Page 46 of Full Coverage (Boys of Fall)

“We’re talking about football.”

“You’re telling me stories,” he countered. “It’s around the topic of football, but you haven’t told me a football story in a few days.”

That tiny frown was back on her face. “What? I’ve been talking about the championship season.”

“Yes. About the people and the feelings,” Nolan told her. Hell, she was practically writing his book for him. “Do you even realize that what you love most about Quinn football is the people?”

She shook her head and stepped back. “What do you mean?”

“Every time you start talking about a game, you end up going to the people. You’ve told me about the players—what they were doing, how they looked, what they said on the sidelines. You told me about the coaches—how they made decisions, the things they said to the players to get the performance they needed. And mostly you told me about the fans—how they acted, the little dramas that went on in the stands, the emotions, the fights, the celebrations, the traditions.”

Randi stared at him. “I…I’m sorry.”

“What?” He gave a soft laugh. “You’re a storyteller, Randi. Don’t apologize. You’ve given me so much amazing stuff to use. This book is about more than football, and everything you’ve told me is about more than football. You were the perfect person to talk to. You’ve observed everything about football in Quinn.Everything. Not just the plays and stats, but what it’s really like to love small-town Texas football. You’ve helped me describe how a single game can be about bringing people together, about hard work and faith and friendship.”

He stepped close and put a finger under her chin. “You’re a storyteller. Over the past week, you’ve told me about when your family went camping and your memories of your grandma and how you’ve lived in Texas your whole life but never ridden a horse.”

She swallowed hard, looking completely stunned. “But all those people in New York aren’t going to care about those stories.”

“People who truly appreciate stories like them for two reasons—because they can relate to them and they make them feel bonded with someone, or because they teach them something new, gives them a new perspective, takes them somewhere they’ve never been. Your stories are relatable. We all have people we love the way you loved your grandma and we all have things we’ve never tried but that we should have. But they’ll also tell them something new. Someone who’s never been to a small-town football game will get caught up in your stories and feel like they’re right there in the stands with you.”

Her eyes widened and for the first time she looked happy. “You really think I’ll be able to talk to all those people?”

“They’re people.” He reached for her, taking her upper arms and pulling her close. “You love people. And you know what you do that’s amazing and important and makes people loveyou? You listen. You observe. You notice the little things. If you don’t feel like talking, don’t talk. You’ll still make them feel interesting. They’ll love you.”

She put her cheek against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. He couldn’t believe that Randi didn’t feel confident in how interesting and amazing she was.

“But I’m not worried,” he told her, running his hand up and down her back. “You’ve been usingwordsto make me fall in love with you for the past two weeks.”

She went completely still, but she didn’t pull back. She didn’t say anything either.

Nolan knew he was pushing. He knew it was a bad idea too. They’d known each other for a long time, but they hadn’tknowneach other. He knew she was feeling the heat between them, but he didn’t know what else she was feeling.

Which was interesting. He’d always prided himself on being an observer of life, insightful, astute. And more, able to tell the stories around him in a compelling way that made people want to be there. Randi had him beat in all areas.

He didn’t say anything more. Just let his words hang in the air around them. Finally, seconds or minutes or weeks later, she leaned back and looked up at him.

“People have said nice things to me before, but no one has ever made mefeelthese things before,” she told him.

“What things?”You’re pushing again, Winters. But it seemed that, while he could watch the world around him and put what he saw into just the right words, when it came to Randi, he needed the words from her.

“Interesting. Appreciated. Like you don’t want to be anywhere else when you’re with me.”

His chest tightened and his lungs protested the lack of oxygen after a few seconds. He had assumed so much with this woman. More than ever, he wanted to show her that she was amazing and that the world would think so. Not just Quinn, not just him, but everyone.

“Why do you think I’m still here?” he finally asked her roughly.

“The book?” she asked.

“You.” He said it firmly, looking her directly in the eye.

She wet her lips. “You came back because you’re taking a breather between projects. It’s just a typical visit.”

He frowned slightly, but shook his head. “No. I didn’t need to come back for anything but you. I wanted to come back sooner—I didn’t want to leave after Coach’s party, actually. And I should have my ass planted in front of my computer to finish the book that’s already past due. But I’m here because I couldn’t stay away any longer.”

She studied his eyes, as if she was checking on how much of that he meant. Nolan knew what she’d see. It was all true. He should be locked in his office in his apartment in San Antonio right now, pushing the words out, pausing only to eat and sleep, and then only as much as was absolutely necessary. He was a month past his hard deadline and his editor was pissed. And now he was rewriting. His editor was going to come unglued when he saw that Nolan had completely reworked the five chapters the editor had already seen.

But instead of pushing the book, he was here. With Randi. Because he needed that more. He’d thought it was because he’d finally gotten a taste of her. But that was only a tiny bit of this. He’d already had her, and not only was she nowhere near out of his system, but he’d found so much more he wanted from her. And now he was revising most of what he’d already written about Coach and Quinn and the Titans. Randi was adding so much and he didn’t want to get to the end. Ever.

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