Page 74 of Finding My Charming

“Coach called my parents and they took care of the grades, and since then I’ve had tutors that keep up with my work.”

I waited for him to explain but he didn’t. He couldn’t possibly mean what I thought he did. “They took care of it, how?”

His smile grew mischievous. “They paid off someone to look the other way that semester, and since it hasn’t been a problem since, no one’s cared.”

“Because of your tutors?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded slowly. “What about college?”

“What do you mean?”

“How will you pass those classes?”

He gave me a confused look. “The same way I am now.”

I took a deep breath and faked a smile. I couldn’t ask anything else. I didn’t want to know the whole truth. My parents raised me to value my education. I couldn’t imagine them ever helping me get through without actually learning.

Maybe I was misunderstanding. But maybe I wasn’t. What happened when he graduated from college? He wouldn’t know what to do with his degree. He already said he wouldn’t play professionally, so what was the point of this?

I couldn’t understand, but I didn’t want to dwell on it right now.

“What else are you interested in?”

He gave me a funny look and turned into the parking lot of one of my favorite bakeries. They specialized in sourdough bread-bowls, and during lunch, they made the best soup — a lethally enticing combination.

“I exercise a lot.” He flexed and immediately started laughing. “You should see your face. You look like you are ready to run away.”

I blushed and tried to laugh it off. “I really thought you were going to go into a list of your workouts and how big your muscles are. Word of warning… if you do, I will leave.”

He continued laughing while he opened his door and made his way to my side. Even as I got out of the car, he was still chuckling. Finally, I gave in and joined. “It’s not that funny! I thought you were showing me your true colors, and you’re a total gym rat.”

“I’m not that bad. I mean, I know I’m really into sports. Like more so than other guys, but I’m not a total idiot.” He opened the door to the bakery and waved me through.

“I know.” I strode in and jumped slightly when he slid his arm around my waist.

“I hope this is okay. I just realized I didn’t even ask you. We got caught up in talking.”

When I turned my head to answer him, I realized just how close we were. If I tilted my head back even one more inch, our lips would touch. A nervous giggle escaped my mouth. I immediately looked forward and cringed. Could I be any more embarrassing?

“This is great. I haven’t been here in a few months, and they have my favorite soup.”

“So, we’re two for two now?”

I nodded and pretended to look interested in the menu that hadn’t changed the entire time I’d been coming here. When we were next to order, he raised his hand from my waist to the middle of my back and gently nudged me forward while also rubbing circles. It was strangely mesmerizing.

The cashier was staring at me expectantly, and I realized he must have asked me for my order.

“Oh, sorry! I’ll have the broccoli cheddar in a bread-bowl, please.”

The cashier looked up to Vincent.

“The same for me.”

My focused slipped again while he continued rubbing my back, placing me in a fog. He pulled his wallet out with his free hand then left me at an open table while he filled our drinks.

I was acting weird, and I knew he knew it too. Things in my head were twisted, crumpled, and flying all over the place. Our last date had been perfect, although we had skimmed the surface, and he’d done a good job of keeping the focus on me. Now that I was getting to know him better, I was beginning to see how little we had in common besides mutual attraction. I didn’t have time to be too picky, but I also didn’t have time to make mistakes. What if I was wasting an opportunity right now to be with someone else? The someone else who had changed the charm and was my soul mate.