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“Perfect, I get takeout from there all the time. They have the best eggplant parm.”
“I’ve never tried it, but their homemade pasta is good,” Tony said as they crossed the street.
“Do you work nearby?” Cat asked as they entered the restaurant. At some point, her brother or father may have mentioned where the gym Tony owned was located, but she couldn’t recall, and it seemed like a good question. In all honesty, she didn’t have a lot of experience starting up conversation with men that didn’t involve whatever current project she worked on.
“Boston, but I stop in O’Leary’s once in a while. Sometimes it’s nice to walk into a place where you don’t recognize every single face.”
“I know the feeling. That’s why Zack and I originally got a place in Salem instead of moving back to town.”
“Since you were meeting some doctor tonight, I’m assuming you’re not with Zack anymore.”
Cat figured everyone in North Salem knew she and Zachary Cummings, her high school sweetheart, had split after almost ten years together.
“No. We haven’t been together since Valentine’s Day. I’m surprised Pop didn’t say something. I think he was more upset than me.”
Tony laughed. “That’s not the kind of thing he’d mention at practice.” For a moment, Tony looked confused. “Didn’t they go deep-sea fishing together a few weeks ago?”
“Yep. I know, weird, right? Zack looks at Pop as almost a father. Even before we got together our senior year, he saw my dad as more than just a football coach. He’d come over and talk whenever he needed a man’s opinion. They even go hunting together.”
“The football players have always loved your dad. I think that’s why we’ve always had such a great team. No one wants to let him down.”
She agreed. Pop had a way with the guys on the high school football team. They gave 100 percent because they wanted to, not because it was expected of them.
“Pop says the players love you.” Well, those weren’t his exact words. It had been more along the lines of idolize. According to her father, half the guys on the team wanted a life like Tony’s someday. A successful small business owner who had a different attractive female on his arm every other month and a new Corvette parked next to a Harley in his garage.
“He’s glad you came back this year as an assistant coach.”
“This might be my last season. I already told him that.”
Cat waited until a waitress took their orders before she spoke again.
“And has he already started trying to change your mind?” She knew her dad well. Pop had had many assistant coaches over the years, but Tony and her older brother Striker were his favorites.
“How’d you guess?”
Tony smiled at her, a dimple appearing in his cheek, and Cat wished she had a fan handy. Wow, was she suddenly warm.
“Lucky guess.”
“I suggested he talk to Sean if I don’t come back.”
She could picture Sean O’Brien, Tony’s BFF, as Pop’s coach. At one time, Sean had been North Salem’s star quarterback. Even now after all these years, Pop mentioned what a shame it was that Sean hadn’t played in college. Pop strongly believed if Sean had, he would’ve made it to the NFL.
“Doesn’t he work at MIT’s Lincoln Lab now?”
She’d overheard a conversation at Peggy Sue’s one morning about how Sean had secretly graduated from MIT and landed a job at the well-known laboratory in Lexington. She probably wouldn’t have remembered if it hadn’t surprised her, as well as the entire town, so much. While she’d never considered Sean stupid, she hadn’t pictured him the academic type. Evidently, she’d underestimated him because he’d earned a master’s degree in physics from MIT.
“Yeah, but I think he’s got some flexibility with his hours. He’d be good at it too.”
Their waitress returned with their meals, and Cat didn’t miss the quick glance the waitress threw over her shoulder as she walked away. Looking back at Tony, Cat was about to tell him the waitress seemed interested in him, but the words never made it past her lips.
She wished she could capture Tony’s expression in a picture and pull it out whenever her ego needed a little boosting. Men gave her the once-over on a somewhat regular basis. As a computer engineer, she worked in a predominately male field, but, until now, she’d never had a man eye her as if she were his favorite sports car and dream swimsuit model all rolled into one.
Unable to hold his gaze, she looked at the eggplant parmesan on her plate, a bizarre combination of embarrassment and excitement washing over her.
He’d stopped at O’Leary’s Pub for a drink–– nothing else. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t walk into every place with the intent of leaving with a woman. Sure it happened, but he did often stop somewhere for a drink or meal and leave alone. That had been his plan tonight.
Even when he’d recognized Catrina Striker at the bar, the idea of leaving with her hadn’t occurred to him. A former resident of North Salem, he’d never looked at her as anything but his buddy’s kid sister. Tonight though, when she’d sounded rather down because her date bailed on her, he’d felt like he should do something.
