Playing the Game: Providence University Book 6

by Parker, Ali

  “As long as you don’t surprise me in bad ways, I’ll learn to love it.” I was still on pins and needles waiting for the reveal. “As for patience, I guess so. I mean, it took you long enough to get with me.”

  “I had to take it slow. And it’s a good thing I did. You’re all virginal and pure. I still feel like a jerk. You deserved better.”

  “Stop saying that. I want you.” My smile faded. “You’re stuck with me.”

  “Promise?” His smile was wider than ever.

  It felt good to know I made him that happy. “Yes.”

  About that time, he slowed the car and turned into a small lot that was situated just near a small café. The quaint spot was covered with ivy, and there were flowering trees and shrubs all around.

  “Is this the place?” The sign was white with gold leaf. “The Tiger Lily Café?”

  “Best breakfast anywhere,” he said. “And it’s kind of charming, I guess.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

  “Kind of charming? This place belongs in a movie. And no offense, but it’s kind of the last place I’d expect you to bring me, much less know about.”

  “Because I’m just a big, rough, rugby player?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  He laughed, and I hoped I hadn’t offended him. “I found it a while back,” he explained. “When I was having problems and needed to get away, I used to come here and escape. I figured it was the last place anyone would look for me. Here, I can be myself, not who anyone expects me to be.”

  “You got that right. It’s unexpected, for sure. But I like it.” I looked back at the building. “So, the best breakfast in town? I’ll have to be the judge of that.”

  “No, the best anywhere. You’ll see.” He killed the Jeep and got out to come around and help me out, even though I was already standing by the door.

  Seth took my hand and shut the door of the Jeep. We went inside and got a table. As we ordered, we talked. “I have a playoff game tomorrow. Coach is going to kill me if I’m not at practice on time.”

  “Yeah, well, our team only has one more game, and we’re out.” I shrugged as if it was nothing.

  “You don’t seem to care much.”

  “It’s not like it’s going to be my career.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess I have a lot of time to decide.”

  “At least you have options.”

  “I’ve only ever really wanted a husband and a family most of all. I know it sounds a bit old fashioned, and it’s not like I want to be a stay-at-home mom, but I can have that and a career. My mother did. And things were fine until my father screwed it all up.” I let out a deep breath. “I guess I just want that because I want to see that it can be done. I want to see that it’s possible, and succeed at it the way my parents didn’t.”

  When our food came, which was another surprise Seth ordered for us, I couldn’t believe how big the portions were. “I hope you brought your appetite,” he said.

  “As it turns out, someone gave me a big appetite this morning.” I grinned at him, thinking how he could have kept me in bed, and we could have made love all day. But bringing me out on a date and spending time with me showed me how much he cared about more than just sex with me. As it turned out, sex was the easy part and the rest of the time together was the hard part. But Seth was already proving himself to be more than I ever dreamed of.

  We ate and took our time walking around the small town. We went to an antique shop, where everything smelled like mothballs and cloves, and after, we took a walk to the old pier and kissed like no one was watching.

  The small town was busy with its day to day, and we fit right in.

  “We should head back,” said Seth with a regretful look. “I don’t want to upset Coach or give him a reason to say I told you so.”

  “And I don’t want that either. But I wish we could stay.” It was nice to get away with him.

  “Me too. I like it here. I guess that’s why I keep coming back. I know it’s silly, but it’s like one of those Norman Rockwell paintings. Everything looks perfect and frozen in time. I guess I always wished for a place like this growing up.”

  “Thanks for bringing me and spending the day with me.” I had learned so much about him, and it was like he had literally shown me a secret piece of his world that no one else knew anything about. That made it all the more special.

  He was doing a wonderful job of proving himself to me and was off to a great start.

  Chapter 14

  Seth

  The game had me psyched as I made another score, even though I had nearly blown it with Coach the day before.

  Not only did Avery and I get back to her house and fall asleep together on her couch while killing time before practice, but when we finally got our asses to practice, we were almost twenty minutes late.

  Avery had to run laps as punishment the entire time, while Coach Carr had me run drills, and I had to stay late and run laps as well. Since both of us were late, it couldn’t help but be obvious, but we played it off as if we had never been together, each having our own excuses and vowing not to ever let it happen again.

  I doubted Coach was buying it. Especially because every time I scored, I had to look into the stands and see my girl cheering me on.

  Despite that, I was going to do my damnedest not to give Coach a reason to think we were trouble together. Or that Avery was somehow going to make me be a terrible player.

  Knowing she was in those stands watching me and cheering me on made me want to play better. I had someone to show off for, and that did wonders for my motivation.

  I ran the next play, and when the ball was passed to me, I carried it to the try line, dropped the ball, and kicked it into the goal for another three-point score to win the game.

  Avery went nuts in the stands, and Abigail, who was sitting with her, was grinning ear to ear. At least one of her friends approved, but still not Clara, who was bound to be suspicious by now if Dillon had told her anything.

  The team cheered, and everyone ran over to celebrate. Even Carver and Motor were high-fiving and yelling with excitement.

