

  18

  Seth

  I was running out of time.

  We were down to a week to go, and things were finally starting to improve, but they weren’t moving fast enough. Not enough for me anyway. I’d lost track of how many hours I’d spent practicing my footwork or how many kilometres I’d clocked up trying to get my fitness where it needed to be. My feet bled in my socks from the blisters, and each night I passed out, exhausted. It was working, just slowly. I needed it to hurry the hell up. My patience was wearing thin, and so was Luca’s.

  Stumbling through the door, I carried the takeaway bag under my arm to find Luca and Elise curled up on the lounge watching Friends re-runs. “Seth?” Elise called out as I shut the door as quietly as I could.

  Most of the time these days I hid out in my room, not wanting to get in their way. It was time for me to move out, but I hadn’t had the time to even think about looking. It was yet another thing on the never-ending to-do list. First thing though was I needed to ice my calf.

  “Hey. I’m just gonna head upstairs…” I called out, swiping a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “No, you’re not. Get your arse in here, Masters,” Luca called back out.

  “Yeah! Come sit on my lap, Sethysauras!”

  Oh great. Jax was here. Exactly what I didn’t need tonight. I was tired, grumpy, sore, and so not in the mood for Jax’s brand of humour. But I couldn’t be an arsehole either. Elise and Luca didn’t deserve my shitty mood. It wasn’t their fault.

  “Just a second!” I replied, unwrapping my sandwich from the paper and setting it on a plate before carrying it into the lounge room to find the whole place buried under piles of bridal magazines, empty chocolate wrappers, and from what I could see they were already on the second bottle of bubbles. Dropping down into the couch I took a huge bite, groaning. I hadn’t realised how hungry I was until I started eating.

  “Having fun?” I teased around a mouthful.

  Luca flipped me the bird and raised his beer. Guess that answered that question. “You haven’t been overdoing it again, have you?” Luca asked, sounding like my father.

  Dad had asked the exact same thing two days ago when I’d spoken to him. Apparently, Mum was worried. I’d missed too many calls and forgotten to return one too many texts so she’d recruited Dad to check-in. After reassuring him I was fine, and everything was on track for the first game of the season, just a little white lie that hopefully wouldn’t come back to bite me in the arse, he made me promise to answer the next time she called. If not, he’d be sending Bryce over. Families. You gotta love them.

  “Nah. Just doing a bit extra.”

  “Is your coach that much of a hard arse?” Jax asked.

  “Nah, he’s okay.”

  “Well, if he is, you just let me know. I have ways of persuading him to ease up,” Elise offered with a wink.

  “Oh, you do, do you?” Luca chuckled, dragging Elise into his lap and tickling her ribs.

  “Hell, yeah, she does! And she tells me all about it. Every deep, dark, dirty detail. Cause they’re my favourites.”

  “Jax!” Elise’s cheeks turned red and I got the distinct impression she’d just been busted. “What I tell you is between us. Geez!”

  “Oh, I know. It’s not like I said anything. Not really. I mean I didn’t tell Seth that Luca likes it when you…”

  I watched it happen almost in slow motion. As Jax spoke, Elise launched herself out of Luca’s grip towards Jax before landing on him with a thud and clamping her hand over his mouth. I guess Jax really did know all Luca’s secrets. Details Elise wasn’t keen on sharing. Not with me anyway. And to be honest, I was thankful for the fact. The last thing I needed to know about my coach was what he liked in the bedroom. Knowing how he took his coffee was enough information for me.

  “Right. Well then, on that note. I’m going to head up to bed,” I announced, rising out of the chair and collecting my things.

  “Want some company?” Jax offered with a wink.

  Guy was a shameless flirt. Funny as fuck, but shameless. Briefly, the idea crossed my mind to say yes just to see his reaction, but after a couple of glasses of bubbly, I wasn’t sure he’d see the joke in my words. Instead, I thanked him for the offer, clear
ed away my dishes and headed up to bed.

  After a hot shower, I was coming out of the bathroom when there was a knock on my door. No one ever knocked on my door. No one really ever had anything to say to me once I came upstairs most of the time.

