“You’re the captain?”
Shit! Now I was fucked. “Yeah.” I shrugged, giving in. There was no point making things worse by lying. She’d find out anyway.
“Spencer Robert McLaren,” her voice was thick and deep. I felt my shoulders stiffen and my whole body recoil from Zoe. She was small and I knew she’d never be able to do any damage, but for some reason, in that moment the look set in stone on her face intimidated the hell out of me.
“Yeah,” I squeaked.
“You’re on your own,” Derek muttered in my ear before clambering to his feet and scurrying away.
“Chicken shit…” I muttered as I watched him retreat for safer ground.
“Don’t pretend I’m not here, Spencer. I want to know why you aren’t playing tonight?” Zoe asked pointedly, spinning in her seat and eye balling me.
I wanted to lie to her. Tell her I was injured. Tell her it was planned. Tell her I wasn’t needed. I couldn’t do it. It was like the words were stuck in my throat. Instead I found myself blurting out the truth.
“I didn’t want to.” I shrugged, trying to brush it off as if it was not a big deal.
“Why?”
She wasn’t going to let it go. I’d been hopeful she would, but that wouldn’t be Zoe. Not my Zoe. My Zoe was like a dog with a bone. When she wanted to know something she didn’t ease up. Not for a moment. Not for anyone.
“’Cause it didn’t matter. It’s just a game.” It was the truth. It mightn’t be the whole truth, but there it was. The blunt, honest to God truth.
“It’s because of me, isn’t it?” she whispered, her voice soft and sad.
“Zoe, no. Not at all.”
“Spencer…”
“Okay, okay. Maybe. A little bit. Look, I didn’t want you to feel like you were in the way, so I decided not to play. It’s no big deal, really. I’m fine. Sitting here watching with you―it’s all good. Promise.” I smiled. It was funny…it really was. I was happy sitting in the stands. I’d learnt a lot just from watching. We had a lot of work to do and a lot of improvements we needed to make, but I wouldn’t have known any of that without sitting back and just observing.
“Spencer, you can’t put your life on hold for me…”
“Pippi…I didn’t. Missing one game, spending one afternoon watching movies―none of that’s going to kill me. Besides, I kinda like spending time with you,” I admitted, shifting her back into my arms.
I watched as she scrunched up her face. I could tell she wasn’t happy with my answer but she bit her tongue. Never a good sign with Zoe. Usually when I was in trouble, which I was more often than not, she let me know it. Rubbing my hands up and down her arms, trying to break the tension, I took her face in my hands. “Zoe, it’s only one game. It’s okay. Promise.”
Defeated, she sighed heavily and collapsed against me. “Fine,” she conceded too easily. It wasn’t like her.
The second quarter got under way and it was much more ferocious and fast paced than the first. There were a few bruising hits and a few guys from both teams stumbled from the ground holding their bloody heads, but the scores were close. Derek reappeared about halfway through the quarter bringing supplies. After handing Zoe and I each a meat pie, he handed me a beer and Zoe a Coke.
“What? Don’t I get a beer?” Zoe questioned, looking flustered.
“Umm…sorry, Zoe. I didn’t…I d-didn’t think. Here, have mine,” Derek stuttered.
I couldn’t hold back my laugh. Zoe was taking the piss. She had no intention of drinking his beer but to watch a full grown man fall all over himself was hilarious. And after he scared the shit out of me earlier, he deserved it. Payback was a bitch.
“No, no. It’s fine. I’ll just go without,” Zoe huffed, taking a bite from her pie.
“Zoe, please…”
I watched on in amused silence as Derek tried to hand over his drink and Zoe refused to take it, but after a few moments it didn’t seem funny anymore. It just seemed sad. “Derek, she’s just trying to make you feel bad. Pippi doesn’t want your beer. She just wants to watch you to squirm,” I assured him, taking a swig of my own.
“Zoe…” Derek’s tone was full of warning.
Zoe looked up at him, fluttered her eyelashes, and pouted her pretty little mouth. It had exactly the same effect on him that it did on me. He melted. “Ah shit!” he swore, gulping down mouthfuls of the amber liquid. “You’re just cruel, Pippi.”
