Let Me Love You (Australian Sports Star Series Book 2)

by Blobel, Iris

  He cocked a brow at her.

  The drive to the hospital was a big haze. Whatever the paramedic had given him, it was working damn well, with Oliver hardly remembering anything about the drive. Dozing on and off, he willed his mind to replay his run to figure out what had gone wrong. But it was useless. The fog in his head simply didn’t want to lift, making it impossible for him to focus on a clear thought.

  Once at the hospital, it didn’t take long to see the doctor, but unfortunately, the doctors confirmed the earlier diagnosis of the damage. Oliver had an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament. The term sounded bad, and he scrolled through his brain to decipher what it actually meant. Anger and frustration that the medication played havoc with his ability to think clearly were taking over.

  “What does that mean?” he heard Tamara ask.

  He turned to look at her questioningly. “Sweet Jesus, how did you get in here?”

  She smiled. First at him, and then more timidly towards the surgeon. Yet, she didn’t reply.

  “It’s often seen in athletes,” the surgeon replied to Tamara. “One wrong move—” He didn’t finish the sentence, but nodded towards the knee.

  Oliver knew what he meant anyway. One wrong move could mean anything, but in his case, he mightn’t be playing baseball for a while.

  “So now what?” Tamara asked.

  Annoyed, Oliver shot her a look. “Out!”

  Both the surgeon and Tamara looked at him in surprise.

  “My knee, my injury, my questions.” He raised his eyebrow slightly. “My privacy.”

  Tamara stared at him, and despite the drugs playing with his capability to think, he held her stare. Their eyes locked for a long moment before she shook her head.

  “No,” she whispered with a sound in her voice that even in his dazed mind told him something wasn’t right. Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer and placed her hand on his arm. That was when he noticed her struggle with tears. Good grief, it was just a knee injury! He leaned his head back into the seat, closed his eyes, and lifted a finger towards the surgeon.

  “Tell her.”

  As he listened to the doctor explaining what lay ahead for Oliver, the warmth of her hand seeped through his shirt. The words about his injury were a blur, the touch of her hand occupying his mind.

  The sound of steps told him the surgeon was leaving the room. He knew by now that Tamara’s shoes made more of a different click-clack sound.

  “Please tell me he’s not leaving me alone here with you.”

  “He’s getting your prescriptions and some painkillers to take home.”

  Her voice was shaky, and he opened his eyes to look at her.

  “It’s just a knee injury, cupcake,” Oliver said.

  Tamara was visibly shaken. Despite the deep breath she’d taken, the reply came out as barely a whisper. “I have no intention of leaving a hospital alone again.”

  Not quite clear on the sense of her words, he closed his eyes again. He tried to reach for her hand on his arms, but even the little move caused some discomfort. He’d have to deal with Tamara once he got hold of his faculties again. This wasn’t the moment.

  An hour later, the knee was bandaged, and with the crutches under his arm, Oliver took the small container of pain relievers from the doctor. Listening to the instructions, he signed all kinds of forms, including the one to arrange his surgery in two weeks at the reception.

  “Take these three times a day to help ease the pain and reduce the swelling. We need the swelling and bruising to subside to do the surgery,” the doctor instructed.

  Oliver nodded. His gut clenched just at the thought of it.

  “Will you be all right?”

  Again, he nodded.

  The surgeon stepped a bit closer. “This is a routine operation. However, you should prepare yourself for the possibility that professional baseball might not be in your future anymore.” He hesitated and then nodded towards Tamara, who was getting a drink of water further down the hall. “It’s not life threatening, though. I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

  Oliver followed his gaze and winced. The words she’d said earlier were playing on his mind again, and he hoped he’d be able to find out what she’d actually meant.

  With a gentle slap on Oliver’s shoulder, the doctor said goodbye and walked off. Momentarily a bit lost, Oliver grabbed his phone and dialled Tyson’s number.

  “Mate, I need a lift.”

  “Where are you?” Tyson asked.

  “St Vincent’s.”

