Chasing Jillian: A Love and Football Novel

by Julie Brannagh

  “That . . . that would be great,” she stammered and smiled in return.

  “Have a nice evening. Drive safely,” he said. He gave her another nod.

  He punched the “Power” button on the sound system. AC/DC blasted over the speakers. He jumped onto the treadmill she’d been using minutes before, hit “Start,” and began to run.

  ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT, but Jillian’s date remained the same. As always, a puffball of ginger fur named Crème Brulee, or CB for short, curled up next to her on the couch. She’d gotten Crème Brulee from someone giving away kittens in front of the grocery store a couple of months ago. Her apartment was cozier with the cat. Plus, she’d always wanted a kitten. It was beyond Jillian why this should be different from any other Friday night, but somehow, it felt like it should be. Everything was somewhat normal for her. Well, except for the part where she’d met the most gorgeous guy to have spoken to her in years. Maybe she’d see him again on Monday when she went to work. Surely he was just being polite when he told her he’d see her around. He couldn’t really mean it, right?

  She let out a groan and covered her face with her hands, though, when she remembered that he knew how much she weighed. She’d awoken the puffball with an unexpected noise. CB batted at her with one small paw.

  CB let out an injured mew, hopped off the couch, and scampered away. Jillian knew she’d find the kitten asleep on her pillow later.

  She hurried over to the laptop on the little desk in the kitchen, pulled up Google, and searched on Seth’s name. She sank into a chair while she read. He was six-foot-four, and she weighed practically as much as he did. Well, not quite, but still . . . She let out a long sigh. He was two years younger than she was. It also seemed Seth had been busy. He was single. “Very single,” according to one of the most recent fan websites she looked at. In Google Images, she found a series of photos of him with multiple tall, dark-haired women, each more gorgeous than the last.

  Irritated, Jillian shut the laptop lid with a click, got up from her chair, and hurried into the bathroom. She’d stood in front of a full-length mirror so many times, but it always showed her the same thing. She wasn’t unattractive, but she could use a little more self-confidence and a lot more toning. She wasn’t asking for physical perfection, but she’d like to make some changes. If she made a plan, started slowly, and kept at it, she’d see a difference. The biggest changes needed to start on the inside, though. Maybe if she got out a little more, she might meet a guy who was interested in her. Seth was gorgeous, but he wasn’t really in her universe. Jillian went into the kitchen, grabbed a frozen low-calorie dinner out of the freezer, ripped off the cardboard lid, and shoved it into the microwave. Dinner would taste a whole lot better if it was accompanied by half a bag of chips and some ranch dip. But that wasn’t an option right now. She opened the refrigerator door to look for some type of fresh vegetable.

  She pushed the fridge door shut after a fruitless search and rummaged around in her apartment’s tiny pantry. She located a can of peas. Peas were good. Plus, there weren’t many calories in peas. Maybe she could fill up on them if the diet dinner didn’t cut it.

  Jillian’s love/hate relationship with her body and food had started when she was little. Most of the time, there wasn’t enough to eat. She ended up in a foster home at three years old after her mother died in a car wreck, and she was moved a few times before she entered elementary school. Things got a little better for Jillian when she was placed in a more permanent foster home, but she was still so hungry. No matter how much she ate, she wanted more. When she was old enough to make her own money, she made sure there was more than enough food, and that’s when the problems began. Even more than a diet or a new workout regime, she needed to focus on the great things in her life. She’d build a healthier lifestyle as a result. Change from the inside would last a lot longer. She wanted to build on the goals she’d already achieved and reach out for more of the things she wanted in life: a husband. A family. To belong.

  SETH FELL INTO bed later in his new house, tossing and turning for a few minutes as he waited to fall asleep. It had been a long and frustrating day. He could only imagine what waited for him on voice mail from Kim. If he’d made her so unhappy, maybe she should be relieved to be rid of him, but he knew she’d never see it that way.