“You love me anyway.” She grinned before blowing him a kiss and taking another bite from her pie.
I saw a small piece of meat catch on her bottom lip and an uncontrollable urge to reach out and lick it off consumed me. Finishing my beer in one long swallow, I tried to force the image from my head. It didn’t work. It was still there. As Zoe’s hair danced on the breeze, the scent of her apple shampoo overpowered the scent of stale beer and hot chips, then hung in the air. Groaning, I readjusted my jeans. Again. All I could do was hope like hell I didn’t bump Zoe in the back of the head as I did so. That was the last thing I needed right now. I thought I’d been discreet, but as it turns out, I hadn’t been anywhere near discreet enough. Derek noticed my situation and couldn’t help himself. He burst out into a boisterous fit of embarrassing laughter.
“What’d I miss?” Zoe asked, searching our faces.
“Nothing,” I replied quickly.
I could tell she didn’t believe me. Her eyes darted from mine to Derek’s and back again, then with a reluctant shake of her head she let it go. At least for now.
Focusing my attention back on the game was harder than ever, but somehow I managed. We were playing badly. The only thing keeping us in touch was that their goal kicking was equally abysmal tonight. It was a shoot out, but neither team seem to be able to convert. When a melee broke out on centre wing, I wasn’t shocked to see Kane at the bottom of the pile and the one placed on report. He was hot headed and more than once I’d had to grab him by the scruff of the neck and tell him to pull his head out of his ass. Tonight I wasn’t out there to do it. Hopefully someone else would step up and do the honours.
“So Zoe, what do you think of our small town version?” Derek engaged.
“It’s different.”
“Different how?”
Shrugging, Zoe finished off her pie and licked her fingers. My stomach clenched. Forcing my gaze from her lips and back on the game, I watched her from the corner of my eye. “Well, I usually go to a couple of games through the season, but everything seems like it’s different. I mean, when I go to the games, I very rarely get hit with a football just sitting in the stands, and tonight I’ve almost been knocked out at least half a dozen times.”
I chuckled a deep belly laugh. She was right. Balls were being kicked by uncoordinated kids in every direction. Twice I’d deflected a wayward kick from smacking Zoe in the face.
“Yeah, I could see how that would be different.”
“Definitely. A little more dangerous too.” Zoe giggled and I’ll admit it was like music to my ears. “Don’t even get me started on the commentary.”
“Commentary?” I asked, completely unsure where she was headed.
“Yeah, from the bench. I mean, I’ve been to the MCG and I’ve never heard the coach yell to his players that he would have to drink his beer from his boot for missing a set shot directly in front.”
“You know what makes that even funnier? I’ll bet you twenty bucks, Zoe, that there’s an esky on the bench that isn’t filled with Gatorade and oranges.” Derek sniggered.
Zoe looked completely baffled. “Huh?”
“I’ll bet you it’s filled with beer…”
“No!” Zoe questioned, her face filled with disbelief. “Spencer?”
I couldn’t stop laughing. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. The look of complete shock was written all over her innocent face. “Sorry, Zoe. It’s probably not just beer. There’s probably a couple of rum cans in there too.”
“That’s terrible!” she admonished.
&nb
sp; “That’s local athletes for you…”
“Athletes? You call those guys out there athletes?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, completely confused.
“The players who run out on the MCG have muscles and stamina and bloody nice looking bodies. These guys out there…” her voice trailed off as her eyes scoured the field. She was right. There were guys out there who, if they tried, would be puffed running from the centre bounce back to the goal square. Some of them would look more at home slumped at the bar than in short shorts on the field. Some, even I had to admit, shouldn’t know what shorts that short were.
“Okay, maybe you have a point,” I conceded with a wink. “Short shorts aren’t for everyone.”
“No, they most certainly are not,” Derek chimed in, slapping me enthusiastically on the back.
“Fuck you, Derek,” I coughed.
“Boys…” Zoe’s tone was light although it contained a warning I recognised instantly.
“Fine, Spencer. Not everyone should, but you can.” I caught the sly wink that Derek offered Zoe.
