Page 10 of Scoring Truth
8
JAMESON
I’m back at the arena with the team, getting in a quick warm-up. My mind is anywhere but on the game right now, which proves already that this Rent-a-Date is a bad idea. I need to stay focused, but this chick? She’s already becoming a distraction, and we haven’t even met.
As soon as Coach dismisses us, I head right to the locker room. In no time flat, I’ve showered, thrown on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. A Warriors hat pulled down low completes the look. I’m tall, and I’m built like a quarterback, so I’m noticed just about every damn place I go. Sometimes I can pull it off, but nine times out of ten, I’m recognized the minute I step outside.
Arriving at the coffee house we agreed to meet at, I slip in quietly. I nod to the kid behind the counter, but keep my eyes low.
“Just waiting for a friend. I’ll order when they get here.”
I slide into my chair, facing the door. I know what Penelope looks like from her picture on the site. I watch and wait for her to come through the front door. At the same time, I prepare myself for the chaos that happens when women see me and realize who I am.
Moments later, I watch as a woman enters the door in a fluster. She bounces back off the side door jamb just as the door swings back quickly. She dodges it, just barely, but manages to get her bag caught in it. When the door closes, the force pulls her back, and she hits the glass again. The bag slides off her arm and hits the floor with a loud bang.
What the hell does she have in there?
She quickly bends to gather her stuff. Standing back up, she scans the room, and when her eyes connect with mine, I give a little wave. She gives a tentative smile and mouths, “Are you him?”
My lips twist, and I nod. She hesitates for a split second, as if unsure whether to come closer to me or run back out the door. Ultimately, she makes her way to the table, and an instant connection is born. I feel it between us as if someone has just tied us together.
But there is no recognition of me on her part.
At all.
Before I can stand to address her properly, she’s already fallen into the chair across from me, eyes down, and rummaging with her bag again.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I was ready on time, but then I couldn’t find my keys, and when I went looking for them, I noticed I didn’t make my bed, so I started doing that and then saw my phone laying on my dresser, and I couldn’t believe I was about to walk out of the house without my phone, so I stopped making the bed and grabbed my phone. Then I saw a text from my best friend asking if I could stop by her houseon the way here and drop off a book she lent me. Then I remembered I put my keys on the book because that was my plan all along!”
Chuckling and quite impressed that it was all in one breath, I ask, “Are you nervous?”
She lets out a huge breath. “What gave it away?” She covers her face with her hands and giggles.
The barista makes his appearance. We place our order for a coffee for me and an iced tea for her. Before she can get up, I stand and follow the kid to the counter. Keeping my head down, I hand him a twenty, tell him to keep the change, and grab the drinks quickly as he places them on the counter.
Walking back to our table, I put the drinks down, retake my seat, and say, “Let’s start again. I’m Jameson.”
She smiles, leans back in the chair, looking a bit more relaxed. “I’m Penelope.” She watches me for a moment, and I’m still waiting for the realization to dawn on her.
“So, what do you do?”
I choke on the coffee I just lifted to my lips. When she’s quiet, I clear my throat. “I work for the Warriors.”
Penelope gives a confused look. “Is that a gym?”
Now it’s my turn to look confused. “A gym?”
“Yeah, you’re a bodybuilder, right? You’re big and built and…” she trails off. I raise a brow, waiting for her to continue. “Oh, my god. I’m sorry. When I get nervous, I just talk and talk, and I don’t really make sense, and I say things I shouldn’t, and I’ll just stop talking. Yeah. Just stop.”
I smile at her, her entire run-on sentence coming out in one breath again, and reach out to steady her hand. The moment I lay mine on top of hers, I know I’m in trouble. The electricity that zips through me at our connection is instant and takes me by surprise. Yes, I was attracted to her pictureon the app. Yes, I was intrigued when she walked through the door. Yes, I felt the pull when she got close.
But this feeling?
I only thought it happened in movies.
I never thought I’d ever feel it in real life.
But now I want more.
