“But what is this?” I repeat.
Del chuckles. “Landon introduced me to Connor last year, and in May, he asked to get a few kicking lessons while he was visiting this summer. He’s a natural, though that’s not a surprise as a D1 soccer player.”
Like several other kickers in the NFL, Del is known for transitioning from collegiate soccer to a pro kicker.
“Landon knows about this?”
“No,” Connor replies. “I asked Del if we could keep it secret while I figured out whether I was interested at all, or could even kick it through the uprights properly.”
“No problems there,” Del says. “He’s reliable. Like a machine.”
This is wild. I have a million questions, but I table them for the drive home.
“This is definitely cool.”
Connor looks pleased at my response but doesn’t comment.
“Okay, you want to keep going?” Del asks him. “I know this was largely for Rawley’s benefit, but I’m stuck here for at least an hour because Eden rode with me.”
Connor’s head twists back to the soccer player, and I see his eye flash with something I’ve never seen.
Is that…is that Connor’s version ofyearning?
Dang, thisisa day of surprises.
“That’s my daughter Eden, the one shooting goals over there,” Del explains to me. “She’s going to be a freshman at Tolliver this year.”
“She’s on the U-19 National Team,” Connor adds softly. U-19 meaning the players are under nineteen years old.
Huh.
The disbelief on my face is geared toward my brother right now, but Del misreads it.
“I know, it’s probably surprising I have an eighteen-year-old. I’m ancient compared to you guys.” He chuckles. “That’s the beauty of kicking. We can play into our forties, so at thirty-eight, I have some years left.”
I recover from my surprise. “Yeah, nice.”
“Is it okay if we keep practicing a bit longer, since we’re here?” Connor asks me.
“Yeah, I’ll get some sprint drills in or something.” Not my favorite thing to do but whatever, it’ll be my workout for the day.
Connor nods, and I go to the sideline to stretch before doing some forty-yard dashes along this part of the field.
Only twenty-five minutes later, Connor’s done a ton more kicks and walks over to me, his bag in hand.
“Finished already?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” He twists his head one more time, but it’s toward Del’s daughter, I notice.
Connor is usually so well masked about women, but yeah, she’s got my little brother’s attention.
I have even more burning questions about what happened today though. And once we get in the car, I don’t hold back.
“Connor, you secretive little shit, start talking.”
He rubs his hand over his face. “Sorry. I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
“About what?”
