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“Yes, that too. But that’s not for another hour or so.” And I needed to expel some of my energy before that great introduction.
“Let me know how it goes. Why don’t we meet at the Tavern at eight? Invite the rookie.”
“Yeah, maybe.”If he’s not a jackass.“I’ll get back to you.”
I didn’t want to commit to anything until I met him. For all I knew Charlie had plans or was wiped out from traveling. I’d never even bothered to ask Reese where he’d played before coming here.
“Sounds good. Talk to you later.”
“See ya.”
I ended the call, grabbed my duffel bag from my front seat, and made my way to the entrance. Using my pass, I swiped the reader and walked in. Pictures of the team from over the years adorned the walls, replica championship banners hung from the ceiling, and the wonderful scent of artificial turf welcomed me.
Next to the actual stadium and my home, it was one of my favorite places. Being in this space calmed me. I had opened the metal door leading to the field when I heard the telltale sound of a football being kicked.
Was Charlie here already? Was I late?I glanced at my phone to see that it was just before 9:00 a.m.Maybe I got the time wrong?Tapping the message Reese sent me yesterday, I confirmed that 10:00 a.m. was when I was supposed to be here.
Instead of running sprints, I figured I’d go to the weight room, but curiosity got the best of me, and I headed toward the field instead. Charlie, or the person I assumed was Charlie, stood next to one of our assistant coaches. Balls were set up on the center hashmark of the yard lines, beginning at the twenty and ending at the fifty.
Ambitious,I thought. What I also thought was a bit strange was that he had a helmet on. Maybe it was a superstitious thing. Rather than ponder that unimportant fact, I kept my eyes on our potential new teammate.
The coach said something, and Charlie nodded and stood behind the football at the twenty-yard line, took two steps back, three to the left, and approached the ball with gusto. As soon as contact with the ball was made, it soared through the air and straight through the uprights.
I couldn’t help noticing that Charlie’s stature was on the smaller side. The baggy navy jersey looked a couple of sizes too big. It was loosely tucked inside tight black pants. I supposed it didn’t matter if the ball kept flying through the goalposts. He nailed the next two, then moved to the fifty, making it a total of sixty yards.
Coach once again said something, and Charlie bounced up and down like a boxer waiting for the bell to ring to start the round. Charlie had another go, but the kick fell a yard or two short. I watched Coach place another ball on the tee. I felt the urge to cheer and support the next attempt.
“Come on, rook!” I shouted through cupped hands.
Without Charlie appearing to give me much thought, the kick was off, and this time it was just about perfect. On instinct I began to clap, and I jogged onto the field to introduce myself. Charlie gave me a nod before unclasping the chin strap and lifting the silver helmet off. That was when things became a bit fuzzy, because long blonde hair spilled out. Then she smiled.She.I ambled toward her, forcing myself to blink a few times, because Charlie was a woman. Not any woman—one who was drop-dead gorgeous, one whose eyes looked like the summer sky, and whose bright smile could rival a star’s and render most men stupid. Including me, since all I could do was stare.
“Great job,” Coach Jensen said. “I’ll catch up with you two later. I need to get to a meeting.”
“Thanks, Coach,” Charlie said in a voice a few octaves higher than I originally had expected but that now made my body react. Then those pretty baby blues were on me. Getting my head back into the game, I extended my hand, but she interrupted my introduction with one of her own. “Hi, Collin.” When I didn’t say anything thanks to my tongue being completely tied, she added, “It’s me… Charlie.”
Was I supposed to know who she was? An instant fear that maybe one of my one-night stands had turned into a football player caused me to not say a word, and my continued silence encouraged her to say, “Sally’s friend.”
Wait.“Who?”
“Sally, your sister.”
“I know who Sally is, but who are you?”
“Right, of course. I’m Charlie, or Charlotte Nicholson,” she simply stated. “I went to school with your sister. It’s been a while.”
After a few silent seconds, the proverbial light bulb went off, but that didn’t mean I was completely confident in my revelation. “The nerdy girl that used to come to my house and stare at me and my friends?”
Charlie gasped, and her cheeks flamed pink.
“Sorry.”
She tightly grinned. “It’s fine. I was a nerd.”
It didn’t slip by me that she didn’t deny staring.
“Since when do you go by Charlie?”What’s up with chicks and two names?My buddy Lucas’s sister’s name was Camille, and most people called her Cami, while her brother called her Lily until she got him to stop. I never understood it. It was confusing as hell. A case in point was standing in front of me.
“My father actually started calling me Charlie when another girl named Charlotte was on the soccer team. He was the assistant coach when he wasn’t working, and I suppose yelling ‘Daughter!’wouldn’t really work, so Charlie it was, and it stuck.”
