Game On(16)

As we neared the hotel, she turned the radio down.

“You’ll be back tomorrow, right?”

“Of course.” I wasn’t leaving until I got my interview.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled up at me. “And in case I didn’t say it already, thanks.”

I’d had Mandy drop me a short walk from the hotel. I needed to clear my head. The day had cooled off and the walk back to the hotel was just what I needed. It gave me a chance to admire how beautiful Austin was in the daytime. All the gorgeous old buildings, accented by huge lush trees everywhere. The whole place felt timeless and modern at once somehow, big skyscrapers peering out between columned hotels like the Driskill. I bet from above the whole city glittered.

As I walked, I started to feel better. There was a lake near the hotel, Lady Bird Lake, and I stopped there to watch people playing with their dogs and couples walking hand in hand. It was peaceful and I was feeling the same.

Sure, things with Nathan had started out rocky, but now I had match-made my way into two of his friends’ good graces. That could only help my situation. An extra bonus on top of the fact that I liked Chris and Mandy. I didn’t even know them that well, but I wanted both of them to be happy.

As far as my progress, I wasn’t quite where I would have been if last night hadn’t happened, but I was better than I had been when I woke up this morning. And I had time. If anyone was going to get a story out of Nathan Ryder, it was going to be me. And I wasn’t leaving Austin until I had it.





Chapter Six


I woke to a text message from Mandy. As I squinted at the bright screen of my phone in the dark of my room, I groaned. It wasn’t even that early, but the margaritas yesterday probably didn’t help.

Today will be hot. Wear shorts. Mandy.

Thank you, Mandy, my new best friend.

It was only a half hour until my alarm was set to go off, so I got up and took a long shower. Yesterday I had looked like the worst version of myself; today was not going to be the same. I was going to look fantastic.

The heat and my sweat was going to be murder on my hair no matter what, but still, I took my time with it, drying and styling it, hoping that it would last at least until I saw Nathan. I left it down this time. It gave me grief, but when I got it to behave, it treated me very well.

Even though the weather report said it was going to be about the same temperature as yesterday, I took Mandy’s advice. I thought about what she had been wearing yesterday—a pretty little sundress—and took my lead from that. I looked regretfully at the nice slacks and jacket I had packed, realizing that they were definitely the wrong fashion choice. Looking like a journalist would probably make Nathan even more skittish. I had to look like myself. Like a person he could talk to. Luckily I had brought enough everyday clothes to make it through the interview process.

I didn’t have a sundress, so I pulled a pair of jean shorts from the drawer and paired it with my favorite gray T-shirt and sneakers. The whole thing was casual—not too ratty, but nothing overtly professional that screamed, “I am a reporter here to interview you and get all your deepest darkest secrets and put them out in the world for everyone to read.” He wouldn’t talk to me if he thought I was here looking for a scandal. I had to find a way to make him trust me.

It was more crowded than yesterday, though I spotted a few girls I recognized. I waved and they, reluctantly it seemed, waved back. Maybe they didn’t think I was the worst person ever.

Mandy was already in the stands when I arrived at the field, dressed in another cute sundress, this one green, her hair clearly styled and paired with a nice shade of pink lipstick. Subtle, but cute. Good girl, Mandy, I thought. She wasn’t going to let yesterday’s progress with Chris get derailed. In fact, she was going to take advantage of the situation. I knew I liked her. Girl knew how to take initiative. Smart.

Apparently it had worked and caught Chris’ attention because he was leaning against the railing in his uniform, with Nathan at his side. Both of them were smiling and laughing with Mandy, but only one of them noticed my approach.

Even from across the field, I could see Nathan’s jaw drop. Thank you, Mandy, I thought to myself, as his eyes scanned my body, each inch of my skin heating as his gaze passed over it. Even though my outfit wasn’t anything special, it definitely showed off my long legs, and if I turned around, he’d get a pretty good view of my ass. Served him right, really, for distracting me all of yesterday with his rear. Payback was a bitch, I thought.

His mouth was slack, his eyes round. Now that I had his attention, I just had to hold on to it. As I reached them, I swept my hair back over my shoulder. Slowly. It was one of my favorite moves. A crowd-pleaser if the crowd was full of horny guys, which, let’s face it, was basically every bar, restaurant, or sports stadium in America. The move gave guys a chance to imagine how their hands would feel tangled in my hair and immediately gave them a better view of how deep the V in my V-neck shirt was.

And Nathan got quite the view.

“Morning,” I said, joining the group.

“Rose,” Nathan responded, his voice low. It took me a moment to realize he was referencing our Titanic exchange from the other night.

I glanced over at him, and caught the hint of a smile on his lips before he turned and headed over towards the other players. He had made a joke! That had to be a good sign. Not to mention he had definitely enjoyed the view. As did I, I noted, watching him walk away. He had a great walk. And a great ass. God bless those uniforms.