Game Plan (The Entwined Series Book 1)

by TJ Penn

  Elizabeth shows up at my bedroom door 20 minutes later ready to go.  Elizabeth and I are completely different when it comes to shopping. She lives for it, and me, if I can get it online and save myself from going in person, which is a good day in my book.

  We have to change buses 4 times to get to the mall. It won’t take so long to get there when I get my car fixed, but until then, we are at the mercy of the bus schedule.

  The first store we stop in is one of Elizabeth's favorites. Before I can even turn around, I am being shoved into a dressing room with an armload of dresses.  All of the dresses are short in length or, low cut in the front. I am not sure who Elizabeth thinks is wearing these things. There was no way I would be willing to step out of this room, much less out in public.

  As I am changing back into my clothes, I begin to go into more detail with Elizabeth as to what I want in a dress.  “While those dresses you gave me are pretty; none of them are me.  I just want something that is nice; but yet simple.  One that doesn’t scream, look at me.”

  The next 3 stops are also a bust. I am just about ready to give up all hope of finding the perfect dress, and just ready to start the journey home.  Every dress I tried on either didn't go with my black hair or didn't mesh well with my sea green eyes.  On the way out, we stop by the food court to grab a drink for the walk back to the bus stop.

  A dress in one of the shop windows catches my eye. It is perfect! It is a simple cut that would land right above my knees, and is the most gorgeous red I have ever seen. I all but drag Elizabeth into the shop. When I step out of the dressing room and see the look on Elizabeth's face, I know this is the dress.

  “Now that we have the dress, you know what comes next?”  I am actually scared to even ask.

  “Home?”

  She lets out a laugh that has everyone looking, but in her unique style, she doesn’t care. “No, silly, shoes! How could you forget shoes?”

  I think she misses my sarcasm when I reply, “Yes, how could I have forgotten.” While to myself, I wonder what bill I can skip to afford the shoes. After spending thirty minutes looking for shoes, I finally talk her into a pair that she agrees closely matches. Overall the trip is a success and we even hit the timing just right for our first bus.

  After the morning out, I decide to just lay around and relax for the rest of the day.  With a book in one hand, and my out of date iPod in the other, I head to my room.  Of course, I get caught up in the book and lose track of time.  Before I know what is happening, my book is ripped away and tossed onto my nightstand.

  “What do you think you are doing? I was just getting to the good part.”  I ask Elizabeth who is standing before me with her hands on her on her hip.

  “What do I think I’m doing?  Look at the time! You have to get in the tub if you have any hope of being ready by the time he’s supposed to show up!”

  Before I can give a snarky reply, I am shoved into my bathroom. “Now get in there and hurry up; I still have to do your hair and makeup.”

  I start out by soaking in a hot bath to relax my nerves.  After about thirty minutes, Elizabeth makes me exit my haven.  She has set up a chair in my room facing away from every mirror, since she doesn't want me to see myself until she is completely done. It’s a good thing I trust her.

  She starts with my hair. As it is usually just thrown into a ponytail, anything she does will be an improvement.  She pulls and yanks for what feels like a lifetime, but in reality, is probably only an hour.  Then, starts the real fun, the makeup.  With only forty minutes to spare, I hope this doesn't take her as long as it would take me.

  Before I know it, Elizabeth is helping me slip into my dress and helping clasp my simple heart necklace around my neck.  When I am finally allowed to look in the mirror, I am blown away at the girl looking back at me.   I am not one of those girl that thinks they’re ugly, but I don't think I have ever seen myself look as good as I do tonight.  Elizabeth has really outdone herself this time.

  As we are walking down the stairs, the doorbell rings. I nearly fall down the rest of the stairs as all my nerves come crashing back in.

  Elizabeth runs down the rest of the way to get the door so I can collect my thoughts. As soon as I am able to catch my breath, I finish going down the handful of steps. I can hear them talking in the living room.  It is mostly polite chit chat that I didn’t even know Elizabeth knew how to do. She is usually very brassy and straight to the point. When I turn into the room where Robert and Elizabeth are chatting, I’m stunned at the sight standing in front of me.

  That man is gorgeous in a suit. I mean you would expect it, but to be faced with it, it is a sight to be seen. After I’m through checking him out, I worry that I have been caught; but I’m lucky to find him doing the same thing. For once, I don’t mind a guy looking at me like I am a steak waiting to be devoured.

  After he finishes his once over and notices me looking at him, he finally greets me, looking ashamed.  “I apologize, Bailey. It’s nice to see you again, and without the circus around us.  Although, I have to warn you, some of them may have followed me over here.  Oh, and before I forget, these are for you.”

  I shake my head to wake myself out of my daydreams. Daydreams I shouldn’t be having. I can’t let myself fall for Robert. This isn’t real! While all of that is true, I have to act like it is real and I have to make sure he doesn’t find out any different. This is going to be a lot of work. I wonder if any amount of money is worth it.

  “You’re fine, and thank you. Elizabeth do you think you can find a vase and put them in water for me, please. I guess we need to head out so we don’t miss our reservations. Getting through the crowd may take a while.”

