“Hi,” she said with a slow blink. “What…are you doing here?”
“I came to see if we could have a do-over.”
“A do-over?”
“Yeah. You know. Like when you were a kid and you made a mistake and wanted to try again.”
She tilted her head and pursed her lips, but inside she was smiling. “I know what a do-over is.”
He laughed. “Good. So, can we have one?”
Is that what she wanted? Would she be able to get past the fact that he was in the NFL? Did she want to risk her heart only to have him turn out to be an egomaniac like Glenn Richmond? Then again, maybe he was different. Maybe he didn’t think he was all that.
She studied his face, gazed into his earnest blue eyes, and made a decision. “Okay. Yeah. I’m willing to have a do-over.” The smile on his face made her glad she accepted.
“Were you on your way to lunch?”
She smiled. “Yeah. I was.”
“Can I join you?” His smile grew. “Or maybe take you somewhere?” Then his smile faltered. “Unless you have plans.”
The only plans Autumn had were to grab a quick sandwich at a nearby deli. Should she admit that? Would that make her look desperate? She was so out of practice with dating.
“No,” she said, and when his face fell, she quickly added. “I don’t have plans.”
His lips tilted upward. “Okay.”
His reaction boosted her confidence tremendously. Then she asked herself why a world-famous NFL player would be interested in her? Why?
Caution signs lit up in her head as walls went up around her heart.
“Sushi?” he asked.
She hesitated, but only for a moment. Why not her? “I’m more in the mood for a sandwich.”
“Sounds good.” He glanced toward his Lamborghini. “Do you want me to drive?”
What if things went south again? She didn’t want to rely on him to bring her back. “I’ll drive.”
His eyebrows went up, but he nodded. “Okay.”
She pointed to an older dark green Honda Accord parked in a distant section of the parking lot. “That’s mine.” Not waiting for his acknowledgement—if he didn’t want to come with her, that was fine—she walked towards her car.
A moment later he was by her side. Pleased, Autumn felt her heart lifting, but the walls stayed firmly in place.
When they reached her car, she stuck her key in the lock, then looked at him with a grin. “I don’t have fancy doors.”
He laughed. “As long as they open and close they’ll be perfect.”
She appreciated his sense of humor, because now that they were about to climb into her car—which sported quite a bit of Sasha’s hair—she was slightly embarrassed that her car was not so fancy.
She opened her door and pressed the button to unlock the passenger door, then cringed as she watched him lift several pieces of paper and an empty water bottle from the passenger seat.
“You, uh, you can toss that in back,” she said before sliding inside.
Moments later he was belted in. “Do you have a dog?”
The hair. Great.
“Yeah. Sasha’s a yellow lab.”
“Nice.”
She backed out of her space. “Do you have a dog?”
“I did when I was a kid, but I’m on the road too much now.”
“Oh.” She pulled into traffic and headed toward the deli, which was several blocks away. “What kind of dog did you have?”
He shrugged. “Just a mutt. But I loved that dog.” He smiled. “His name was Buster.”
Autumn liked that Jax was a dog-lover. She would have to see what Sasha thought about Jax.
Hold on. No reason to get ahead of herself. They hadn’t even finished one date yet. It wasn’t a good idea to think about future dates until this one had actually completed.
“Thank you for the flowers,” she said a moment later, and when she looked Jax’s way, a smile swept over his face.
“You’re welcome.”
A short time later, as they sat across from each other in a booth, their sandwiches in front of them, Autumn thought she ought to say something about abruptly ending their lunch date the day before. “I, uh, I’m sorry about yesterday.”
He shook his head as he finished chewing, then he set his sandwich down. “No need to apologize, Autumn.”
Really? He was going to let her off the hook that easily?
“After I left,” he began, “I dug deeper into the details of what happened with Glenn.”
Nearly cringing at the casual use of the man’s name, she said, “Okay.” Did Jax know the whole story? Did he know that she was a widow? Did she want him to know? The last thing she wanted was his—or anyone’s—pity.
“I had no idea you were…” A muscle worked in his jaw. “Affected by what he did.” He paused a moment. “I’m so sorry about what happened.”
So, he did know the whole story. “Thanks.” What else was there to say?
An awkward silence followed. Not wanting their date to be about her loss—after all, she was finally ready to move on—Autumn said, “Now that the football season is over, what do you do all day?”
Jax straightened in his seat. “Actually, next week I have off-season training, but even when I don’t have any required workouts, I still spend a lot of my time in the gym. Gotta stay in shape.”
Autumn liked that he was so devoted to his career. Then again, anyone at his level would have to be. She thought about the way they’d met. “I have to be honest, Jax. You don’t seem like the type of guy who usually hangs out at the mall.”
He laughed. “Oh, believe me. I’m not. I only went because I had to get a last minute gift.”
Jax was glad Autumn hadn’t wanted to talk more about losing her husband. Not that he would mind listening, but he didn’t want to talk about another man. He wanted to talk about her.
“What would you have done,” Autumn asked, “if Haylie hadn’t told you where I work?”