  He’d rummaged around in the storage room at the team headquarters a little before he’d left; he found an Under Armour T-shirt and shorts that looked like they would fit Jillian. She had some cross-trainers, but she’d need better ones. He wasn’t sure why he even gave a shit. But his actions showed he did.

  The women in his world were physically perfect. They were all beautiful, long-legged, and willing to do just about anything to spend time with a pro athlete. The older he got, though, the more he realized the party was over, at least for him. Kim was the third woman in four years who had looked great from the outside but turned out to be a nightmare when he’d looked any deeper. If he was truthful, he’d say she was a placeholder, which made him a real asshole too. He knew he didn’t want to marry her. He should have ended things a long time ago. It was an excuse, but he didn’t want to be alone. He’d jumped at the opportunity to be traded to Seattle. He’d enjoyed San Diego, but it was time to leave. Seattle offered opportunities he’d never get there: a championship. More money. A different atmosphere. His agents had put out the lure; Seattle bit, and here he was.

  He’d told Jillian he’d see her around. Mostly, he wanted to find out if she was as funny and sweet as she seemed. Something about her touched something inside of him too. She was different than the women with whom he typically spent time, and he was curious. Maybe he could arrange to run into her on Monday at the facility.

  Minutes later, Seth was dreaming about Jillian. Actually, he was dreaming of her eyes: big, as blue as the forget-me-nots his mom had in her garden, and flashing with irritation. He’d seen tears in those eyes too and sincere amusement when she smiled at him. He wondered what he’d see in her eyes if he stripped her clothes off and laid her down in his bed. Were her nipples the same shade of pink as the subtle flush that spread over her cheeks when she was embarrassed? What did she taste like? She’d probably knee him or something if he came on to her. Then again, in his dream, she slowly took his clothes off and pushed him down instead. She climbed on top of him, and she unhurriedly sank onto him. She felt so good. She was tight and hot, and she was saying his name . . .

  “Seth. Seth. What the hell is going on?”

  He awoke with a start. His kid sister, Lauren, was standing over him. He’d had the house for a week, but he’d been dumb enough to give her a key. He thought the drop-ins would slow down when she finally moved into her sorority house at the University of Washington—apparently not.

  “You were groaning. Did you just get home?” she said.

  “Huh?” He wanted to go back to sleep, but Lauren wasn’t letting that happen, at least not right now.

  “I came over here because you didn’t answer your freaking cell phone.”

  “It’s broken. What the hell do you want?”

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I’ll leave.”

  “No.” He sat up. Even in the darkness, he grabbed a pillow to put over his crotch. Shit. What a dream. He’d have to spend some time later figuring out why he was dreaming about a woman he’d just met, but there wasn’t time to delve into the depths of his psyche (or his hard dick) right now. “Did you want to talk to me or something?”

  “I’m fine. I wanted to get out of the sorority house for a little while, so it wasn’t all bad.” Lauren threw herself down on the corner of the bed. “Mom called. She thought you’d been eaten by wolves.”

  He saw her swallow hard in the illumination filtering into his room from the hallway light and watched her fingers pluck at the fabric of the comforter on his bed. Lauren and his mom had panicked. He stifled a long sigh. He wondered how many years it would be before any member of his family wouldn’t imagine the worst every time
he wasn’t immediately reachable.

  He worried about them too, despite pretending that he didn’t.

  He attempted to sound irritated. “What time is it?” he said.

  “A little after ten. Don’t tell me you’re getting old, Seth. You’re in bed and asleep at this time on a Friday night? That’s tragic.”

  “You should try it.” He sat up a bit more and surreptitiously adjusted himself beneath the pillow.

  “Yeah, right.” Lauren reached out to flip on the bedside lamp. “Have you eaten?”

  “Hours ago. Are you hungry?”

  “A little.” She fiddled with the base of the lamp for some unknown reason.

  He suppressed a groan and got out of bed. “Pizza?”

  “Okay.” She scampered after him. “Vegetarian?”

  “Fine.”