  As Elizabeth takes the roses, and we start to leave, I turn to look at her.  She knows me so well she turns at the same time I do to give me an encouraging smile. With that, Robert whisks me out the door into the unknown world of flashing lights and microphones.

  I never expected the media to show up to see us off tonight, much less ask questions.  Thankfully, Robert is used to this madness.  He smoothly dances through all of their questions and keeps me from looking like a fish out of water. At the first opening, he leads me to his car. If I wasn't impressed before, I am now.

  Sitting in front of me is one of the hottest cars ever. I have to ask him just to be sure. “This is your car?”

  Standing in front of the ‘67 Chevy Nova SS, I can't help but run my hand over the car’s sleek body. The black racing stripes accent the gray paint perfectly. I am all but drooling on his car. I feel a little embarrassed about it when he laughingly asks, “Should I leave you two alone?”

  I duck my head, and mumble, “I’m sorry.”

  “Don't be silly, it’s nice to see a woman that appreciates a nice car. Most don’t even give her a second glance.”

  Feeling a bit better knowing that he doesn’t think I am completely strange, I walk over to the door which he is already holding open for me. After he gets in and we pull off, I start to question him about the car. I am amazed to find out it is all original and he hasn't messed with the engine at all. I’ve always said you can tell a lot about a person by their car.

  When we arrive at the restaurant, I freak a little bit.  It’s one of the few places that requires a reservation.  Even as nicely dressed as I am, I still feel under dressed for this place. I should have known better than to hope I wouldn’t stick out for once. As the valet parking attendant opens my door and I move to get out, Robert is there holding his hand out for me to take. When I leave the safety of the car, the first thing I do is look around.  The outside of this place is gorgeous. There are four white pillars holding up an arched glass ceiling. The sky is so clear tonight you can see thousands of stars.

  “I wish we could eat out here under the stars,” I say more to myself than to Robert; but of course, he answers.

  “I can see if I can make that ha
ppen if you want me to?  You know, I don’t know when the last time was that I actually looked up at the stars. They really are out in all of their glory tonight, aren’t they?” With a small grin, I nod my head.   We finally make our way to the hostess stand.  There is a young woman working the desk. She can’t seem to stop staring at Robert long enough to get his name. After Robert gives her his name for the third time, she is finally able to find it. I can’t believe he actually asks if there would be anyway of dining outside this evening. To my disappointment, they don’t have any tables outside for dining.  So with that, we are led to our table.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  Chapter Four

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  On the way to our table, there is so much going on that I don’t get to take in my surroundings. Every table we walk past, everyone is trying to speak to Robert. Every person is trying to get just a little attention from him. I don’t see how he can do it. I am ready to scream just a few steps in just from the overwhelming demand on him. Luckily, the only people to take notice of me are the women, and they are shooting daggers at me. So, I figure I am safe.

  Of course, our table is in the back of the restaurant. By the time we reach it, I am ready to collapse from being on exhibit.  “Robert, your everyday outings should be classified as a workout, if they are all like this”.

  He just chuckles, “That is why I prefer the tables in the back, they tend to be more private.”

  I bust out laughing, I can’t help it. How can he not see all the goings on around him. “I am not so sure about that as people seem to be taking the long way to their destination just so they can get a peek at you.”

  Robert looks over at me as I if I am the crazy one. “What are you talking about?”

  I’m honestly so shocked he doesn’t already know; I blurt out what I am thinking before I can stop myself.  “You really don't get it do you? How people are drawn to you, wanting just a second of your time. How women are tripping over themselves just to get you to glance in their direction.”

  He genuinely looks perplexed at the idea. Like it has never crossed his mind how people act around him.  “You’ve really never noticed have you?” I ask him seriously, not understanding how he could have missed these things.

  “You know I never really paid attention to it. I’m used to being the kid from a two red light town. Even to this day, it’s like nothing has changed there. I still see myself as the nobody kid that everyone wrote off. None of those people ever thought I would go anywhere. Hell, I never thought I would go anywhere. The odds of being able to break out of that town and stay gone are so slim. I guess I am still waiting for the day I get thrown back there.”

  I am shocked to hear how he sees himself. I expect him to have an air of self-importance. To find out that he doesn’t see himself as something special is nice. It allows me to feel more at ease with him. It also makes me feel even worse about this whole plan that I am now officially part of.

  “Hi, my name is Marcus and I will be your waiter this evening. May I start you off with a drink, or one of our starter items?” I look to Robert to see what he thinks only to see his gorgeous blue eyes already looking at me.

  “What do you think?” My plan is to follow his lead as I feel too far out of my element.

  “I’ve never been much of a drinker myself so what about just a bottle water for me. If you want a glass of wine, feel free to order one.”

  I stick with my plan to follow his lead. Even though a glass of wine would help my nerves, I am a lightweight when it comes to drinking. “I will have the same please.”

  As the waiter leaves our table, I decide to find out more about this man sitting in front of me. Only problem is, I can't think of a single question to ask that he hasn't been asked a thousand times before. I figure I might as well start at the beginning.