Lifting his shoulders in a shrug, he said, “Not much more I could have done.” He grinned. “Besides texting her over and over until she either told me where to find you or had a restraining order put on me.”
Autumn laughed. “For the record, I’m glad you didn’t have to go to that extreme.”
“For the record, huh?”
Autumn’s gaze slid to her lap, and Jax found her shyness charming. Now that he knew she was a widow, he could only assume she hadn’t been on many dates recently. Maybe she hadn’t been on any. Until today.
“Is this your first date, Autumn? I mean, since…losing your husband.”
A blush colored her cheeks and sadness filled her eyes, and Jax wished he hadn’t asked such a dumb question. What did it matter if this was her first date or her twenty-first?
“Never mind,” he said, then he took a bite of his sandwich.
She shook her head. “No. It’s okay. And yes, this is my first date.”
He was sure she must have had other opportunities. Yet her first date was with him. “I’m honored.”
She laughed. “Uh-huh.”
“No really.”
She smiled, her green eyes sparkling. “Right. Because you have such a difficult time finding women to go out with you.”
He knew what she was saying, and yes, he’d never had trouble finding a date, but he meant it. She was nothing like the women he usually went out with, and he liked that. Deciding it would be best to let the matter lie, he said, “How’s your sandwich?”
She smiled in a way that let him know she knew he was trying to change the subject. “It’s delicious.” She paused a beat. “How many women have you dated, Jax? And why are you still single?” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you a player?”
He laughed. “Isn’t that a bit personal to ask on a first date?”
Color flooded her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “I don’t want to waste my time with you if you see me as just another potential notch on your belt loop.”
What had gotten in to her? Autumn couldn’t believe the words that had come out of her mouth. And by the way Jax shifted in his seat, he couldn’t believe it either. But it was out there now, and she wasn’t going to take it back. Besides, she really wanted to know.
“Be honest with me,” she said when he stayed silent. “That’s all I ask.”
He nodded. “Of course.” Then he took a swallow of his soda. “I’ve dated quite a few women over the years, but I’ve never found anyone I wanted to marry.”
She nodded. That wasn’t unreasonable. But he hadn’t answered her other question. “Are you a player?”
He cleared his throat. “What do you mean, exactly?”
That pretty much answered her question, but she decided to play along. “I mean, do you date lots of different women at the same time? Are you just looking for a good time? Do you have a fear of commitment?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Wow. This might be the most intense first date conversation I’ve ever had.”
“So that’s a yes?”
Chapter Seven
Jax didn’t want to admit that, yes, he had some player tendencies. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that hadn’t been the case lately. Not for quite a while. And he really wanted to convince Autumn that he wasn’t a player.
He studied her face. She clearly had no problem with commitment—she’d been married, after all. But he wasn’t ready to settle down. Not yet. Not until he found the right woman.
He thought about some of the guys on the team—Josh Wisner, Brock Remington, Hank Parson. All three of them had found the woman that was right for them. What was wrong with him? Why hadn’t he found anyone?
Autumn avoided his gaze as she wrapped her sandwich in the paper it came in, evidently ready to end their date.
“Wait,” he said.
She looked at him, her eyes questioning.
“I’m not a player.”
Her head tilted to the side. “Are you sure? I mean, it took you an awful long time to come up with that answer.”
Why was he so desperate to convince her? “I’m sure.”
“So, you’re not dating anyone right now?”
He’d gone out with a woman named Kelli Judd several times recently, but it had been over a week since he’d spoken to her, and he hadn’t been dating anyone else. No reason, really. Just the way things had worked out. “No. I’m not.”
She stared at him. “Huh. Okay.”
Did that mean she was convinced? Hope shot through him.
This was crazy. He was never one to be set back on his heels. What was going on here?
She unwrapped her sandwich and lifted it to take a small bite.
Why was she giving him such a hard time? This was so not like her, but she didn’t seem able to stop herself.
Maybe she was trying to push him away. Maybe she wasn’t ready to date yet. Maybe all these questions, this probing, would scare him off.
Was that what she wanted?
She looked at Jax’s handsome face. He was watching her, almost like he was on edge, waiting to see what she would ask him next. He didn’t need to worry. She was done with those questions. For now. “What position do you play?”
His eyebrows went up like this new line of questioning had been unexpected.
She kind of liked keeping him off-balance. It made her feel more in control.
“Defensive end.”
Mitch had watched football whenever he could, but she hadn’t paid much attention. “What does a defensive end do?”
He settled back in his seat—clearly a subject he was comfortable with—and Autumn continued eating.
“I’m a pass rusher, which means I disrupt the play by either sacking the quarterback, making him hurry the throw, or making him scramble. Basically anything that will make the quarterback fail in moving the ball.”
To Autumn’s surprise, she found this kind of interesting. “Are you any good?”
Jax burst out laughing, then he nodded. “Yeah.”
At that moment, a group of teenage boys approached them.
“Mr. Cordova,” one of the kids said. “Can I get a selfie with you?”
