Love's Sporting Chance: Volume 1: 6 Romantic sporting novellas

by Janice Thompson

  I leave him blushing and open the door to my apartment, the moment I close the door Sarah hugs me.

  “Pookie! Did he finally ask you out?” she asks, excited and grinning from ear to ear.

  I shake my head and laugh. “Did Dodge tell you? Technically I asked him out, but he was trying to ask me first.”

  “Yes, Dodge told me! He was worried about Luke. And of course, I was worried about you. So you two slipped into our conversation. Did he drop you off at the apartment?”

  I laugh. “Yes, he did. Now please let me go. I’m all sweaty from ballet and kind of want to take a shower.”

  Sarah releases me with a laugh and smirks. “Take your shower, April. I can wait a few minutes to talk to you.”

  I laugh and head off to take my shower. Once changed I head back out to see that Sarah made me dinner and was holding a plate out towards where I came out. I take it with a chuckle.

  “Oh, sure, butter me up with garlic bread and pasta.” I hide my laugh when she stares at me with puppy eyes. “We just talked about our passions, Sarah. And he told me that his final is a documentary based on me, or rather my hidden talent apparently. I informed him I want to see it.”

  Sarah leans back in her seat and places her feet on the table. I roll my eyes but say nothing. She paid more than her half for next month’s rent so right now it’s her apartment, not our apartment.

  “I want to see it now.” She laughs. “Dodge got to see it. It made me jealous. If you see it, I want to know everything about it!”

  I laugh. “Why?”

  Sarah rolls her eyes. “Duh, it’s about my best friend?”

  I shake my head and bring my plate to the kitchen, hand-washing it.

  “What?” she asks. “You are!”

  “I do not deny that. I just think it’s a little silly that you want to see a documentary simply because it’s about me.”

  She smirks. “Hey, one day when he’s rich and famous we’ll be able to say that we say his first documentary.”

  I couldn’t deny that. “So, you and Dodge. How’s it going?”

  That set her off. She started talking about how dreamy he is, how amazing a guitar player he is, how much fun he is, the list goes on. I smile and keep the conversation away from Luke and me until I had to head to bed for my early morning tomorrow.

  Chapter Seven

  I am so nervous! Why did I agree to this date? Why oh why did I agree to this date? I start pacing. I only have an hour before I see her again. That’s not enough time to get my wits about me! Am I smart in showing her a video that’s all about her or should I not show it to her because it seems so—personal? I groan and rake my hands through my hair and sigh as I look in the mirror. Now I look like Dodge with my ruffled hair.

  “Dangit! What should I do?” I ask no one in particular.

  “What are you doing?” Dodge asks me.

  I shriek as I turn around. I thought I was alone. Dodge was holding in his laughter, but I could see him shaking with it and I roll my eyes.

  “What? That was funny?”

  “No, it wasn’t!”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, it was. That was the girliest shriek I’ve ever heard in my life, and it came from you.”

  I cross my arms. “I’m starting to rethink showing her that video I made.”

  “Dude, if you show her that video, she is going to melt.”

  I groan. “That’s what I’m afraid of! Wait—what? You think she will?”

  “Yes,” he practically grumbles at me.

  “Next problem. What do I wear?”

  He raised his eyebrow a very flat look on his face. “Did you just ask me what you should wear?”

  “Yes, because you can dress to impress!”

  He crossed his arms.

  “What? All the girls want you.”

  “Yeah, that’s because the instant they see I can play they want me to sing for them.”

  I groan. “All I have is a camera!”

  Dodge shakes his head at me. “Do you know how many girls would love to pose for a camera?”

  “…No.”

  He gave me the blankest look that told me that I seemed to have come from Mars.

  “That many, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  I sigh. I hadn’t thought about that. “Well should I wear my normal outfit or should I try something new?” He shakes his head again and pinches the top of his nose. “Okay, normal me it is.”