  “Just a second,” I called out, pulling on a pair of grey sweatpants before opening the door to find Luca standing there, arms folded over his chest and a frown on his face. “What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

  “Just checking in. You’re not overdoing it…are you?” He asked nervously.

  “Are you asking as my coach?”

  “I’m asking as a concerned friend.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Seth…”

  “I know, Luca. Okay. I know. I’m not there yet. But I will be. I just need a little more time. I’ll get there.”

  “I don’t doubt that. Never did. But I just wanted to make sure that when you do, you’re there in one piece. That you haven’t burnt yourself before you even take the field.”

  “Well, you better get me on the field then,” I chuckled, trying to take the heavy out of it. Luca wasn’t having it.

  “Tomorrow’s a day off. There’s no scheduled training and no commitments.”

  “Sounds good.”

  It did. A day off meant a day of doing my own thing without the prying eyes watching and measuring my every move. I could get twice as much done on a day off than I did when we had scheduled sessions.

  “You’re taking the day off. If I so much as see you walking down to the beach, I’ll bench your arse for a month.”

  “You can’t do that, Luca,” I protested. I mean, he probably could, but it was the last thing I wanted.

  “I can, Seth. And I will.”

  Exasperated, I sighed, running a hand through my wet hair. “Why?”

  “Because I’ve been where you are now. You’re so desperate to prove yourself to everyone you’re going to do damage. You’re already carrying an injury…” I went to argue, and he held up his hand halting my protests. “It may only be minor, but if you’re going to have the career you want, the one you dream about, then slow down. Enjoy the ride. The rest will come.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  “It will.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  Luca threw one parting shot my way before leaving me standing there like a chump weighing his words. “Yeah, Seth, I do.”

  Collapsing on my bed, I lay there staring at the ceiling pondering my life. Was this the life I wanted? It’s all I’d ever known, but somewhere along the way I’d stopped wondering if it was what I wanted or what I just expected to happen. Even though I knew now was not the time for a crisis of conscience, I couldn’t help it. All my eggs were in this basket, it had to work. I didn’t have a back-up plan. I’d barely graduated high school, the downside of missing too many classes with football camps and training sessions, something that at the time was awesome, and most of my friends were envious as hell – while they were stuck in a classroom learning to recite Romeo and Juliet, I was down at the football club doing a weights session with the Australian under eighteen team. Now I was wondering if I’d made the wrong choice.

  This is why I preferred to keep busy. Idle hands meant I had time to think and nothing good could ever come from me having too many thoughts.

  Seth: You around?

  I shot a text to Claire wondering if she was free to talk. For some reason I felt like less of a loser when I confided in her. I didn’t really have anyone else I could turn to. While Luca might like to think I could come to him, and he’d offered more than a dozen times to be an ear if I ever needed one, he was still first and foremost my coach. The one who held my future in his hands. The last thing I wanted to do was to go to him and whine.

  I considered calling Bryce. He’d been there. Fucked it up multiple times, yet somehow, he still managed to get his shit together. Now he had the career, the accolades, the house, the girl, and the baby on the way. Or babies in his case.

  While I contemplated my navel, my phone was frustratingly silent. I was glad Claire got a job. I really was. And I was even happier she’d found some girlfriends who she seemed to adore, but it’d been two weeks since I’d seen her. Two weeks since I’d left her in bed, hungover and regretting her decision. We’d talked a couple of times and exchanged texts each day, but it wasn’t the same. Running the dunes in the morning without her peach-shaped arse bouncing up there in front of me felt like an incentive less venture. It definitely wasn’t as much fun.

  When she did have time off, I was in scheduled sessions. Then there was the issue of where we could meet up if we could ever find the time. With Luca and Elise here, I didn’t feel comfortable bringing her back here. And there was no way in hell I was staying at her place. The last thing I wanted was for her brother and his mates to hear her moan. That was for my ears only.