  Coach walked up and patted me on the back. “Good game, son. I see your girlfriend is impressed. Way to score.” He gave me a knowing look and walked away to talk to the other team’s coach.

  I had a feeling that the last bit wasn’t about the game, but I wasn’t going to let on. There was no sense for him to worry about what was going on.

  I followed the team into the locker room after, and while everyone was cheering my name, Motor and Carver were mumbling under their breaths. “Did you see her in the crowd? You can’t tell me they weren’t together. And Coach didn’t do shit about it. He still got to play the whole game.”

  “Do you have a problem?” I asked, overhearing their issues. “I have better hearing than you think.”

  “Good for you. We were just saying how it sucks that some of the players can be late for practice and have to sit out a game, but some get to forget the rules whenever they want.”

  “He won the game, Motor,” Paul said. “Be glad he was able to play.”

  “Yeah, someone had to take up your slack,” I said, egging it on.

  “Fuck you! If you weren’t Coach’s pet, we’d all be treated fairly.”

  “And you’d be going home a loser,” said Olly Lewis, who was shaking his head. “You can start bitching when you start scoring.” Olly hadn’t seen but a handful of minutes on the field all season.

  Things fell quiet as Coach walked into the room. “Do you ladies have a problem?” he asked. “When I walk into this kind of silence, my spidey senses make me a little suspicious.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said. I hoped the others would drop it. We had won the game, and they were just sore they hadn’t made the winning goal.

  Paul waited until the two stooges went to wash their dirty asses. “You know they’re pissed about yesterday, right?”

  “I paid f
or that.”

  “But you didn’t have to sit out of the game. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not mad. Hell, I think it’s stupid. You were late. It’s not like you totally missed everything, but they all noticed you and Avery were both late. They checked. So they think you missed because you were fucking around with her.”

  “And so what if I was? I’m allowed to date. And I made up for being late by staying late. If they have a problem, they can come to me with it. You see how hard Coach rides my ass. I get no slack, even if you call me his favorite, which I don’t believe.”

  “So, you were with her?”

  “We fell asleep on her couch watching TV. It won’t happen again.” I didn’t care if he knew the truth. He was about the only one of the guys who never made trouble.

  “I wouldn’t let it. Carver has it in his head he’s going to take your spot before the season’s over. It’s his goal.”

  With just a handful of games left, I wasn’t going to let it bother me. “I’m not worried. He’ll have to do what he has to do. But he’s in for a hell of a fight if he tries.”

  Paul held up his hands. “I thought you’d want to know is all.”

  “Thanks.” He meant well, but all I wanted to do was get cleaned up and go out to see Avery.

  When I walked out, looking across the parking lot for her, I spotted her and Abigail standing by the girl’s car.

  They were both laughing and giggling, and I wondered if I was responsible for the smile on her face. Her smile was the best.

  “Hey,” she said as I walked out to say hello. “I hope this isn’t too obvious.”

  “You mean more obvious than you yelling for me from the sidelines? Nah, I’m sure no one will catch on.” I gave her a quick kiss, and it was hard not to make it last.

  “I’ll just give you two a little time,” said Abigail, who went to get in her car, leaving us alone.

  “I guess there’s a victory party at Omega tonight. I know you’re kind of expected, but after the last time, I hope you don’t mind if I sit this one out.”

  I wasn’t sure if I was hearing her right. “Are you saying you trust me to go alone?”

  “Yeah, I trust you. I may not trust the cheerleading squad, but I do trust you.” That alone was more than I could ask for. But there was no way I was going to let her go spend the night alone while I celebrated.

  “How about I take you out instead? I mean, we could go and have a nice quiet dinner somewhere.”

  “You mean no party? You’re going to catch hell if you’re not there. I know how it is with the Omegas.”

  “I’m not a pledge, so I’m not beholden to them. Besides, I really don’t want to go. I’d rather spend some time with my girl.”

  Her cheeks turned pink as her smile grew brighter. “I’ll tell Abi that I’m going to catch a ride with you.”

  “Did you have plans?” I wondered if she and Abigail had already decided on something else together.

  “No, she has to go home and study. She has a big test next week and wanted to get a head start.”

  At least she wasn’t ditching her friends for me. I didn’t need anyone else to get upset about us.

  I walked her over to the car and waited as she ran to the door and Abi put her window down. It only took a second for them to exchange a few words, and Abi looked up at me in surprise and smiled.

  “I think you impressed her,” said Avery as she approached.

  “All I’m worried about is impressing you.”

  “You’ve already done that,” she said. “So, where do you want to go?”

  “How about a burger? Or pizza? We could go to DeAngelo’s.”

  “Okay. I’d like that. But are you sure it’s okay? I don’t want to cause problems.”

  “You’re not. And no one can tell me where I can and can’t be seen with you. That’s up to us, and I say, screw them. Let’s do what we want.” I had already won one victory, and being with her officially was like winning another one.

  * * *

  I drove her out to DeAngelo’s, and despite the busy night, we only saw one other couple we knew, and that happened to be Layla and Jayce of all people.

