Page 21 of Just Say Yes

“Trent, Max, and Billy are around. We might get a few drinks later,” I said.

He nodded. “That’s good. You should always make time for friends.”

I knew he was worried about my work-life balance, but what he didn’t quite understand was that I was able to be at the top of my gamebecauseof my lack of balance.

During the season, rugby was my entire world. To be the best, there simply wasn’t room for anything else. During this particular offseason I would have to train extra hard to maintain my skills while simultaneously giving my body a break—a feat that seemed nearly impossible.

When we reached the end of the lighthouse pier and turned back, he looked out wistfully at the beach.

It wasn’t as crowded as I imagined it was at the peak of tourist season, but there were still a few brave souls in the water and even people bundled in light blankets, sitting on the sand. Some kids were throwing a football and laughing it up.

“Come on, let’s live a little,” I teased.

We ditched our socks and shoes in a haphazard pile on the beach. I knelt to roll up the bottoms of my grandfather’s trousers and then cuffed my own. We walked along the sandy shores, letting the cold water lap over our feet. The water was brisk but refreshing.

As we walked along the shoreline, a football rolled in front of us. A young kid who looked like he should have been in high school jogged behind it.

“Sorry! Excuse me,” he called out.

“It’s no problem.” My grandfather reached down and picked up the ball.

The kid stared at me, stunned. “Oh shit, you’re Logan Brown.”

I smiled, shook my head, and held out my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He eagerly gripped my hand in his and shook. “I’m Seth. I’m a running back at Midwest Michigan University. Coach Sullivan has us review all your game tapes. Your in-game calls are absolutely unreal.”

“No kidding? Thanks, kid.” Rugby wasn’t as widely recognized in the States as football or other mainstream sports. While being the fly-half on my team was kind of like a quarterback, it was fun to have someoneelseknow what the hell it was.

Seth gestured toward the two other young men, who stared slack-jawed behind him. “You want to go for a round or two?”

I looked at my grandfather, who wrapped his leathered hand around the ball.

“Should I give it a go?” I asked him.

His mischievous smirk spread slowly as he gestured with his chin for me to get going. “Give him hell, son.”

My grandfather pitched the ball sideways to me in a perfect rugby pass. The three kids cheered as they ran after me. My toes dug into the soft sand, and my calves burned as my legs pumped. My heartbeat thumped in time to their cheers.

I blew past their efforts to stop me, laughing when I reached the end of the beach. I had forgotten how fun it was to just let it all go and fuck around for a while. I wasn’t winded, but I had to breathe through the slight pinch in my left knee.

It had still been giving me problems, and running through sand certainly didn’t help matters. I braced my hands on my hips to catch my breath.

My heart thunked harder when I looked up and saw a smiling MJ standing next to my grandfather near the water, her hands planted on her trim little waist, mirroring my stance.

Her brown ponytail whipped in the breeze, a few loose strands catching the sunlight like they’d been kissed by fire. She listened intently to whatever yarn my grandfather was weaving as he pointed in our direction.

“Want to go again?” Seth asked.

I shook my head. “I’d love to, but ...” I gestured with my head toward my grandfather and MJ. “I’ve got to go see about a thing.”

Seth grinned. “Oh, I get it. No worries, man.” He held out his hand to shake again. “Thank you, really.”

“It was a pleasure.” I shook his hand one last time before slowly jogging toward MJ and my grandfather.

As I got closer, my heart thunked harder. MJ was dressed in a loose pair of soft green sweatpants that swayed with the breeze. Her matching top was a quarter-zip sweatshirt. The zipper was undone, revealing tanned skin and the ties of a black bikini top. I imagined untying it with my teeth and reveling in the quick inhale of her breath as I took my time doing it. Her casual sweats made her look too relaxed, like she wasn’t the single most infuriating person on the planet.

She was smiling as she spoke to my grandfather and pointed to a small group of women who I assumed were her friends.

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