  “Christ, what happened?”

  “The knee,” he simply replied.

  “I’ll be there in about half an hour.”

  Oliver shut the phone, took the crutches, and slowly made his way down the hall to Tamara. He still wasn’t sure how to interpret what she had said earlier. Then again, he wasn’t sure at all how to take her.

  “Hey,” he said quietly.

  She turned and smiled at him. A smile he wasn’t able to ignore and did all sorts of things to his body. “All sorted?” she asked.

  “Yup. And I’m going to leave the hospital. So there really is no need for you to worry anymore.”

  Tamara lowered her head and stared at the floor. With a big sigh, she finally said, “Sorry for that.” She shook her head. “I think I freaked out a bit.”

  He chuckled. “A bit?”

  He leaned onto the crutches and placed a finger under her chin to lift her face. “Wanna tell me what happened?”

  But instead she made an abrupt move away that surprised him.

  “I’d better get you home. Will you be all right or do you have someone to look after you?”

  Oliver frowned. “I’ve got my mate picking me up. Don’t want to take up any more of your precious time.”

  “You sure?”

  He couldn’t figure out what had happened. Cursing inwardly, he just nodded. This woman was driving him insane with her changing moods.

  Tamara readjusted the handbag on her shoulder and said, “Right. I’ll let Erik know. I’d assume he’ll give you a call.”

  Then she walked off, leaving him behind with a massive headache.

  “Women!” he cursed.

  “And you love ’em.”

  Oliver shot around to see Tyson standing right behind him. “You got here quickly.”

  “Want me to come back in ten minutes?”

  “Bugger off.”

  “So, this is the girl Markus mentioned the other day. The one occupying your brain, saying no to the rest of the adoring fans?”

  If Oliver had been able to, he’d have punched his friend right there. But he didn’t have the balance, possibly neither the strength with all the medication, yet most of all, he needed a ride home. “You’re such an ass. That was Erik’s niece. She works at the club and was here to help out.”

  “Yet, the help didn’t extend to a lift home?”

  Oliver closed his eyes, quietly cursing his friend at that moment. “Can we go now? My knee is giving me hell.”

  Tyson laughed. “Yup. I have a feeling that’s only part of the story.”

  Ignoring his friend’s words, Oliver started his way towards the exit.

  “How bad?”

  “Surgery in two weeks. Off for the rest of the season.”

  “Fuck.”

  “I wish.”

  Tyson laughed again. “What’s her name?”

  “Who?”

  “Your girl.”

  Oliver stopped and glared at his friend. “Will you give it a rest?”

  Tyson opened the door for his friend as he grabbed his phone. “Mark. See you at Oliver’s in a little while. He’s fucked up his knee. I’d say he needs some distraction.”

  Oliver didn’t hear Markus’ answer, but appreciated Ty’s gesture.

  “And bring along Grandma Hazel. Tell her she’s got a patient to look after.”

  Oliver stopped in his tracks. “You’re a bastard.”

  Tyson grinned.

  Gran
dma Hazel was Ty’s grandma, and a lovely person. He and his friends had spent a lot of time at her place as kids, enjoying her delicious cakes or dinners. And still did.

  But having her babysit him? No way would he survive having her around for twenty-four hours, seven days a week. He’d have to come up with some kind of excuse.

  ***

  Tamara was cursing all the way back to the stadium and into the office. How could she have let herself go like that? Why had she been so tense knowing it was a simple knee problem and not life threatening? Throwing herself into her office chair, she groaned. She rubbed her neck and grimaced at the thought of her behaviour at the hospital. Even now, her cheeks heated with embarrassment. As exhaustion took hold of her, she wasn’t able to hold back the tears and walked over to the desk for tissues to blow her nose.

  “Hey there.”

  She startled.

  Erik came closer to pull her into a hug. “Are you all right?”

  Shaking her head, she sobbed into his chest, “Going to the hospital wasn’t a good idea.”