  When I head out to see April, I smile a little when I see her. I don’t know why I was so worried about the way I look. She’s wearing jeans and a jacket because of the chilliness outside. She just looks so adorable. April blushes a little, and I squeak when I realize I’ve been staring at her.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”

  “It’s alright. I guess we’re both nervous, aren’t we?” she asks, giggling a little.

  “Yeah, shall we go to this nice café I know before we see the movie?”

  April smiles, and I swear her smile could light up the world. I take her hand in mine as we walk down the street.

  “Why did you say yes?” I ask, wow had I just asked that? I feel a little shallow when I ask that.

  She chuckles a little, and I blush. “Well, I said yes because you didn’t bully me into asking me out and you’re cute and sweet. And that’s telling you the truth.” She squeezes my hand. “And I want to get to know you better.”

  “There’s not much to tell about me,” I answer truthfully. “I always wanted to belong somewhere. I never really belonged to my family. But I felt like Dodge and I were like brothers. So in a sense, I want a community where everyone there is family. But—” I look down and sigh softly. “I feel like I’m always behind a camera, especially with my school projects keeping me on my toes.”

  April nods and I release her hand to open the door for her complete with a little bow. She giggles.

  “So chivalrous,” she comments.

  I smirk. “Only for you.” We order our coffee, and I glance at her as we await our orders, she suggested we get them to go so she can see my work. “What about you? Is there much to tell about you?”

  April’s eyes dim a little bit, and I wince feeling bad for bringing up such awful memories. “Well, I was the only child my parents had in a little place in Rochester, New York. They always wanted more, but my mom’s health was just so bad and after she had died Dad just saw so much of her in my so I wanted to get out of there.” She rubs her arm absentmindedly. “I was kind of hoping to find someone to make me feel like a family.”

  I wince and reach out to squeeze her hand. “I got an idea. How busy are your Friday nights?”

  April shrugs. “Aside from homework not too busy, why?”

  “Well,” I say with a smirk as I grab our two cups of coffee and hand her the one with more creams. “Why don’t you come with me to my synagogue? It’s not a big one. I found a little hole in the wall one with fewer people than normal. I’m a bit of an introvert if you haven’t noticed. But they will make you feel welcome. Especially if you come with me.”

  “So you’re Jewish?”

  “Messianic. But yes,” I say with a smile. “Don’t worry I’ll make sure you have a head covering so they won’t judge you.”

  April grinned. “Don’t want me to be a pariah?”

  I kiss her cheek. “Never. Just be warned I’ll tug you into a dance.”

  Her eyes widen in delight. “They let you do that?”

  “Of course. And I’ll teach you some of the moves they have in the dances so you won’t be too lost. I picked them up just by watching and recording the dances I saw when I lived at home.”

  “Wow, photographic memory?”

  I nod. “Yep! You got it.”

  “See there are things to learn about you,” she teases.

  I chuckle a little. “Good point.”

  “Don’t you dare say you’re a dork with a camera.”

  That makes me laugh, a true good laugh. “Well,
thank you, April. I’m glad you don’t think I am just a dork with a camera.”

  She grins as I open the door to the little theater my college has. I knew it’d be empty. Most of the students would be finishing up their documentaries. And if they weren’t there were five other rooms they could use.”

  “Choose your seat, April, I’ll join you as soon as I get it set up, okay?”

  April nods and as she walks off I enter the projection room and tug my film out of my bag. It had taken me days to edit this, but I thought it was rather well put together. As soon as I got it rolling I dimmed the lights and found my way to April. She was sitting in the middle, the exact middle to capture everything. I knew that was what she wanted because that was the seat I choose any time I saw a movie. I even got places early to do that.

  I glance towards the screen, but I’m trying to pay attention to her since I’m still worried about showing her this.

  My voice comes over the screen. “Here in New York City, there are several places where you can find all sorts of talent in the world of theater, dance, or even music.” They were shots of several music halls, theaters, and dance halls, as well as several colleges. “But the place where I found the most hidden talent was the School of American Ballet.”

