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

by Janice Thompson

  “Maybe that’s because he was waiting for someone different that wouldn’t let him go or abandon him.” I squeeze Luke’s hand. “And unlike you at least, he’s willing to let them go and not dwell on them. Whereas you just want to bully your way into a relationship, Luke wouldn’t do that.” I lead Luke up the stairs and shake my head. “Ignorant pig-headed fool,” I mutter.

  Luke chuckles.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Just, you’re a lot stronger than you let on.”

  “I don’t let people like that bully me.”

  He shakes his head. “Except for Jennifer.”

  “That’s because I know somewhere deep down she has a heart. Samuel doesn’t. And if he does it’s the size of the Grinch’s.”

  Luke laughs, and I realize I have only heard him laugh like that a handful of times. I smile a little. I like that I make him laugh so much it seems he forgets his troubles. Luke smiles at me.

  “Dodge is out for a few hours with Sarah, want to come to my place, and I’ll teach you some dance moves?”

  I grin. “And take my mind off of the pig-headed fool?”

  “Exactly my thoughts,” he says as he opens the door to his apartment.

  Chapter Nine

  I blush at the mess the apartment is and straighten it a little bit before I pull out my old records that I have of dance music for the synagogue. “Sorry about the mess, April.”

  She shrugs. “Have you seen my apartment? I live with the messiest girl around. So trust me, I get it.”

  “Well, this is mostly my mess,” I admit. April chuckled a little, and I shrug sheepishly. “At the very least there is just enough room to dance in.”

  April smiles a little. “Alright, show me.”

  “Well, first we’ll show you how to do the Hava Nagila. It’s the easiest dance to do.”

  I move so she can watch me. It’s a very easy step, you just move your left foot to your right, kick your right foot and then do the step two more times before you do it backward once and then repeat. April giggles as she picks it up easily. I put the music on and take her right hand so we can do the dance together. I can tell she’s enjoying herself and that Sammy is a distant memory. But I knew I’d have to tell Dodge about what was going on with him and April.

  I show her the Sh’ma next. It’s a little bit more complicated. You have to dance with your hands up you have to do a kind of step hop. And then you twist your upper body and do the same thing. So you’re step-hopping in a circle while your upper body is doing the same thing. April again picks it up easily, and I grin. She’s just so natural when she dances.

  I show her a few more before I get to work making some food for us and give her a glass of water to stay hydrated.

  “Who knew Messianic dances could get so complicated?” she asks.

  I smirk. “Us Jews,” I tease.

  “Very funny. What are you making?”

  “Good ol’ mac’n’cheese,” I say. “Sorry, we’re broke and starving college kids. So there’s not much to eat here.”

  She smirks. “I know how that goes.” April leans against the counter and looks up at me while I’m waiting for the water to boil. “So how much of the Jewish tradition did you keep when you left your family?”

  I shrug. “Well, I go to the synagogue when I want to remember my heritage. Or show off pretty girls,” I tease her and she blushes. “Obviously, I don’t wear my yarmulke everywhere I go. Which my father thinks is a sin. But what are you going to do?”

  “True. Not to mention sometimes it’s alright to go against your parents.”

  “Oh, no. Not according to the Torah. I also celebrate Chanukah, but I also celebrate Christmas. Which my father thinks is a pretty pagan holiday, and I shouldn’t celebrate it at all. But Dodge likes it, so we get to celebrate both. And I haven’t heard him complain about it yet since he gets twelve days of presents instead of just one.”

  “So not too much but just enough?” she asks.

  I nod. “Exactly.”

  She smiles a little bit.

  “What about you, do you subscribe to a religion?”

  April shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I’m waiting for a sign.”

  I smirk. “Maybe I’ll make a messianic Jew out of you.”

  She laughs as I put the pasta into the boiling water. “Maybe.”

