Page 29 of Atlas
Pushing up from my chair, I was just about to ask Jolene if she wanted something from the bar when Karen handed her another water.
“Here you go, sugar. We got to stay hydrated.”
“Thank you.” Jolene smiled at her new friend and looked up at me. “Where are you going?”
“To the bar. I need another beer. Do you want anything?”
She raised her water and was distracted by Jeff, who spoke to her.
Okay then.
Why did I feel like I had to fight for her attention? She was entertained and bonding with the others, which was a great thing. I had wanted Jolene to have a fun day, and clearly, she was.
When I returned to my seat, she was still in the middle of the attention, leading Michael and the other Broncos fans in a song. The way she hooked her arm under mine, to include me, warmed me.
When things quieted down again, she leaned against my shoulder. “Atlas, I was thinking…” She trailed off but kept looking at me even though the audience was cheering.
“Yes.”
Wow, she has incredible eyes.I found myself leaning closer.What is it about her eyes?
With a roar so loud it made me squint, the Broncos fans got up from their seats and Jolene was swept up in the wave of euphoria. Getting up, she cheered and jumped as the melody for a touch-down played.
Beaming down at Jeff and pushing at his shoulder, she laughed. “Told you we would catch up to you.”
“Enjoy it while you can, it won’t last long.”
The intensity of the game grew as the two teams kept battling for every point, and Jolene seemed to forget her question for me. At half-time, everyone wanted to stretch their legs in the lounge area. She and Karen went to find the bathroom and returned, laughing like they’d known each other for years.
When I finally got a second of Jolene’s time, I asked her, “What was it that you wanted to ask me?”
“When?”
“Earlier, before the Broncos made the touchdown that evened out the game.”
She looked thoughtful. “I can’t remember. Oh, well, it must not have been important.”
I felt a pang of disappointment, and when John looked in Jolene’s direction and raised his glass of wine to cheer across the crowd, I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “What about that stadium hotdog you promised me?”
Her eyes lit up. “Do you want one?”
“Uh-huh.”
Raising on up her toes, she whispered back to me. “We could sneak out without anyone noticing.”
There was such an adorable innocence to her, as if we were breaking all sorts of rules by sneaking out of the skybox. I nodded and lowered my head to whisper back. “Let’s go, little rebel.”
I thought I heard a tipsy giggle when I took her hand and led her away from all the others.
CHAPTER 8
After-Party
Jolene
By the time the plane landed in Chicago, we were all tired. It was almost 2 a.m., and not only had we had a ton of fun during the game, our group had also had a great after-party on the plane ride back home.
If there was one thing my father had taught me, it was never to be a sore loser.
