Page 40 of Love on the Sidelines

He chuckles. "As an investor, I want to make money back and then some on every project. But it won’t happen like that every time. Part of it is expecting things to go well or to fail and setting up safeguards for that."

I don't know why everything he just said reminds me of my dating life. I usually expect everything to fail between a guy and me.

"That sounds like a lot."

"It is at the beginning, but sometimes it's easier to spot things that are like past experiences."

"What's your current investment? I assume you moved back to Utah for this reason."

He nods, but instead of looking happy, like he's done with everything else, his lips are a thin line. "It's a project down in Salt Lake."

"And you bought a house an hour away? That doesn't sound entirely practical."

He laughs now, and I love hearing it. "Who says I'm practical?"

"Not me,” I say. I drop my arm to the armrest of the chair and accidentally brush Charlie's hand. He reaches over slowly and holds my hand with his, causing my hand to warm and all the veins leading away from it to get hot. I sit still, not wanting to ruin the magic that is this moment.

Am I a hand-holding virgin? No, because he helped me through the flight. But this is a bit more intimate, since I’m not worried about falling to my death on a plane.

Sitting next to me is a guy several years older who's probably had his pick of women to date. And he's holding my hand?

If this ends up being a bet from Marsha, she's dead to me.

20

CHARLIE

Ihad a hard time getting to sleep after the chat with Ava. And I can't believe I held her hand. She probably thinks I'm a nerd or that I grew up in the wrong era.

There was no way I wanted to scare her off, though. So, while I kind of wish my movement had been smooth and something like a kiss, I have to be happy about it.

She eventually fell asleep on my shoulder. It would've been romantic to sweep her into my arms and carry her with ease, but I’m not that smooth. She woke up while I was trying to pick her up. Romance, no. Struggle bus, yes.

From everything she's told me, she's got some reservations about relationships. But then again, if I'd been abandoned by my parents, I would probably feel the same way.

The first weekend of games goes well. We win more than we lose and end up in fifth place. In the second tournament, we’ve already won one game and lost another.

It’s day two and I must've slept through my alarm this morning because by the time I get up, it's after nine o'clock and the house is quiet.

A note on the counter says that Marsha took a bunch of the girls out shopping. A quick glance out the window tells me they’ve taken the van.

It takes a minute for my brain to wake up enough that I remember the game isn’t until noon. At least I didn’t miss it. I doubt Emily would forgive me for sleeping through her game. She’d say something about how Mimi never misses, unless she’s stuck in a hospital bed.

I find my phone and start making calls to the people who need me. Sometimes I wish they would just give me a day or two in between phone calls, but again, that's on me and my delegation process.

"Hey Steve, I got your message about the updates to the locker rooms. What did you decide?"

"I thought I sent you the pictures."

I pull my phone away from my ear and search through my text messages. "Oh, I think they're coming through now." My phone rarely takes this long to receive messages and pictures, but maybe it's just one of those days.

I check the photos and then go back to talking to him. "Those look great. I think the Utah Yetis sign should be bigger. Does it come in a bigger size?"

"The company can make any size you want. It just depends on the size of the room." He pauses for a moment and then says, "I can't believe this is actually happening."

Nodding, I can't keep my grin inside. "I know. This is something I've wanted for a very long time. And that we can see the team forming in just a couple of weeks is the best part."

I turn and see Ava standing there, her arms folded against her chest and her lips in a tight line.

---