“Sure,” he said as he glanced at Autumn.
Watching him with the boys brought a smile to her face. When they were done taking pictures, she turned to the boys with a grin. “Is he a good football player?”
Their eyes widened and they nodded vigorously. “Yeah.”
Autumn’s gaze went to Jax and she could see the pride on his face. Hmm. How big was his ego?
Jax couldn’t have planned this better if he’d tried. Those kids had perfect timing.
“Do you want me to autograph anything?” he asked one of the boys. It was a bit of overkill, but he wanted to impress Autumn. He glanced her way and saw a small frown on her mouth.
“Yeah,” one of the boys said before taking a notebook and pen out of his backpack and holding them out to Jax.
Jax scrawled his signature across the page, and after giving each of the other boys an autograph, he and Autumn were alone. When he looked at her again, she was focused on finishing her sandwich.
She did not look impressed.
Wow. This was so beyond what he was used to with women that he didn’t know what to do. Had he overdone it with offering to give them an autograph?
“Sorry about the interruption,” he said in a lame attempt to see what was going on in her mind.
She wadded up the paper wrapper from her sandwich and wiped her fingers on a napkin. “Does that happen a lot?”
“Only when I’m out in public.” He chuckled, and when her lips curved into a half-smile, like she wasn’t annoyed, relief flooded him.
“Does it bother you?” she asked. “To be interrupted like that when you’re eating lunch, or shopping, or doing whatever it is you’re doing?”
“Not really. It comes with the job. And I love my job.” He paused a moment. “Did it bother you?”
Autumn took a moment to think about it. She didn’t mind per se. The thing she was worried about was Jax’s attitude. Did he feel entitled to that kind of attention? Did it feed his ego? He’d sure seemed to like it. Not that she faulted him. But if he was anything like Glenn Richmond—blaming others for his mistakes, feeling like the world owed him—he was not the man for her.
“I guess it would depend on who’s doing the interrupting,” she finally said. “Those were just kids, so it didn’t really bother me.”
Jax nodded. “But it would bother you if it was adults?”
“I think it would get old.” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Does it ever get old to you?”
“Sure. I mean, I like having fans, but yeah, there are definitely times when I’d rather not have them approach me.”
That sounded promising. And despite her concerns, she liked him. He’d gone to some trouble to track her down and ask her out, and when she’d cut their date short the day before, he hadn’t let that deter him.
He wasn’t one to give up easily.
Maybe that’s what she needed. Because it wouldn’t take much for her to retreat to her comfort zone of spending evenings home alone.
“Thank you for lunch,” she said a moment later, a smile on her face.
He grinned. “Thank you for the do-over.”
Softly chuckling, Autumn put her purse over her shoulder. “I’m glad you suggested it.” Because if he hadn’t, that would have been the end of things.
“I have another suggestion for you. Tomorrow is Saturday and I suggest that we have dinner together.”
“Dinner?” That seemed so much more formal than lunch. So much more like a real date. “I, uh, I don’t know if that will work.” She hated the fear that constricted her chest—fear of getting too close to someone only to have him leave her.
“All right. What about earlier tomorro
w? Or do you have to work?”
She usually did work on Saturdays, but she was determined to take at least a baby step in the right direction. “I’ll be done by eleven.”
His face lit up. “Perfect. Do you want me to pick you up from the salon?”
That was a great idea. If he didn’t know where she lived, she could hold on to the illusion that this was less like a date and more like friends getting together. It was ridiculous, she knew, but whatever helped her take those steps. “Yeah. That would work.”
When they got back to the salon and he said he’d see her the next afternoon, Autumn couldn’t stop the feeling of anticipation that swept over her, and when she walked into the salon she couldn’t hide the smile that blossomed on her mouth.
“Did you have a good lunch?” Haylie asked, and Autumn realized her friends had no idea she’d had lunch with Jax.
“Yes I did.”
Haylie squinted in Autumn’s direction, although her hands never stopped moving as she styled her customer’s hair. “What was so good about it?”
Autumn smiled. “I may have had lunch with a certain man.”
Haylie’s eyes widened and her hands stopped moving, then she met her customer’s gaze in the mirror. “You wouldn’t believe how hot this guy is, Trish.”
Trish laughed, then turned to Autumn. “We all want to hear about this.”
Autumn grinned, then she told them how Jax had shown up, asked for another chance, and how they’d gone to lunch.
“And?” Cassie asked. “When are you going out again?”
Autumn straightened her station in preparation for her next appointment, then turned to face Cassie. “We might be getting together tomorrow.”
“Might be?” Haylie asked.
A woman in her late twenties walked through the door of the salon.
“Okay,” Autumn said. “We are getting together. He’s picking me up tomorrow at eleven.” She couldn’t wipe the smile from her lips as she turned to her appointment. “Hi there, Natalie. How are you?”
Natalie sat in the chair at Autumn’s station and Autumn wrapped the smock around her shoulders. “I’m doing fine. What about you?”
Pass Interference (Fair Catch Series, Book Four) Page 4