Page 14 of Gridlocked on the Gridiron

Lucia gave him a look that seemed equal parts pity and contempt. “But there has to be something that makes you enjoy football. The fans? The feeling of a great throw? Being able to do what you love with a team that you love? What about the game gets you giddy?”

“Giddy? What am I, a teenager?” He let another ball fly, knowing how perfect it was before Lucia even said anything.

She let out an exasperated sigh. “Never mind. Seven more.”

He listened, letting a few more go until she was satisfied. He jogged over to the balls he’d thrown and dropped them into a nearby bin. She was already heading back toward the offices when he caught up to her.

He pulled the wristbands and vest off, handing them to her. Her hand stilled when his fingers brushed hers, like he’d startled her. The tired look on her face made him ask, “What about the game gets you giddy?”

She searched his face as if looking for any signs he was mocking her. “Everything.” She shrugged and kept walking.

“That’s a half-assed answer.”

“Better than yours!” she called over her shoulder, disappearing into the tall, glass building. Colton smiled at that.

He jogged toward the locker room, excited at the prospect of a warm shower to soothe his aching muscles. When he turned on the hot water and stepped in, he realized he was still smiling.

The hooting and hollering that accompanied their win didn’t end on the bus to the airport and continued well into the flight back to Charleston. The coaches, including Coach Turner, were still talking excitedly together. Everybody was admittedly surprised that the season would be starting one and zero.

Even Lucia was smiling when Colton walked past her on the plane to use the bathroom, though he quickly realized it was because of something Cooper—who, for some reason, was in the seat beside hers—had said.

When Coop saw him, he waved him down with an evil grin. “Colt, why didn’t you tell me how lovely Ms. Moretti here is? Were you gonna keep all this intelligence to yourself? I could use some help too, you know.”

Cooper only grinned wider when Colton scowled. “There’s nothing lovely about Lucia,” he grumbled as he walked away.

A few minutes later, when he came back from the bathroom, Cooper was nowhere in sight, and Lucia was typing rapidly on her tablet. When she noticed him watching her, she glared. “Oh, hello, asswipe. Come to tell me about how ugly I am again?”

There were stifled snickers across the aisle from Lucia, though the staff members quieted and looked away at Colton’s glare.

He turned back to look at Lucia.

“I never called you ugly.” The fervor with which he spoke seemed to stun them both. He rolled his neck, saved from having to say anything further when the pilot let them know they were descending. He pointed toward his seat, which seemed to be enough of a goodbye for Lucia.

While Colton sat back down and fastened his seat belt, Cooper turned to him with that same grin on his face. “Not your smoothest moment, my friend.”

“What were you doing talking to her?”

“What would you say if I told you I was asking her out?”

Colton’s head whipped to look at his best friend, who was quickly becoming his least favorite person. “You didn’t.”

Cooper’s laugh was answer enough, though he still responded. “No, I didn’t. I was asking about GameFlow Analytics. I took a couple of coding classes in college and really liked them, so I wanted to learn a bit more about her process and her favorite programming language. Pissing you off was just a bonus.” That didn’t warrant a response from Colton, and Cooper chuckled again. “What do you care, anyway? I thought you didn’t like her.”

“I don’t,” he ground out.

“But I can’t ask her out?”

“Correct. Plus, she’s probably still with Clark. You know my theory.”

“Yes, Einstein, I’m well aware of your outlandish theory. You talk about it so much, I bet even your pillow knows about it.”

“What?”

“When you talk about it in your sleep.”

“I don’t think it’s outlandish. Her best friend in college literally—”

“Yes, yes, she slept with Vinny, who divulged all of your team secrets. Does that even seem like something that would’ve happened? Or did you just let Clark get in your head?”

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