  Picking up my phone, I started scrolling through property listings. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to buy or rent and I had no idea what I was looking for, but I was hoping something would jump out and speak to me. Something preferably fully furnished so I didn’t have to think about it.

  I was almost asleep when my phone chirped. Rolling over, I groped around trying to grab it before picking it up and knocking everything else off my bedside table. I’d deal with it later.

  Seeing Claire’s name made me smile and wake up a little more.

  Claire: Is this a booty call

  Claire:

  It wasn’t a booty call; I hadn’t even been thinking about that earlier when I’d sent the text, but it didn’t mean I was opposed to the idea.

  Seth: Maybe

  Seth: That a problem

  Her response was instant.

  Claire: Hell no

  Someone was toey tonight.

  Seth: What you doing up so late?

  It was already after midnight.

  Claire: Just finished work

  Seth: You enjoying it?

  Claire: I guess

  Seth: You working tomorrow?

  Claire: Day off!!!

  Seth: Any plans?

  I found myself holding my breath and crossing my fingers. If Claire had the day off maybe we could hang out. Do something. Get out of my head for a while.

  Claire: Busy

  That was kinda rude and unexpected. Feeling myself deflate, I sunk back against the pile of pillows and squeezed my eyes closed. Maybe I’d pinned my hopes on the wrong girl. It was something I’d do and exactly what Mum warned me about. She’d told me time and time again that the first girl I thought was the one may not be. I thought I was being cautious, doing the right thing, playing it safe, but judging by the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I wasn’t doing a great job.

  I must’ve taken too long to reply.

  Claire: Busy doing you

  19

  Claire

  This had to stop.

  Another day. Another hangover.

  Working at a bar was great. The tips were good, the people were nice, but the after-work cocktails were really starting to kick my arse. I needed to find some will power and start saying no. And soon. Or my liver was going to fight back.

  Feeling miserable again, I forced myself out of bed, and after a quick shower and a piece of Vegemite toast, I found my sunglasses and went for a walk. I hadn’t been for a run in a few weeks, and I was feeling more than a little blah, but with my stomach protesting the way it was, I wasn’t going to risk it. Even thinking about it made me want to hurl.

  After an hour in the sunshine, I stopped in at a caravan parked in the car park up on the headland and bought myself a well-deserved cup of coffee and blueberry muffin before sitting in the sun.

  Grabbing my phone, I opened my email and checked to see if any of the applications I’d sent out last week had amounted to anything. As much fun as I was having working at the café, it wasn’t where I wanted to end up. I
was still determined to finish my course and get my qualifications. The dream was to one day open my own salon. Not one of those cheap and nasty ones with trashy magazines on the table that were older than I was in the middle of a noisy shopping centre, but a classy place with a coffee machine and soothing music. A place where people wanted to be stuck for a couple of hours.

  Nothing.

  Complete radio silence.

  Trying not to let defeat drag me down, I opened the job app and kept searching. When I stumbled across one that looked interesting, I couldn’t help but get excited. It was further than I wanted to travel, but it was everything I was looking for. Before giving myself a chance to back out, I submitted an application and crossed my fingers.

  After draining the rest of the coffee from my cup, I tossed it in the trash and headed home. I was halfway there when my phone rang. Looking down, I saw Seth’s name blinking back at me.

  “Good Morning,” I greeted, trying to sound cheery.

  “How’s the head?” he chuckled, the timbre of his voice doing all sorts of things to my body that it shouldn’t.

  “I’ve had coffee.”

  “So, better than it was then I take it.”

  “Much.”

  “What are you up to this afternoon?”

  “Well, I did have big plans for a nap, but I could be persuaded to change them. For the right guy of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “Know anyone interested?”

  “Maybe. Although he likes playing hard to get sometimes.”

  “That’s a shame. I’m not really into playing games.”

  “You’re not? Bugger. Games are my favourite.”

  “You know what, I may have read that about you,” I tossed back sassily.

  “Don’t believe everything you read,” Seth grumbled.

  Trying to keep the mood light, I pressed on. “What? You’re telling me there’s no truth in advertising?”