  I saw her home before I had to wait for Dodge to get home. After all, he needs to know that we need to keep an eye on Sammy. We don’t want him going after Sarah next or worse trying to kidnap April. I rub my temples and sigh. When had everything gone to hell around me?

  I see Dodge enter the door, thankfully alone and without Sarah clinging to him. But I haven’t seen him complain too much.

  “Sammy showed up and harassed April again,” I grumble.

  “Son of a gun!” Dodge growls. “I’m going to kill him.”

  I grab his arm and shake my head. “No, we aren’t. He’s currently our landlord, remember? That’s how we’re here on cheap rent. If we screw with him he can raise Sarah and April’s rent, and we don’t want that, do we?”

  Dodge growled. “No.”

  I sigh. “We need to think of another way to get back at him.”

  “Oh I’m all ears,” he says flat-toned.

  “We could superglue him to his chair downstairs.” Dodge raises an eyebrow. “What? It’d ruin one of his fancy suits.”

  “Oh, yes, Luke, that’ll show him.”

  I roll my eyes. “Well, what do you have to suggest—besides killing him!”

  Dodge smirks at me. “We could smash the tank masquerading as a car he has.”

  I blink. That could work. I hear the door open by use of a set of keys.

  “Hey, sugar!” Sarah says as she runs over to hug Dodge. I smile a little.

  “Hey, darlin’.”

  “What are you two talking about?” she asks.

  I chuckle. “Smashing up Sammy’s car.”

  Sarah smirks and looks at us. “Can I help? I got a sledgehammer.”

  “No,” I say

  At the same time, Dodge said. “Yes. We can use a sledgehammer to get through some of that tough outer shell.”

  I groan and rub my temples. “Are we seriously going to do this?”

  “Hell yes!” Dodge says.

  “What should I wear?”

  I shrug. “Something black since we’re going to go in the middle of the night. We should do it on a Sunday night. Sound good?”

  Sarah smirks. “Sounds like a plan to me. Now I’m going to get some sugar for my sugar.”

  I groan and shake my head. “Get a room.”

  “That’s the idea, Luke.”

  I roll my eyes and practically shove them out the door, shaking my head. They were two crazy kids in love. Who was I to deny them? I sigh softly. Things with April were moving slower. Why? Because I love her and wanted to make sure she knew I love her before things went any further.

  But I can see myself growing old with her, having children with her, raising those said children with her in this crazy, mixed-up world. The point is, I can see myself marrying that lovely young woman.

  I glance up at the light blaring at me. No matter what the cost I wasn’t going to lose April Roberts.

  Chapter Ten

  On Friday after ballet classes, Jennifer met me and handed me a little bottle. The name Dexatrim is printed in red on the bright lemon yellow bottle.

  “I’ve never heard of this one before.”

  Jennifer shrugs. “Not too many people have. They started development in the 70s, and now it’s in the only the rich people can get it stage. It should be available to the public in a few years. But right now I’m giving you some of it. Remember,” she starts.

  “One a day, and only one,” I say. “It could make my body feel like it’s on fire the first time I take it and that it will make me sleepy when the pill is almost out of my system but to only take one that day and never take another one.”

  “I knew you were
listening! Good luck. You should start seeing results in a few days. It does curb your appetite so it will be normal for you not to eat for a while.”

  I nod. “Alright, got it. Thank you, Jennifer.”

  She smiles and pats my back. “Anytime, and if anyone asks you didn’t get them from me. I don’t want to get in trouble with my mom for swiping them.”

  “Right,” I say and then notice her boyfriend. “Your boy is here. You should catch up with him, right?”

  She waves before she flounces off. I shake my head with a chuckle. Jennifer just looks so happy when she runs off with her boyfriend.

  Shortly after Luke comes up with his cute little-checkered backpack that looks like he’s owned it since he was in high school. I stand and take his free hand.

  “Hey, good day at school?” I ask.

  “Yeah, everyone is preparing for finals, and I’m over there looking at the clock like, can I go home yet? I gotta take my girlfriend to the synagogue.”