  Chapter Two

  JILLIAN PULLED HERSELF out of bed on Monday morning to a screeching alarm clock and a very active kitten. CB chased her as she hurried to the shower. He wasn’t too interested in the water, but he did like sitting on the side of the tub. She quickly dressed, brushed her hair, and for once, she applied a bit of mascara, a swipe of blush, and some lip gloss. This was not for Seth, she sternly told herself. This was for her. She always felt more confident when she looked nice.

  As she walked over the threshold of the front office, she moved toward her desk. She was a little early, but her boss was already in.

  “Hey, Jillian,” she heard her boss, John, call out. “Will you come in here for a minute?”

  She hoped Seth hadn’t told on her using the weight room over the weekend. That would be a disaster. “I’ll be right there.”

  She tried to still the butterflies in her stomach as she walked into John’s office. He was usually fairly unflappable, but she had seen what happened when he was angry with someone. She’d like to avoid ever being that someone.

  He indicated one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Hey. Sit down.” Oh no. She must be in trouble. He tapped away on his laptop for a few more seconds, clicked the mouse, and glanced up from his work. “I was wondering if you could help me out with something.”

  “Sure.”

  “My girlfriend’s birthday is next week. I’m a little torn about what to get for her.” He gave Jillian a wry smile. “I don’t want her to think that I just raced out and bought something at the last minute, but I’m not sure what she’s going to want. She likes clothing, but I always choose the wrong things. There’s only so much jewelry one woman can wear too. What would you suggest?”

  Jillian tried to imagine a world in which there was only so much jewelry a woman could wear. She couldn’t. “Why don’t you take her somewhere overnight, even if you stay in town? I know she likes spending time with you.”

  “Jillian, you’re good for my ego. Remind me you need a raise.” She had to grin. “So, where do you think I should take her?”

  “There are lots of places you could go. Would you like to go wine tasting? Does she like to dance?”

  “We haven’t been dancing together for a while.” He looked a little helpless. “Could you check this out for me? I’ll make the reservations and stuff, but I know you’re great at putting information together so I can decide at a glance.”

  “I’ll get right on it, John.”

  “Thanks.” Jillian got up to walk out of the office, but she heard John’s voice once more. “Seriously. Thank you. And if I haven’t said so lately, I really appreciate all the extra stuff you do around here to make things easier for me.”

  “I’m happy to do it.” She sank into a chair at her desk, John’s compliments still ringing in her ears. She’d work even harder.

  A couple of hours later, Jillian had selected three hotels for John’s getaway with Sophie, worked on some business correspondence, answered a flurry of phone calls, and tried to push any thoughts of Seth completely out of her mind. John had left the office for a luncheon meeting and wouldn’t be back until late afternoon.

  No matter how many times she’d told herself over the weekend that Seth wasn’t counting the minutes until he saw her again, that his “See you around” when she’d left the other night was right up there with every guy who told a woman “I’ll call you” but didn’t, she wished he was. She knew he was probably in the weight room or on the practice field with his teammates; there was little to no chance she’d run into him again during her work hours. She stifled the resulting sigh.

  She glanced at the clock on her computer monitor: only a few more minutes until lunchtime. She slipped off her dress shoes and reached into her desk drawer for the pair of cross-trainers she’d brought to work today. She’d go for a short walk outside in the sunshine. A few minutes after that, she’d reheat the leftovers she’d brought for lunch and eat at her desk while her coworker Vivian took her own lunch hour.

  Jillian jammed her feet into the cross-trainers. She stood up from her desk as the clock struck twelve.

  “I’ll be back in an hour, Vivian,” she called out.

  “I’m guessing you’re going for a walk. It’s nice out there,” Vivian said and grabbed the receiver of her desk phone as it rang.

  Jillian pocketed her cell phone and let herself out the front door of the facility. She breathed in fresh air; it had the slight tang of falling leaves and the underlying chill of oncoming fall. Bright sunshine and blue skies beckoned. The street in front of the Sharks’ practice facility was deserted. She couldn’t hear the typical practice noises from the field, so the players must have had something else to do. She had the sidewalk to herself.

