Page 32 of Face Off

I was too late to react, and the football hit me square in the temple.

“Sorry, man. I thought you were ready.” Mitch jogged over to me with a smile that didn’t look at all remorseful.

I rubbed the side of my face and scowled.

“Not my fault you weren’t paying attention,” he said while picking up the ball.

“What were you looking at anyway?” Parker asked.

Lance came toward us with narrowed eyes. “It better not be who I’m thinking it is.”

I held up my hands. “Whoa, everyone needs to calm down. I wasn’t looking at anyone or anything specific. I’d just zoned out.”

“Liar.” Lance shoved me. “You said you were going to stay away.”

“From what?” Mitch asked.

“From who,” Lance corrected. “Our friend here has developed a little crush on the new girl but swore he wasn’t going to do anything about it.”

“Why not?” Parker asked.

“Because I’ve got enough going on,” I bit out.

He ducked his head. “Right, sorry.”

“What does that have to do with her?” Mitch challenged.

“I’m not exactly in the best mental space for a relationship right now,” I reminded him.

He didn’t seem to buy it as he raised his eyebrows and took a few steps back. “Sounds like something a scared person would say.”

Before I could argue with him, he jogged away and threw the ball to Erik.

“Don’t listen to him,” Lance said. “You’re doing the right thing.”

He turned and called for the ball.

Parker watched me for a minute. “Have you talked to Madi yet?”

“I called and made an appointment, but she can’t see me until Tuesday.”

He nodded, staring at the ground. “Good.”

When he didn’t walk away, I started to step back.

“If you did want to take a chance with Holly, it might not be the worst thing.”

I waited for him to look up before speaking. “I don’t even know if I’ll have a job after this season. Now isn’t the best time to bring someone else into my life.”

He cracked a smile. “It’s never the right time. Do you think I was looking for a relationship when I moved here? That didn’t stop me from recognizing the amazing opportunity I had to get to know Vivi. You might not be able to commit to a serious relationship, but I don’t think that should stop you from at least talking to her. You might realize you have nothing in common, or that she isn’t interested.” He kicked at the ground. “It’s the not knowing that will drive you crazy.”

Parker. The rookie. The new guy. The kid. Okay, he was only like two years younger than me, but he had wisdom beyond anything anyone would expect from me.

“Fair point.”

He nodded. “Just my thoughts.”

With that, he turned and ran across the grass to where the rest of the guys had divided into two teams for a game of touch football.