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I cast a disbelieving glance at the dents and rust and sat next to him. “Whose land is this?”
“Technically, the university’s. It’s part of the section allotted for the training facility, but no one ever comes back here.”
“So we’re squatting?”
He shrugged. “It’s easy enough to move if the school finds out. I was out of line earlier, at practice. I’m sorry I doubted you, but I’m probably never going to be able to treat you like the guys on the team.”
I wasn’t sure how to take his comment. His abrupt subject change made my head spin, and I wanted to dismiss him as another narrow-minded asshole. The problem was… I knew Parker, and he wasn’t like that.
“What does that mean?” I asked as neutrally as I could.
Parker tapped his fingers against the plastic arm of the chair in a complicated rhythm, staring at the trees across from us. “You’re so fucking talented. I’ve never had to factor gender into my game before, and if asked, I would have said it didn’t matter as long as the player was good. I want to think with any other player that expectation would be true. But not with you.”
He met my eyes. “On the field, I trust you to make the play, but I never forget who’s under the helmet. You don’t have to be one of the guys to be good at football. I cleared it with the others, and we wanted you to be able to use the trailer too. You’ll probably need it more than any of us.”
His admission cracked open something deep inside me that I didn’t want to examine too closely. My last team had accepted me as a player, but they never put much effort into seeing me as a person. On some level, it was easier that way.
Parker saw Riley. Not a football player who happened to be female.
The understanding in his eyes was too much for me to handle, so I looked away, searching for anything to distract me. My gaze landed on his hand, still tapping away, and the woven bracelet he wore.
I pointed at the red, black, and white design wrapped around his wrist. “I remember this. You came back to the weight room looking for it.”
Parker turned his arm to show off both sides of the intricate pattern. “It’s from my little sister. She made it for me when I got into TU.”
I didn’t like imagining Parker as a doting older brother, part of a family. He needed to stay firmly in teammate territory. I should steer the conversation back to football where I wouldn’t be imagining him relaxed and smiling.
My mouth went rogue though. “How old is she?”
He slanted an amused look at me as if he sensed my inner struggle. “Sixteen. She was a surprise for all of us, but my parents are the best. Jaina isn’t into football, but she expects me to join the NFL so I can buy her a goat.”
I tilted my head at him. “That’s an interesting request.”
“Jaina’s an interesting kid. She loves reading about everything, and she remembers all of it. It’s scary sometimes, but you learn not to argue with her. She’s always right.” Affection softened his voice. “I miss her, and my parents. They can’t come out often, but they’ll be here for the first game.”
He’d given me the perfect opportunity to change the subject, but curiosity ate me up. “Where are they now?”
“West of Denver, in the same little town where I grew up. They joke that the council is ready to erect a billboard with my face on it as soon as I get famous enough. What about you? Where do you call home?”
“Wisconsin.” Unlike him, I didn’t throw out any cute bonus details. My hometown wasn’t really home anymore.
He shifted to study my face. “You don’t sound like you’re from Wisconsin.”
“Maybe not, but I still love a good batch of cheese curds.”
“What the hell is a cheese curd?”
I schooled him on the different forms of fried cheese, and we talked as the moon moved across the sky. Parker was funny and charming… and he listened. All those threads of friendship we’d created over the last few weeks melded together into a tight connection.
At one point, he raided the tiny kitchenette and brought me snacks to make up for the dinner I’d missed. Without power, they couldn’t keep anything cold, but I appreciated the pita chips and peanut butter.
Long after I should have been in bed, Parker and I slouched in the chairs and watched the stars. I yawned, tired but content to stay there with him. A new feeling for me.
Parker ruined the moment by mentioning our impending early morning workout.
“We have to be back here in four hours.”
I groaned. “Why would you bring that up?”
