Page 21 of Second Chance to Score

“Go Robbie!”

The fact that Robbie couldn’t hear me through the TV didn’t stop me from cheering him on. It wasn’t the first time I’d watched him play of course – after growing up as part of the Cougars family I was a diehard fan who rarely missed a game. But today felt different, and not just because I’d been working on Robbie’s hip.

We’d become friends again, and possibly more. I’d been ready to sleep with him after he’d eaten me out on the table the other night, but in the end, I was glad he’d insisted that we wait. My emotions were a jumble and having some time to sort them out was helpful.

“Yes!” I leapt to my feet, tossing my hands in the air as Robbie scored a forty-six-yard field goal. “Three points!”

I watched him carefully as he walked back off the field, his teammates gathering around to thump his helmet or slap him on the back. Robbie was one of the team captains, a mentor for the younger players, and a fan favorite. I hoped that the team played well enough to finally make it to the Super Bowl before he retired.

To my relief, he didn’t seem to be limping the way he had been after that game where he’d single-handedly gotten his team to the playoffs. Hopefully that meant that my treatments were working. And now the team was moving onto the next level. One more win and they’d go to the Super Bowl.

Impulsively, I texted him, knowing he wouldn’t see my message for a few hours.

Me: Nice job on that 46!

A few hours later he responded.

Robbie: Thank you. We won! I can’t believe it!

Me: Yeah, you guys did great. Congratulations.

Robbie: You should come to the next game. I’d love to have you here.

Me: Maybe.

Robbie didn’t know this, but I often went to home games. Sometimes I’d sit in the private box my family owned but more often I’d sit in the stands with the fans, enjoying their energy. Also, I didn’t have to deal with my family when I sat with the regular fans.

During the games my father would be on the field coaching of course, but my mother liked to use game time to try to fix me up with a random assortment of losers who she felt were “suitable”. And by suitable she meant appropriately rich and from “good” families. I’d never remotely liked any of those guys, but that didn’t stop them from bugging me throughout the game, desperate to get closer to my family – and its money. My complete disinterest in any of them didn’t seem to be a deterrent for the guys, or my matchmaking mother.

That was my mother for you – always worried about image and money instead of paying attention to people. I was closer to my mom than I was with my father, but we were still two very different people who didn’t really understand each other very well.

If she knew anything about me, she’d get that a guy who was a trust fund baby or a financial planner wasn’t going to pique my interest. I liked to date regular guys, guys with steady jobs and cars that didn’t cost more than most people made in a year. Guys who understood that when you went to a Cougars game you wore a team jersey and a team hat, not some fancy Italian suit and loafers.

Robbie called me later that night, his voice rough with fatigue. The guys always went out to celebrate after a big game, and later when the fatigue and adrenal crash hit, they’d pass out for hours. When I saw Robbie’s name on my screen, I picked it up right away.

“Hey Division Champion, how are you feeling?”

I could hear his smile through the phone. “On top of the world. My hip held up well, I got a massage and ice bath post-game just to keep everything moving okay.”

“Good.”

I was glad that the work I’d been doing on him was helping. I was even gladder that Robbie was back in my life, even if my father had been involved. Speaking of which...

“I bet my father is thrilled at the team’s win.”

“Yeah, he almost cracked a smile.”

We both chuckled. My father was famously dour, and not just with me.

“By the way, he asked about you yesterday.”

My mood immediately darkened. “He can feel free to talk to me directly if he has any questions.”

“I don’t think he knows how.”

I shrugged, even though Robbie couldn’t see me. If there was one thing I didn’t want to talk about, it was my complicated relationship with my father. The silence dragged on between us.

“When do you get back?” I finally asked, even though I knew the answer.