  “Sorry, Tammy. I should’ve thought about that, but I think the frustration of it all took over and I thought he’d be in good hands with you. Asking one of the girls in the office to accompany him would’ve possibly resulted in the news being spread all over the Internet within minutes. I need to keep this at a need-to-know basis, so the rest of the team can focus on the games ahead.” He hesitated and then added, “Without neglecting Oliver, that is.”

  Tamara put some distance between them. “It’s okay. I thought I’d be fine, but obviously—” She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to, her tears said it all.

  Erik nodded. “I just called him. He said you seemed a bit out of sorts. He asked me to assure you that everything is all right. With the knee anyway.”

  She looked up at him.

  Erik shrugged.

  With a frown, she asked, “What?”

  “The baseball career seems to be over, though. We need to see how the surgery goes.”

  With a big sigh, she sat down on her chair. She hadn’t known Oliver long, but she knew how hard the guys on the team trained towards a career in this sport. The season was nearly over, yet for the first time they were doing fine, in part thanks to Oliver. Spirits were high. They didn’t need a setback like this.

  “How will he take it?”

  Erik shrugged again. “It won’t go down well, but Oliver is not one to give up easily.”

  She could only imagine.

  Two hours later, Tamara sat in the car, driving through Melbourne’s streets to the address she’d found in the office files half an hour earlier. Fortunately, it wasn’t far away, and within minutes, she found herself in front of Oliver’s house. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking of him, and the idea that baseball might be over for him. It had to hit him hard. What she’d understood from her uncle was that baseball was his life, even if he hadn’t chosen a career overseas. It was still in his heart and soul. She didn’t know him, but she hadn’t been able to suppress the urge to see him, to make sure he was all right.

  Tamara stared at the small house and was surprised to find something so suburban. The house looked more like a cottage with an English garden in the front. Wild, but looked after. She couldn’t picture him down on his knees, digging for weeds or planting seeds, and assumed someone else helped him out. There were two small trees in the back corner next to a little path that led behind the house and to the garage. She hoped he was home. Carefully, she lifted the latch of the front gate to step through. A small wooden sign hung loosely next to the door ‘Enter at your own risk’. She shook her head and smiled.

  Tamara gently knocked at the door. Her heart was doing somersaults but she wasn’t sure why. All she wanted to do was make sure he was all right and to explain her behaviour earlier that day. Explain what had happened to Jason. As she heard someone approaching the door, she moved a step away from the door.

  The person who opened the door, however, wasn’t Oliver. She should’ve known. The steps should’ve told her someone else was with him. Of course, someone else was there to care for him, but not this good looking woman.

  She swallowed and tried to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Did Oliver have a girlfriend? Of course, he would’ve. He was gorgeous, sexy, charming and—

  “Hi,” the woman said as she tugged her wavy hair behind her ear. “Can I help you?”

  Tamara took another step back. “I’m…I—” Damn, why was this so hard? “My name is Tamara. I work for Oliver’s baseball club and I’m really just here to—”

  But she wasn’t able to finish the sentence. The woman waved her in. “Come on in. Oliver told us about you.”

  Surprised, Tamara followed the woman inside and closed the door behind her. The sound of voices came from the end of the house. Suddenly, her mind was packed with doubt. Was she supposed to be here?

  The woman looked over her shoulder as she walked down the hall. “By the way, I’m Sarah. Oliver’s friend from way back.”

  “Nice meeting you, Sarah.”

  She tried hard not to let her relief show through in her words, although she wasn’t sure why.

  They walked into the back room, which Tamara assumed was Oliver’s lounge room. There he was in the middle of the whole group, sitting on the sofa, with his leg up on a few cushions. He just stared at her as if to say, ‘what are you doing here?’ She knew that look. It was the same as earlier that day in the hospital.

  There was a voice behind her. “Nice meeting you, darlin’.”

  Tamara turned, only to look into the eyes of an old lady. The lines of her face told the story of a long life and her eyes expressed kindness and love. Tamara assumed her to be in her late sixties or early seventies, wearing her hair up in an old-fashioned bun, in stark contrast to her bright makeup and lipstick.