  They sat on the other side of the restaurant from us thankfully, but I wondered if Avery was okay. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s not like you knew they’d be here, and they’re way over there. If you’re okay, I’m okay.”

  “I’m good.”

  “No more apologies.”

  She was so good about it, and I wondered again how I got so lucky.

  I polished off half a pizza before she could even eat two slices. And when we were laughing and talking, Jayce and Layla stopped by the table on their way out.

  “Hi, guys,” said Layla.

  Jayce shook my hand. “How’s it going, man?”

  “Great, thanks.”

  Layla gestured to the pizza. “I see Seth ordered his favorite.”

  “Actually, that’s mine,” said Avery. “Is it yours too?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah. You’re the first person who liked the ham as much as me.”

  “Well, it looks like you two have a lot in common,” said Layla with a sweet grin. She was always so pretty, but Avery was pretty and more. It was strange that I was finally over her and moved on. Back when I first lost her, I went through a spell of thinking I’d made the biggest mistake ever, but Avery had put all that to rest.

  “Yeah, I don’t have to compromise and have pineapple,” I said, giving her a teasing look.

  “Oh no, you eat pineapple on your pizza?” Avery giggled.

  Jayce nodded. “Yeah, now I get to compromise.”

  “Hey,” said Layla. “I’m worth it.”

  “That, you are.” Jayce turned his attention to me. “Great game by the way. We caught the last half. You played like a beast, man. Impressive.”

  “Thanks.” I wasn’t sure if Jayce was taking that friendship deal to his head, but that was all right with me. “It was good having Avery there to cheer me on. I felt like I was back on my game for the first time in a long time.”

  “Are you going to the victory party at Omega after?” asked Layla.

  Avery busied herself with her drink as I responded. “No. I thought I’d sit this one out. It gets old, and I have better places to be now.”

  “Good call,” said Jayce.

  “Well, it was good to see you,” said Layla. “You two take care of each other.” She gave Avery a big smile, and the two of them left.

  Avery looked at me with red cheeks. “I can see why you were in love with her.”

  “Love? I’m not sure it was that anymore.”

  “It’s okay. I understand if you were.”

  “With Lay, it was just different. I think we needed each other for more than love, you know?”

  “You call her Lay?”

  “It’s her nickname,” I said with a laugh.

  “Could you maybe just say Layla? Lay just brings up other images, and while I’m not a jealous girlfriend, I’d rather not have those in my mind.” She laughed it off, but I could tell it was awkward for her.

  “Right. Sorry. I never looked at it that way. A lot of her friends call her that.” I shrugged it off and swiped another piece of the pizza.

  “You’re putting that away like a garbage disposal. I don’t see how you eat that much.” She was on her third slice and taking it slowly, picking at the crust.

  “Play hard, work hard, eat a ton to make up for it.”

  “Clara thinks I’m bad.”

  “Speaking of your sister, does she know about us?”

  She gave me a nervous look. “Well, Clara is complicated. With her health issues, all of her past problems, and the fact that she doesn’t think you’re good for me, I haven’t told her yet.”

  “Oh, I see. And what if I said she just walked through the door?” I gestured in that direction.

  Avery’s eyes widened as she looked over to the door and held her hand up in case she needed to hide behind it. �
�You tricked me!”

  I laughed, but I felt a little sting that she might not ever tell her sister about us. I knew it was a touchy topic, and Clara’s health was part of the reason. “It’s okay. I get it. You care about your sister’s feelings.” I shrugged, knowing if it were me and Bryan, my brother would be over-the-moon happy for me. What if Clara never accepted us, and what if the rest of her family felt the same?

  “You scared me.”

  “You’re scared of your sister?” I didn’t get that part of it.

  “No, not of her, but of hurting her, yes. She wouldn’t take this well. And she doesn’t need a shock to her system. Not with a bad heart.”

  “I see. I didn’t realize she was so bad off.” I’d heard that she had some problems but thought the worst was behind her.

  “Yeah. She’s fragile, and I don’t want to kill my sister.” She laughed it off, but I could tell it really bothered her. I thought of Bryan and how I hadn’t really told her anything about him.

  I guessed we both had our secrets. I just still wasn’t sure when to tell her about him and how. I figured that proving myself to her first might be the best course of action.

  Chapter 15

  Avery

  I watched Seth lean over the table. His cue stick was lined up perfectly for the shot, and his tongue was stuck out from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on making his final shot. With a quick motion, he struck the cue ball and sent it quickly into the eight, which took a hard hit at the bank and stopped just shy of where he needed it.

  “Dammit,” he said.

  “You hit it too hard,” I said.

  “Yeah, well, it’s not often anyone gives me a run for my money on the table. You’ve played before.”

  “My dad had a table in the basement when I was younger. When he and Mom divorced, he left it down there. His new place was too nice for an old bar relic, but I spent a lot of time down there playing while working out my feelings.”

  “Well, you still have one shot to make. Let’s see what you’ve got.” He sat and watched as I lined up the next shot. I knew exactly which English to use and the light touch needed to bank a side pocket.