Page 58 of 5 Golden Flings

Not smart.

Instead, she crossed her arms and purposely stayed by the door…all the way across the room.

“What little I heard, that didn’t sound like a pleasant phone call.”

His mouth quirked into a self-deprecating smile. “No, it’s never fun getting fired.”

“Surely, another team will scoop you up. You were one of the most successful quarterbacks in the league until your injury at the beginning of the season.”

Noah shook his head, sorrow dragging at his all-American features. “Were. Past tense. I’ve seen the best specialists in the country. There’s only so many miracles modern medicine can perform. My arm will never be the same.”

Autumn’s stomach flipped. She’d watched the game that night. Everyone in town had. The memory of his injury… The tackle had been brutal, a pile of men landing on top of him. And when that pile had cleared, Noah had been left on the turf, his throwing arm clearly at an odd angle.

“My shoulder had to be completely reconstructed. I had three separate breaks down the bones in my arm.” He held his hand out, staring at it as he opened and closed his fist.

“You can clearly use it.”

An unhappy smile pulled at his lips. “Sure, I can use it, and that alone is amazing.”

“Maybe you just need more time to heal. It’s only been a few months.”

He shook his head. “Yes, I’ll be able to throw a football again, but never like I could before. There was just too much damage.”

“How do you know until you try?”

This time, the smile on his face was real. “Ever the same, optimistic Autumn. It’s good to know you haven’t changed.”

“Oh, I’ve changed. Everyone does.”

Noah’s gaze was clear and direct. “Not the important things.”

Autumn brushed off his words. “Why are they doing this now?”

“Marcus is doing well.”

Noah’s injury dashed everyone’s hopes for a three-peat Superbowl win. Marcus, his back-up, had done well enough the rest of the season, but he was no Noah Woodson. They’d won all but one game, but the wins had been ugly and too close for comfort. Luck had played in their favor, but sooner or later that would run out.

“The team has a shot in the playoffs, but if something happens to Marcus, they’re going to be SOL. I get why they’re making room to bring in someone else.”

“Doesn’t make it hurt less.”

Noah shook his head.

“I’m so sorry.” What else could she say? Playing in the NFL had been Noah’s dream for as long as she’d known him. It had been more important than everything, including her.

“What are you going to do now?”

Noah leaned back into the chair, letting it take his full weight. “That’s the million-dollar question. I have no idea. It wasn’t like I’d planned for my career to be over this early. I thought I had at least another five years. Maybe more.”

“What about consulting? Or coaching? Or even commentary? You’re handsome and charismatic enough to pull that off.”

Noah’s eyebrows winged up and a bold grin tugged at the corners of his lips. “I am, huh?”

Autumn rolled her eyes and willed her skin not to heat with a tell-tale blush. “You know you’re handsome. You always have been, so stop fishing for compliments.”

His head cocked to the side. “I never had to fish for them from you before.”

“Yeah, well,” her shoulders rose and fell, “that was a long time ago.”

---