  I laugh softly. “You’re excited about this aren’t you?” He nods like a little boy, and I smile. “Did you remember your yarmulke and my head covering?”

  “Of course, I did! I got you a green one. To go with your eyes.”

  He tugs out a very sheer fabric from the inside of his backpack. There’s silver writing on the tulle in both Hebrew and English with a bible verse from Song of Solomon. I smile a little. And take it from his hands.

  “How do I wear it?” I ask.

  He gently takes it away from me to place it atop my head. “Never tie it. That’s a sign of disrespect. As is calling our yarmulkes hats.”

  I slowly nod as I let the fabric drape. He tugs out a navy blue yarmulke that has a silver threaded Star of David in the middle of it. Luke places it on his head centering it so that it stays poised.

  I smile. “Wow, you and I look so Jewish now.”

  Luke chuckles. “True, but one of us is Jewish.”

  I snicker a little as he takes my hand. I zip my jacket as we walk down the street.

  “I’m amazed your church starts late,” I say.

  “It starts at five, isn’t that normal?”

  “Normally churches are early mornings aren’t they?”

  He shrugs. “Maybe. But this is a Jewish synagogue.”

  “Good point!”

  As soon as we enter a synagogue I notice the huge replica of the city of Jerusalem. My eyes widen as I look around like a fish out of water seeing the world for the first time. I hear Luke chuckling silently behind me.

  “That’s how I felt the first time I entered this place. Not everyone has a replica of Jerusalem in their walls. Just a handful of synagogues.”

  I look around there’s so much navy and purple and Star of Davids everywhere there’s so much to take in, and I feel almost insignificant looking at this place. I squeeze his hand, my eyes still wide.

  He nods to a taller man who is greeting everyone. “Rabbi Foster, how are you today?”

  “Doing well, Luke. Who’s your friend?”

  “This is April Roberts, my girlfriend. She was interested in learning about my way of life.”

  “Well, she came on the best night. I have a wonderful message to give today.”

  I smile and nod to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  “And polite too. I already think you made a good choice, Luke. She may be the one. Maybe the one that I will see you in a wedding? Hmm?”

  Both of us blush, and I smile a little. “Maybe once we finish college, Rabbi.” Well, at least I was polite.

  “What are you going to college for, young lady?”

  “I am going to college to become a ballerina,” I say. “It’s been my dream since I was little.”

  The Rabbi smiles at me and nods. “It’s good for a young woman to have a dream like that.”

  Luke takes my hand again and leads me past the Rabbi. “If you keep on talking to him he will talk your ear off,” he murmurs to me.

  I laugh. “That sounds familiar.”

  He leads me towards a seat, and I set my purse down underneath my chair, I trust these people enough not to steal my stuff. Besides, what would they take? I have nothing. Luke squeezes my hand.

  “The dancers will do their complicated dances first, and then they’ll go through the crowd dancing the Hava Nagila. That’s the invitation for anyone who wants to dance. That’ll be when we can join in. They’ll finish off with two to three dances after the Hava Nagila. All of them simple and easy to learn.”

  I grin. “This is going to be fun isn’t it?” I ask.

  “Even more, so since I haven’t done this since I was very little.”

  “But you know the dances so well,” I protest.

  Luke chuckles. “Yeah, my parents made me go to a Jewish Community Center where we lived because they thought I needed to learn all kinds of dances. I can even tango.”

  “Oh, now this I have to see. I’d love to tango with you.”

  He smiles at me as the—service?—starts. I joined in with the dance but the sermon went over my head. I was used to people reading from a bible when I went to church with my parents. My mother was a very devout Catholic so of course I went with her to mass every Sunday. So this was different, joining in not only with song but with dance and even the Rabbi called out towards the crowd for responses during the sermon.

  Afterwards Luke took me home and gave me a gentle kiss as I closed the door, smiling softly. I open my purse and take out the lemon-yellow bottle, my teacher’s words still ringing in my ears.