  I showed a close up of the school where April goes, along with several of her classmates. “There’s the rising starlet of ballet who everyone knows by name because her mother and grandmother are famous for it.” There was a close shot of Jennifer hanging with Ashley and Ash. “But she’s not who I focused on since she’s not hidden talent. But rather April Roberts.” There was a video of April doing her stretches in ballet her curly hair held back in its bun. “She is the hidden rising star of ballet. No one pays any attention to her because they haven’t seen what she’s hiding behind her shy appearance.”

  I show the video of her doing the dance, but I cut it before she made her fall. “As you can see, even with a broken toe she still made a beautiful impression on the community. She’s entering into a contest at the end of March with her partner, Jason Gabriel.” I show a clip of them practicing their dance together. April had to do a solo dance and then one with a partner to participate in the competition.

  The pas de deux—or step for two—she was going to dance one from the ballet Cinderella. It was one that showcased how well she could work with a partner. Her solo dance was the one Giselle danced in the ballet Giselle, it was also the one she had almost broken her ankle.

  “Yes, this is this year’s hidden talent in ballet. The lovely April Roberts.”

  I smile a little as the credits roll stating that I had permission from the schools to record there before I did and, of course, the names of everyone. April had a hand over her mouth. I wince.

  “Are you alright?” I ask.

  “I never realized I was that good. I thought I did okay, but that just showed me how much potential I have.”

  I smile and lean over and take her hand in mine. “That’s how I see you every day, April. And I know you’re going to make everyone jealous when you win that competition.”

  She blushes. “Thank you, Luke. But I don’t think I will win the competition. Not if Jennifer is entering.”

  “Why does that matter?” I snort.

  “Well, you even said it in your video. She’s the rising starlet of the ballet community. She has a lot of hype around her, including the media since her mother was the most famous ballerina in the New York Ballet Troupe! I can’t stand up to that.”

  “You don’t have to. You just have to shine out there and show that you have ten times as much talent and determination than Jennifer does.”

  April sighs softly. “Right.”

  I shake my head. She doesn’t believe me, and I can’t make her believe what she doesn’t want to. So I grab her hand gently in mine and head back up to the projection room to get my film. I made sure to put it into the canister the right way otherwise that was going to be a very embarrassing final.

  “Come on, let’s get some dinner.”

  Chapter Eight

  I just feel so down. I know that Luke believes in me, and I’m grateful for it. But I just can’t see myself winning that competition. I watch him mess with his film and smile a little. I can tell this is where he belongs among film and documenting things. I hope he makes a good career off of that.

  “Come on, let’s get some dinner,” he says and offers his hand towards me.

  “Nowhere fancy right?” I ask, remembering the debacle that I had been in last time.

  Luke chuckles and tugs out his pockets. “Do you see a lot of cash in my pockets?”

  I laugh as I take his hand. “Good point.”

  After dinner, Luke takes me home, and I dug my keys out of my purse and just as I lift them up he surprises me by kissing me gently, almost chastely. I gently run a hand through his hair before I pull away. I grin a little.

  “Wow,” I say.

  Luke chuckles softly. “I hope I get to kiss you more, April.” Oh, I just bet he does. I feel all giggly. “See you Friday?”

  I nod. “Of course. Don’t forget a head covering for me. And you still have three days to teach me some Messianic Dance moves.”

  “I’ll look forward to it. Just swing by my apartment and I’ll make sure to give you some pointers.”

  I grin as I go into my apartment and close the door, leaning against it and feeling just so happy. Since Sarah hasn’t hugged me yet, I’m assuming she’s out with Dodge. I hope she doesn’t break his heart. She hasn’t been known for sticking with people longer than a few months to a year. But I guess she just loves differently.

  I run a hand through my hair. Tomorrow was another ballet class. At least, Jennifer has been a lot nicer to me lately. I guess getting a boyfriend mellowed her out a little. At least, I hoped it did.

