Page 20 of Sidelined By Love

“I meant what I said. What was that about? What are you up to?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Which means youareup to something.“ Her face twists, clearly unhappy that I’m calling her on her stuff. “Is this about that thing?”

Like the flip of a switch, her features turn to total innocence. “What thing?”

I was the one with the unruly dog that morning. She was the one wearing a brown cape. I want to remind her of the situation, but just the memory of her rumpled bedhead makes me want to smile. And that feels like I’d be losing yardage.

Clearing my throat, I tip my head and try to read whatever is going on in her mind.

The problem is she’s a trained actress. A good one too.

She was robbed at the Golden Globes last year.

Not that I was watching. But I did see her movie. A couple times.

But all of that just makes it harder for me to tell if I can trust her with Kenna. With my world.

Guys like me don’t make new friends. Everyone in my circle has been with me since college. Most of them before that.

Sure, teammates come and go over the years. And I love those guys like brothers. But it’s more because we’re battle-tested. I know I can rely on them on the field, so I trust them with the rest of my life.

But Zoe Peebles is standing in front of me, and I have this odd feeling that I’m making a new friend. One willing to help me off the field in a way that I can’t help myself.

“Don’t play games with me, Zoe. I’ll win.”

“I suppose you do play games for a living.”

I nod.

With a sigh, her whole posture relaxes, her hip popping out. “Look, I’m not going to lie. I came here to ask for your help.” She flinches. “Again.” Glancing down at the toes of her pink sneakers, she crosses her arms and frowns.

I mimic her stance and dip my head for a better look into her face. But the woman is ridiculously short. Like the kind of short that makes those A-list actors barely pushing five and a half feet look tall on screen.

Okay, she’s probably five-three or four. But that’s a solid twelve inches shorter than I am. And from this angle, I can’t see a thing on her face. When she looks up at me, my gut clenches.

She’s the kind of pretty that makes men do stupid things.

And I’m pretty sure I’m about to be one of those men.

“I do need your help,” she whispers. “But I swear, my offer to Kenna has nothing to do with that. I’ll do everything I can help her prepare for that audition.”

I can’t help but believe her. And I can only pray that she’s not putting on a show for an audience of one. “Thank you.”

Silence hangs heavily between us, and when she seems certain I’m not going to say anything else, she gives me a quick nod and turns back toward her rental.

“We have a home game on Monday night, and I have Tuesday off after I watch tape.” Yep. Here comes the stupidity. “Come over around two, and I can show you a few things before Kenna gets home from school.”

Zoe whirls around so fast that her hair flairs around her shoulders, releasing a soft coconut scent that is even sweeter than the surrounding pines. Eyes wide, she takes two quick steps toward me until she’s just on the edge of reasonable personal boundaries. “Seriously?”

“I’ll let the gatehouse know you’re coming. You can stop bribing people to get to me.”

Her teeth flash in the afternoon sun, glowing almost as bright as her greenish eyes. “But what if I want to? It’s kind of fun.”

I roll my eyes, one of Kenna’s favorite moves. Then all of a sudden, Zoe throws her arms around me in a quick hug. “I promise, you won’t regret this.”

The second I open the door on Tuesday, I regret my decision.

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