  “Why don’t you tell me more about your life before you became some big football player. You talked about a little town before. What was is it like there?”

  He chuckles at me like this is the last thing he thought I would ask. “You sure you really want to hear that. I mean don't you want to know what it’s like being a big name football player?”

  Something in his voice makes me feel sorry for him. It can’t be easy being him. Never being able to just go out and have a good time without being recognized. I don’t think I could live that way all of my life. It has to get to you at some point.

  “As shocking as it might seem, no, I really don't. I mean; I’m sure it’s exhausting the majority of the time. I want to know something about you that I can't just look up on some random website. I want to get to know the real you, not the show you put on for the public.” As I am telling him this, the waiter returns with our waters.

  “Are you ready to order now?” As we had started talking and had not yet looked at the menu, I decide to just go with one of the steaks. Robert picks one of the fish dinners. When the waiter leaves, I turn my attention back to the man in front of me who is looking at me chuckling.

  “Not so sure what’s funny about me ordering my steak, but ok. So, are you going to grace me with a tale of your younger years or not?”

  “Nothing was amusing about you ordering your food. It’s just nice to see a woman that likes to eat more than just a salad. All the women I know would rather eat nothing than what you just ordered. They are too embarrassed to eat in front of men, which is strange to me. I just don’t get how most girls act like they don't have to eat. I know when they are out with other girls, or staying in, they eat pizza and ice cream. Yet with men, they order the smallest thing on the menu. Ok, so I am rambling.”

  “Now, you wanted to know about where I grew up. I must warn you it’s nothing exciting or adventurous, but you seem to want to know. Please stop me if I get to be too boring.” I give him, what I hope, is an encouraging smile. I’m really bad at this dating thing.

  “Well it’s a small town in Alabama, four stop lights at most. We didn't have a middle school like most people. We had elementary and high school all on the same road. Actually, the only thing separating them was a bus lane.”

  “There is one grocery store, and a few eating joints. It’s one of those places where everyone knows everyone. Usually your mom and dad knew what you did before you even got home that night. It was nice for the most part, but there is also the downside of never really being accepted for who you are if you’re different.”

  “That means any type of different. Me, I always had it easy; I was the star quarterback. Now, saying star quarterback, that didn't mean anyone in that town ever thought I would make it in college, or the NFL. There are plenty of football stars in that town that never were able to leave it behind. That made me even more determined to leave it all behind.”

  “When I actually left, it made a bunch of people feel betrayed. I didn’t stay and work in the sawmill, or some other odd job reliving my glory days every Friday night at the local bar. I loved where I grew up, but I just couldn’t stay there.”

  I am speechless. All I can do is look at him. I know small towns are different; I didn't know how different. I had always lived in a big city. In a way, I would have liked to have had that type of community growing up, and even into my older years, it held a certain appeal. Maybe things wouldn’t have gotten as bad as they did for me if I had lived there.

  I am pulled out of my fantasy of that life by our food arriving. The food looks and smells amazing. As we are eating Robert decides it’s his turn to ask a question.  “How is it you know so much about old cars?”

  “Who says I know anything about cars?” I answer, getting defensive. My love for old muscle cars is a subject I don’t usually like to talk about for personal reasons, but not only that, guys tend to judge girls who know more about things like that then they do.

  “Hold on, I was just asking a simple question. I didn’t mean to upset you. It just seemed like you knew your way around cars when you asked about mine on the way over
here is all.”

  So maybe I did jump the gun on the whole attack thing. It isn't my fault though. Maybe, if someone had acted decent about my interest in the past, I wouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion. He did answer my question, so I guess it’s only fair to answer his.

  “My dad. He loved old muscle cars. It didn't matter the make or the model as long as it was American made steel. Much to my mom's dismay, I followed in his tracks. The older the car is, the better I like it.”

  “My dad used to take me to all the car shows in the area, and unlike everyone else who was crowded around the newest or flashy cars, we would go in search of the older models. The ones people then tended to overlook.  We would hang around with the owners, usually older men, and spend the day asking about their cars. It was the stories behind them that made it so special.”

  “You know, I haven’t been to one since my dad died years ago. I miss going to those shows; though they have probably changed a lot.  Maybe I will be able to put my own car in a show one day. I’m actually in the process of rebuilding my own car; I rescued it from the junkyard. A ‘67 Ford Mustang, can you believe someone put that model in a junkyard to be crushed?”

  “The rebuild is slow going, but one day it will be done, and it will be my one true accomplishment.”  I look over at Robert when I realize I had probably given him much more information than he had asked for.  “Sorry I tend to get carried away when I start talking cars.”

  Shaking his head, he continues to ask me questions about my rebuild. “How about parts are they easy to come by?”

  A hot guy is actually asking me about my rebuild and not just to criticize it. Tonight may just turn out to be perfect after all. “The parts actually aren't too hard to come by, but the paint color is going to be a different story. I am looking for the original Britney Blue, but I have a while to wait before I get to worry about that one.”