  I sigh and change into my jammies before double checking on my homework to make sure I had it all completed before class tomorrow. Wouldn’t do to fall behind on my studies now that I have a boyfriend, would it? I finished up the little bit of math I had left before falling asleep before Sarah came home. Lord only knew if she was staying at Dodge’s place or not. If she was, well heaven help poor Luke. Then again, he could crash on my couch.

  I chuckle at that thought as I fall asleep.

  ~

  After ballet the next day I was packing up my things when my teacher came up to me.

  I stood and nodded to her. “Ma’am.”

  “You should look into losing some weight before the contest. Otherwise, your partner will not be able to lift you properly.”

  I wince when I hear that. I have been putting off exercising but finals have been coming up, and I’ve been trying to keep up with all of my school work. But I don’t say any of that. I nod to my teacher.

  “Alright. Thank you, ma’am.’

  She walks off, and I shake my head as I head outside. Jennifer is out there smiling at me.

  “Sorry about the teacher saying that. Hey, I got something you can use for that. They worked wonders for me last year. So of course, I’ll get you some of my diet pills. After all, we wouldn’t want you losing the contest, would we?”

  “Are you sure?” I ask. I’m a little suspicious this is, after all, Jennifer talking to me. And she hasn’t been known for her sincerity. “I don’t want to be any trouble, Jennifer.”

  “Oh, it’s no trouble at all. At least not to me, I swipe them from my mom. Just take one pill a day and it should be alright. I should also mention the pills will make you feel like your body is on fire the first time you take it and make you drowsy as the effects are leaving. But remember only to take one. If you take more than one, there could be some serious side effects.”

  I nod. “Alright, if you’re sure Jennifer.”

  She smirks at me. “I’m positive. It’ll work out alright, April. And you’ll be thin by the time the contest comes. I promise.”

  “Well, thank you. Thank you very much. It’s so sweet of you to do this.”<
br />
  She nods before she bounces off to her waiting boyfriend. I wave towards James, who gives me a small wave back. At least, he’s nice about it all. Maybe that’s why she’s been being so nice to me all of a sudden. I shrug, I don’t know. And I don’t want to overthink it. I sigh as I make my way towards my classes when I see a notice on the door. Looks like my math teacher is out sick. I sigh, but at least, I’m free for the rest of the day.

  I grin a little, maybe Luke’s home and can teach me some dance moves. I can’t help the goofy grin as I hurry my walk towards the apartments.

  My happiness quickly fades when I see Samuel leaving the building. I tense and cross my arms when he looks right at me.

  “What are you doing here?” he demands.

  “I happen to live here,” I grumble. I still haven’t relaxed. “Why are you here? Still haven’t found someone to run this place without you?”

  Samuel crosses his arms too and his eyes narrow. “No, I haven’t. Why are you so snappy with me?”

  Why was I—why was I? Oh, now I’m mad, and I’m pretty sure there’s fire in my eyes. “You lied to me! I have a right to be snappy with you! Stay away from me and stay away from Jennifer!”

  “I can’t believe you’re saying that I’m still your landlord.”

  “And I’m a tenant so let’s just keep it strictly that, understood?” I ask.

  “Clearly.”

  I roll my eyes and move to walk past him, but he grabs my arm. “Let go of me,” I growl.

  “I just wanted to apologize and ask—”

  I interrupt him. “For your information, I’m dating someone. So let me go and we aren’t going to go out, understand me, Samuel?”

  “Surely he’s not as rich as I am.”

  What? He thinks I’m just in it for the money like some shallow woman? I’m not like that. “It’s not the money that matters, Samuel. It’s the heart. And my boyfriend has ten times the heart you have, now let me go, or I’ll scream.”

  “Sammy,” Luke says as he takes my hand. “I believe April told you to let her go.”

  Samuel’s eyebrows raise. “This is who you’re dating?” he asks as he releases my hand. He starts laughing. “Unlucky Luke? He’s had three girlfriends. He can’t seem to hold them.”