  Even a confirmed exercise-hater could enjoy a walk during September in Seattle. Birds sang. A squirrel darted across the street in search of food. The distant hum of traffic was almost soothing. She concentrated on breathing deeply as she set a slow but steady pace.

  Minutes later, she heard the unmistakable “slap, slap” of the soles of someone’s shoes hitting the pavement behind her. She heard a newly familiar voice as she turned to look.

  “Hey, it’s me,” Seth said as he stopped a couple of feet away from her, running in place. “What’s up, exercise warrior?”

  She told herself to remain calm while she resisted the urge to jump up and down like a nut. “Not a lot,” she said. “How are you?”

  “Doing well,” he said. “I thought I’d get a little running in before I knock off for the day. Want some company?” He nodded at the deserted road in front of them.

  “I’d enjoy that.” She tried to keep her voice casual. He grinned at her again. The beautiful day paled in comparison to his smile. Maybe she should pinch herself; she had to be dreaming.

  “I’ll try to keep it under a hundred,” he teased.

  “You do that,” she said.

  Of course, he laughed and took off like someone was chasing him. He wasn’t even breathing hard.

  Jillian attempted to keep up with him, but his legs were so long that she had to take two steps for each one of his. His idea of a “walk” could incapacitate a normal person. She made it about half a block before bending over at the waist and trying to catch her breath. He doubled back, reached out for Jillian’s wrist, and felt for her pulse. She wondered how much of her heart rate was due to exertion and how much was Seth standing less than a foot from her.

  “Okay. I’ll slow down, Shorty,” he said. “Breathe.”

  “Right.” She took great gulps of air. Maybe she should trip him—if she lived through the next thirty seconds or so. That might slow him down.

  Her heart rate was returning somewhat to normal. She might live. She straightened up again.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. Yeah. Let’s go.” She told herself to stop nodding like a bobblehead. The women he dated were probably used to attention from guys like him. She wasn’t. Maybe she should try treating him like anyone else; she might forget her nervousness around him as a result.

  “I’ll take it easy,” he assured her. “I sometimes forget that everyone
else doesn’t run wind sprints on a daily basis.”

  She took another deep breath as he switched to a walk. She couldn’t imagine what kind of hell a “wind sprint” was.

  “You can outrun me, but I bet I can type faster than you can,” she blurted out.

  He burst out laughing. “I’ll bet you can too, Jill.” He swung his arms as she struggled to keep up with him. “By the way, I found a T-shirt and a pair of shorts you might like. They’re back at the building,” he said. He gestured at her cross-trainers. “There’s some new cross-trainers in the equipment closet too.”

  Any shoes available in the Sharks’ equipment closet were top of the line—with a price tag to match.

  “I’ll think about it,” she said as she glanced up at him.

  “Hey. The best part is the price. It’s all free.”

  He did lunges as she attempted to keep up.

  “It’s nice of you to offer,” she said. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s just say I like company when I’m getting in another couple of miles in the afternoon,” he said. His voice dropped. “I’m actually kind of a selfish bastard, so it’s good to share the pain. And the stuff from the equipment closet.”

  She had to laugh. “Your generosity is overwhelming.”

  “That’s right. I’m a giver. Plus, I just moved here. I don’t know anyone in the Seattle area besides my family. I love them, but I’ve had enough of them for a while. I thought we could help each other out. You show me some of the places you like to go or stuff you like to do, and I can offer my training expertise.” He gave her a nod. “I’m already broadening my horizons. This is the first time I’ve been out of the building since I got here.”

  Jillian stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. She really wanted to spend more time with him, but she didn’t want to feel like he felt sorry for her or whatever. “It’s really nice of you to think of me, but don’t worry about it. Don’t you have some supermodel to take to lunch or something?”

  Seth turned to glance at her. “Unless Vivian’s a supermodel in her spare time, I’m fresh out of them.” His mouth curved into a smile. “Right now, you’re getting all my attention.” Jillian’s mouth opened, but he interrupted her. “Do you know how much I could charge as a personal trainer?” he teased.