“Shut up, Derek, and just watch the damn game,” I growled, crushing my empty can and dropping it next to my boot before rewrapping Zoe in my arms. “He thinks he’s funny,” I whispered into her ear.
Zoe giggled quietly; I was the only one who heard it. I’d be lying if that didn’t make my heart soar. A private giggle, just for me. There was nothing more perfect. “It’s okay, Spence…I’m sure you look sexy as hell in your tiny shorts.” A blush burnt up her neck and turned her cheeks a deep, rosy red. She looked so fucking adorable. I couldn’t help myself. I kissed her quickly. What was even more startling was that she didn’t run away screaming.
It took God-like strength that I summoned from somewhere I didn’t even know existed to pull my attention from Zoe and refocus on the game. The team needed me to pay attention, but the warm woman in my arms was the worst type of distraction.
There was barely moments until the half-time siren when Luke, a young kid with a major chip on his shoulder, kicked a torpedo towards the top of the goal square where, for some unknown reason, Kane was standing. One on one. As the ball came towards Kane, I felt myself rise from my seat, willing him to take the mark. Kane wasn’t known for his marking ability…especially not his contested marking. Fuck knows why he was even in the forward half, when he usually played halfback, right now I didn’t care. I wanted him to catch that damn ball. Stealing a glance at the score board, I realised we were down by four points. If he could mark this, then go back and convert, we’d go in at half-time with a lead and hope for the second half.
My heart stopped as Kane’s feet left the ground. Using the other guy’s back as a springboard, Kane reached his arms high above his head and grabbed at the ball. It bounced out of his fingertips. His second grab was just as clumsy, with the ball bouncing from his grasp again. As he started his descent towards the ground, he made a third attempt to get his hands around the leather ball. This time it stuck. But his knee didn’t.
Chapter 21
ZOE
Shit, that looked bad. I didn’t need to play football to know landing like that had to hurt like a bitch. The crowd was silenced. A moment ago they were going nuts, willing Kane to catch the ball like his life depended on it. Now, as he lay on the cold, wet ground, not moving, they were rendered speechless.
I felt Spencer move before I heard him.
Quickly he slipped out from behind me, “You okay here for a minute?” he rushed as he stepped onto the bench beside me.
Everything was happening so quickly. I could see the torment and conflict written on Spencer’s face. I nodded obligingly. I didn’t want to be responsible for holding him back. He didn’t need to watch over me, even though he thought he did. I was a big girl. I’d be fine. Well, at least I’d pretend to be.
“I’ll be back,” he promised as he jumped from the stands and dashed across the field in long strides, barely breaking stride as he jumped the fence on the way to his fallen brother.
And then I was cold. Not cold from the breeze that ruffled my hair, it was a cold that came from within, chilling me to the bone. An intense freeze that I didn’t want to admit. Wrapping my arms around my chest tightly, I winced as my ribs protested but I didn’t loosen my grip.
“Zoe, I’m right here. Just breathe,” a deep voice reminded me in my ear.
I jumped with fright. My boots slipped on the damp metal and before I knew what was happening, I was falling backwards. An uncoordinated tangle of limbs flailing everywhere. I waited for the pain as I hit the seats yet it never came. Instead warm arms ended up beneath my arms, holding me until my feet steadied beneath me. When I managed to look up I found sympathetic brown eyes gazing down on me. Eyes filled with pain and concern.
“You got it now?”
“Yep. Thanks, Derek.”
Of course he was there. I shouldn’t have thought for a minute that Spencer would have left me unguarded. If he couldn’t do it himself, and Kane was unavailable, then there was only one other person in this world he’d trust. Derek. Not only was he the town cop, sworn to protect and serve, but Spencer had known him since they were in nappies.
Drawing my attention back to the field, I watched as Spencer and another guy half-carried half-dragged Kane from the field. His face was filled with pain and I knew it wasn’t good. “I’m just going to―”
“Yeah. Let’s,” Derek agreed, not even waiting for me to finish. It was like he knew me as well as Spencer did. A feeling that caught me a little off guard.
As carefully as possible, I padded down from the grandstand, ignoring the curious looks before stepping onto the grass and waiting for Derek to join me. As soon as he did, he wrapped my hand in his and led me towards the edge of the field where Kane lay.
