Page 37 of First Down Promise

“You brought water?” I ask.

“Oh, yeah. I take water with me everywhere,” she says.

“Because you’re an athlete?”

“I’m a dancer.”

I hold up my full water bottle from the center console. “You’re still an athlete.”

“I suck at sports.”

I chuckle. “I’ve seen you destroy your brother in pool volleyball.”

She slides the water bottle back into her bag and smirks at me. “Because you were on my side.”

“Yeah, Coop wasn’t that helpful to Pete that one time.” I glance over at her, and she’s looking at me like she did at the stadium in Milwaukee. Warm and inviting. I hate to look away, but someone has to drive.

“Coop’s only good at hiking the ball,” Abby teases.

“And he’s a wall for Pete.” Why does Pete always have to bootleg everything? “Look, no football. Today’s a fun thing for us.”

“I like that.”

And I’m pretty sure she means us.

After our coffee is secured, I drive for an hour. We go through stretches of chatting, silence, then chatting some more, but the quiet is surprisingly not awkward as I catch glimpses of her watching out the window. I still haven’t told her where we’re going, but I hope she’s excited once we’re there.

“So, how did you get away with a day off?” she asks as we near the marina.

“I probably should have done some conditioning or PT, but sometimes, a day off is more rejuvenating, honestly.”

“Yeah, getting away from it all?”

I take my eyes off the road long enough to give her a smile. “Exactly.”

When we pass a sign, Abby sits up a little straighter in the seat. “A marina?” she asks with a grin that reaches her eyes.

“You like being on the water?”

“I mean, yeah. Surprised Pete doesn’t have a boat.” If we talk about Pete one more time, I’ll get nauseous. “Also, do you know how to drive a boat?”

“How dare you?” I joke. “Of course I do.” I put the truck in park. “Growing up, if my dad got a stretch off and could get away from my mom, we’d go up to Colorado City and fish. He’d bring my sisters too, but as they hit their teens, they got less interested. They usually kept themselves busy with sports, dance, clubs, and hobbies. Anything to stay out of the house. Sorry, I’m over sharing,” I say when I realize my face feels warm.

“It’s okay. It’s good to hear about your background. How far was Colorado City from Midland?” she asks.

“We lived between Midland and Odessa, but it was an hour and a half. My mom wouldn’t have let my dad go any farther.” I blink a couple of times. “Anyway, let’s get the rental,” I add before she can ask anything about Mom.

Abby grabs her bag, and I retrieve my water. She stands on the dock, taking in the view, while I sort out the rental details and get the boat keys. Despite being October, the trees lining the lake are still green. If I didn’t know the time of year, I’d guess it was still summer, and it feels like it with temperatures in the upper seventies today. The sun is out with only a few small clouds, and the light dances in the coils of her curly hair, making it look almost blonde.

“You know, your hair is most beautiful when you let your natural curls do their thing,” I say as I approach her.

Her lips twitch. “I’m not allowed to wear my natural curls for the squad. I was told my hair should be blown out and heat-treated.”

“That’s awful.” She just shrugs. “I thought you looked incredibly pretty that afternoon at Coop’s.”

“When he overdid the ribs on the smoker?”

“Ugh, yeah. Next time I see Mama Carter, I’m telling her about that,” I reply.