  “Right, need to lose a few pounds.” I glance at the back of the bottle, it does say to only take one a day and I should see results in a few days.

  So I grab some water and take one of the grayish tablets before getting my homework out and getting started on it. Halfway through my math homework, I’m starting to feel the effects of the pills.

  I’m having problems focusing because my body does indeed feel like it’s on fire. I set my pencil down and wince. Everything is so loud too. And has that light always been so bright? I turn off several of the lights, leaving the dimmest ones on before I head back to my homework, well that helped my focus a little.

  I hear keys jingle outside my door as Sarah drops them and then picks them up again before the lock clicks and the door opens. A light turns on and I feel like I’ve gone blind.

  “Turn it off!” I groan.

  Sarah turns the light off and comes to stand by me. “Pookie? You okay?” she asks softly.

  “I don’t know,” I groan. “I’m starting to think I have a bit of a migraine. Light sensitivity and my head hurts a little bit. Not to mention everything is a little louder too.” Sarah gently rubs my head and I relax a little, groaning softly. “That’s helping my headache a little. Thanks, Sarah.”

  “Maybe you had too much of the Jewish wine,” she teases.

  I snort. “They didn’t have any wine at this service. Not that I could have any anyway, I’m not Jewish. Not even converted.”

  Sarah chuckles and gently pats my back. “Sleep always helps when you have a headache. Maybe you should take some aspirin and then take a nap?”

  I nod. “Can you get them for me?”

  “No problem, Pookie.”

  She returns a few seconds later with some water and two white aspirin pills. I take them before heading to put on some sweatpants and an oversized teeshirt and curl up on my bed.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Okay, let’s take it from the top,” April says.

  I’ve been filming her and her partner for the past three weeks. With almost a month until the contest I’ve noticed April has lost an alarming amount of weight from the diet pills she’s been taking. I talked her into not taking them and hoped she was taking me at my word.

  “I need a little break,” Jeremy says. “Let’s take five, April.”

  “Fine,” she says before heading over and grabbing water from her bottle.

  I smile at her as I stop filming. “Have you
been feeling better since you stopped taking the pills, April?”

  “A little, though I’ve been jittery lately, like I’m hopped up on caffeine. And I’ve been sweating a lot more lately.”

  I run a hand through my hair and raise an eyebrow. I’d seen Dodge go through that once before. “Maybe it’s a detox from the pills. There might be something harmful in them they missed in the testing that affects people differently.”

  She shrugs and leans against me. “I’ve also been more tired lately.”

  I gently rub her back as I hold her close. “You never told me who gave you the pills.”

  “I told you. It was a friend from ballet.”

  “Which friend?” I ask.

  April looks at me, and I feel like her glance could kill if she wanted. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Just curious.”

  April sighs. “Just a friend. She was looking out for me when no one else did. And I told you she’d get in trouble about it since she took them from her mom.”

  I nod. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry and be your daddy.”

  “I know. I love you, Luke. Don’t worry I won’t break up with you because you’re ‘daddying’ me.”

  “Well, good. I might be a little worried if you were.” I watch Jason who is stretching in a corner of the room. “He’s really good,” I say.

  “Yeah, he is. They think he might be the next main dancer in

  the New York Ballet. So I’m really lucky I was able to ask him to be my partner. I was almost surprised Jennifer hadn’t convinced him to be her partner.”

  Jason snorts as he comes to stand beside April. “That’s because Jennifer is stuck up and thought she deserved to work with me. And that I should be honored to work with you. You very nicely asked me if I wanted to be your partner.”

  I smirk. “That’s because April is very sweet about asking people to do things for her. Rather than demand, you do them.”

  “I guess,” April says, blushing as she fiddles with her black ballet skirt.

  That’s my April, modest to a fault. I glance up when I feel more people watching us. Sarah, Ashley, and Ashley’s boyfriend are watching us.