The Romantic Pact (Kings of Football)(77)

“Are you going to delight me with some facts?”

“Only if you want them.”

“I want everything you can offer me,” I say, with a wiggle of my brow.

His eyes narrow, humor pulling at his lips. “Be careful what you say, Twigs.” We make a right turn, not minding where we’re going, just getting lost in the snow-covered town. “If you were to look at the town from an aerial view, you’d see that it’s actually a big circle, and that’s because fifteen million years ago, a meteor struck the Earth here and changed the soil. When people began to settle here, the settlers thought it was the perfect shape to offer protection, not knowing what lay beneath.”

“The meteor?” I ask, getting into the story.

“Well, no. They didn’t realize that they built a town on a gold mine, or diamond mine, if you will.”

“What? This town is built on diamonds?”

“Seventy-two thousand tons of diamonds, to be exact.”

“What?” I ask, my eyes now searching every building. “Are you serious?”

Crew nods. “The buildings and streets are embedded with microscopic diamonds. Some might say this could be one of the richest towns in Germany, and yet, they don’t have access to any of the riches.”

“Wow, that’s crazy. Man, if I lived here, I’d find a way to gather those diamonds.”

“Nah, you wouldn’t.” Crew wraps his arm around my shoulder. “You’re too loyal. You’d just brag to anyone who came to visit that you paid way less for your house than its actually worth.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“I am. I know you, Hazel. You’re not the kind of person who would sell out.”

“No, I’m not.”

Crew is silent for a second, and then he asks, “So, what’s happening with the farm?”

“I don’t know. Things have been in limbo. Something about Pops’s lawyer not being available. I’m really unsure. I know there’ve been investors from the city who have been interested in the land.”

“What? Really? I didn’t know that.”

“I tend not to mention it because if I think about it, I get too sick. They want the land for an outlet mall. Pops has been adamant about not selling. They also want to connect a highway, and the farm is in the way. Big-city people have been sniffing around for a while.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to believe it,” I say. “I didn’t want to think of it as an option. I mean, what if Pops left the farm to your mom and dad? Their life is in California, their business is there, and they can’t just pick up and move. And I love your uncle Paul, but he has no idea what to do when it comes to the farm. He’s so far removed that I think he’d be overwhelmed. I know Pops met with some investors this past summer, but I’ve no idea how that went.” I try not to tear up, but my eyes still become damp. “I don’t know what I’d do, to be honest. I haven’t been very smart regarding my future, because I thought I’d work at the farm my whole life, for some reason. I have no higher education on my resume, and there aren’t a lot of thriving farms in Upstate New York looking for a farmhand my size.”

“Hey, you can haul bales just like the rest of the guys, if not better.”

“You know what I mean. I just don’t have a lot to offer other than what I’m doing, and that scares me.”

Crew kisses the top of my head. “I want you to know you have so much more to offer than you think, but I know the feeling. If football doesn’t work out, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do.”

“Do you want football to work out?” I ask, my pulse picking up. This is a subject I do and do not want to address, because it makes the future that much closer. And I like where I am right now—with Crew.

“It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of—playing on the big stage. If it doesn’t happen, I’m not sure what’s left for me to do.”

I nod and try to keep my voice level. “So, what happens if you do well at the combine?”

“Well, if I perform—when we get back, I have to hit the gym and the field hard to prepare, because I’ll have just over a month to get myself ready—then I’ll enter myself in the draft. From there, I just wait to see if a team picks me up. Last year, I was a top-ten prospect. After this year, though, not sure where I rank. It’s all up in the air.”

“So then, let’s say you’re drafted—then what?”

“Then I go to wherever football takes me.”

“Do you have a preference?”

“Yeah.” He laughs. “Somewhere warm.”

I try to chuckle, but it comes out forced, and he notices.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” I lie. “My lips are getting cold.”

“And here I thought I was the one complaining.” He turns me toward him and lifts my chin. “Let me warm them up for you.”

As he lowers his mouth to mine, I realize that the sadness eclipsing my joy is because he never mentioned me while talking about his future. Not that he needed to, but it just makes me believe that while my whole heart is in this, his isn’t. That’s something I need to come to terms with. He might be saying and doing all the right things now, but once we’re back in the States, he’s going back to training and I’m going back to the farm. And the pain that slashes through my heart reminds me of the many times I stayed still and quiet, hoping not to be seen by my mother and her “guests.” Making myself invisible. Nobody noteworthy. Forgettable.