  “Hello, dear. I’m Hazel. I’m Tyson’s grandmother, but I have been looking after the boys and Sarah since they were children. Oliver told me you’d be looking after him for the next two weeks.”

  Tamara’s head shot around to look at Oliver, but he avoided her gaze, the little weasel. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the guy she’d met a few weeks ago, when she’d run into Oliver at the beach in St. Kilda. He sported a big grin on his face, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “Hi, I’m Ty.” The third guy came closer, holding out his hand.

  She took it and tried her hardest to smile. “Nice meeting you.”

  “Grandma Hazel wanted to move in for the next few weeks to look after Oliver, but he explained that you were kind enough to help out.”

  She gave a slow nod, trying to meet Oliver’s eyes, but he still stared at the ceiling. “Y-yes, right,” she stuttered.

  “Anyway, I’ve gotta run and pick up Katie.” He turned and gave Oliver a casual wave before he placed his hand on his grandmother’s shoulder. “C’mon, Grandma. He’s in good hands.”

  “Thank you, dear,” Hazel said to Tamara. “That suits me quite fine. But I will get Ty to drop off a few meals over the next few days to help you a bit and to check all’s right.”

  Again, Tamara nodded. “Thanks,” she said. “I appreciate your help.”

  Sarah stood. “Let’s hit the road, Marky. You promised you’d drop me off before seven.”

  Markus stood as well, gave Oliver a high-five, and came towards her. “Nice meeting you again.” And with the biggest grin, he added. “Ahh, yes. And thanks for looking after him.”

  Tamara watched as one by one, they left the room. When she heard the front door close, she stood, hand on hips, in front of Oliver. She wasn’t even sure where to start with all her questions. Everything inside her screamed at her to leave as well. Was it worth finding out what had just happened?

  She took a deep breath and asked, “Ever had an out-of-body experience?”

  He finally looked up to meet her gaze, but didn’t say a thing. She nearly lost it, she was so mad. Looking
around, she shrugged out of her jacket and sat down in front of him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said after what seemed a long moment.

  She sighed. “Right.”

  “Look, Hazel is a wonderful person, but having her here for two weeks would’ve killed me. I certainly didn’t expect you to come, did I? So I made up the story.”

  Was he serious? Out of all the people he knew, he came up with the crazy idea that she’d help him.

  She bit her bottom lip to think about the situation she was in all of a sudden. “What about your family?”

  Oliver closed his eyes and leaned his head back, like talking into the void. “Mum’s in a wheelchair and they live up in the Dandenongs. My sister has two little kids.”

  There was another moment of silence until he opened his eyes again and met her gaze. They both stared at each other for a minute or two.

  “So who is looking after you?” she asked as she leaned back into the chair.

  “I can look after myself,” he replied, stubbornness screaming out of every single word.

  “Yes, right.”

  He stood, grabbed his crutches, and left the room. Tamara looked around and took in the room as well as the view into the backyard. It was the complete opposite of her house. Oliver’s house radiated warmth and a charming cosiness that had home written all over it. The furniture as well as the walls were in natural colours, the carpet a beautiful cream, and in the far corner was an open fire.

  Through the partially closed white shutters, she saw the nicely established garden with a large paved area leading towards a shed and a barbeque area.

  She was impressed.

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” he shouted from down the hall.

  Snapped back from her thoughts, she turned towards the hallway. Yes, what was she doing here?

  The idea that she was looking after him had thrown her so much, she had to dig a bit deeper to remember the initial reason she came here. Had she really wanted to open up to him? She clenched her mouth as irritability took over.

  ***

  Oliver took a glass of water and swallowed two of the pain reliever pills. His knee hurt like a bitch, and he had no idea how he’d cope the next few days. The idea of driving up to his parents’ seemed to be more and more appealing to him. Who would’ve thought that a simple wrong step could cause so much trouble and pain?