As we approached, I could hear the colourful language spilling from Kane’s mouth in a non-stop waterfall of profanity. Spencer’s deep chuckle accompanied Kane’s whinging. Obviously it wasn’t a life threatening injury if they were carrying on about it like this, and immediately I felt relieved. I couldn’t bear to see any more pain at this point.
“What’s so funny?” I asked as I stepped up behind them, resting my hands on Spencer’s wide, sturdy shoulders.
I didn’t realise what I’d done until I saw the way Kane looked at me. It had just felt so natural to step to Spencer’s side and reach for him. Without a word, I’d gone straight for him and he hadn’t stopped me. He hadn’t flinched. Not once. The look in Kane’s eyes, even through the pain…I realised that maybe I’d done something wrong. The moment I went to pull my hands away, Spencer stopped me, grabbing my hands with his own and wrapping them around his neck.
“My poor, baby brother here hurt his little knee,” Spencer taunted, watching as fury settled over Kane’s face.
“At least I played―” Kane threw back without missing a beat.
“I had better things to do.” Spencer winked at me before kissing my frozen fingertips lightly.
“I’d say.”
I was not liking being the subject of their sexually-filled innuendoes. The way Kane looked at me was making my skin crawl. If Spencer hadn’t been holding me in place, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t have been running screaming for the car. There was something more sinister behind Kane’s words. Something I didn’t understand. Something I couldn’t place.
“So, what’s the verdict?” I asked, pointing at his knee, desperate to redirect the conversation to safer topics.
“Nothing dramatic.” Kane shrugged nonchalantly.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Just twisted it when I landed. Nothing a good rub down won’t fix.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“You volunteering?” Kane winked, his gaze burning my skin.
I felt sick. I wanted to throw up. I tried to pull away from Spencer, but he held tight. My skin was covered in goose bumps. I tried pulling again and this time Spencer loosened his grip and I was freed. Stepping back,
I almost tripped over my own feet, somehow though I managed to stay upright, although I’m not sure how. Without another word, or really knowing what I was doing I started walking as fast as my legs could carry me.
“Zoe? Zoe?” I heard Spencer calling to me but I couldn’t stop. My legs were on auto pilot. Deep down I knew I was acting childish, running away. I just couldn’t slow down.
When I broke into a jog my whole body protested loudly, but I didn’t care. Instead I pushed harder. Breathing in the frigid air was a killer. My lungs screamed in agony and as the doctor’s words floated back through my head, I knew there was a chance I’d see Nurse Foreman. Soon. She’d told me to rest. Take it easy. Preferably bed rest. Here I was after a night of binge drinking followed by a morning of praying to the porcelain gods…now I was attempting to run cross country.
I didn’t know where I was headed until I got there. With tears almost blinding me, it was a miracle I’d even managed to find Spencer’s truck in the sea of clones. They all looked the same. Huge. Dark. Dirty. Intimidating. The moment I leaned against the door of Spencer’s truck I felt safe. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn’t explain it. If anything I was in more danger in a dark, deserted parking lot than I had been standing on the edge of the football field with kids running around.
Wiping at my tears, I felt small. And sad. And beaten. I hated myself. How could everything have got so messed up? Two days ago, I’d left my apartment in Melbourne ready to spend a weekend with friends. Friends I’d known most of my life. And now look at me. I didn’t even want to talk to anyone, let alone let them see me. I was a disaster. When I caught a glimpse of the person staring back at me from the side mirror, the tears came harder. With my caked on makeup smudged and wiped completely off in some places, the bruises and evidence was so clear. It was a wonder Spencer could even look at me, let alone touch me.
When a beep broke the quiet and a flash of bright yellow lights lit up the car park, it scared the life out of me. It took a moment to realise what was going on, but when I tugged on the door handle it gave way easily. Spencer had figured me out. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d unlocked the car, allowing me to scramble into the passenger seat and slam the door shut behind me. With another beep I was locked in. Even from a distance he was trying to keep me safe.
Coming Home (Homeward Bound Series Book 1) Page 11