Page 16 of Nailing Heat
“Can I gather my shit first, before you leave me in the dark?” I ask her.
“There is plenty of light from your windows. Now let’s go!” she yells over her shoulder as she heads out of my sight.
I follow Amelia out of the office section. We end up silently walking side by side as the closing of the stadium happens around us. I see her nod to a few Blaze staff that are wheeling equipment past us. She tells me to follow her in my own car, and I do. The drive isn’t too far, and I notice that it’s conveniently located near team housing, so it seems like it makes a good place for a team hangout.
The Backwoods is not what I expected. Something about the name made me think that we would be headed into a country-themed establishment. But it’s not. A large bar is off the entrance. There are tables set throughout, games of darts, pool and foosball are being played around me. Televisions hang over many of the walls so that patrons can watch sports. The Backwoods was not the name that I would have chosen for this place, but I think it’s perfect.
“We’re over here,” Amelia tosses over her shoulder.
I quickly follow her; for someone so short, she moves fast. When we reach the table, I notice that she hugs the girls that she has joined. I recognize them as members of the team. The only one who stands out is Hendrix the goalie. I can see why she’s been referred to as a wall; tall, strong frame and a look in her eyes that says one false move, and she’ll tear you limb by limb.
“Looks like a pitcher has been ordered, football,” she tells me. “Do you want to drink that? If not, the bar is up there. They can make almost anything.”
And then, as if her time of cruise director is over, she turns around and faces the rest of the group.
“Amelia,” I hear an English accent say, “are you going to tell us who your friend is?”
“This is my serial-killer namesake roommate, Dexter,” she announces proudly.
I feel the embarrassment wash over me. “It’s not a namesake.”
“Easy there, killer,” she teases.
The girls are laughing along with her. August stands and comes over to me, shaking his head. He claps me on the back. “Apologies, this is Dexter Langley, he’s the new trainer for the Blaze. Perhaps having him start on game day was not the smartest, but I wanted a full-time trainer with us just in case.”
“Nice to meet you all,” I say.
Amelia pours herself a beer with one hand and points to the blonde at the head of the table with her other. “That’s Mac. She’s our center striker. And she’s with Danny, a swim coach, who is a former reporter. Cassie is a midfielder. She is with our goalie coach, Jase Ford. And Hendrix is the goalkeeper, and you know August already.” She turns to face me and is smiling broadly.
“Hi, everybody.” There are a few waves and murmurs of hey. “Please call me Dex.”
“It’s good to have you out with us, Dex,” Jase replies warmly. “Have a seat. Can we get you a beer?”
“Beer would be great,” I say, sitting down at the empty chair that’s to his left.
“Cheers,” he tells me as he hands me the beer. Our glasses clink and we both take a drink.
“This is good beer.” I study the glass of the amber liquid that’s a bit darker than what I’m used to.
“They brew it themselves,” Jase tells me. “It’s a darker ale than some Americans usually drink, but it’ll do.”
I stare at him for a moment and realize he’s joking. I force a chuckle, which makes me laugh a bit harder.
“So, what brought you to the Blaze?” he asks.
“This guy,” I say, gesturing towards August.
“He recruited you?”
I sigh. These must be friends of August. I look over at him and see he’s in conversation with Danny and the girls. If I’m looking to have any type of friends while here in Tampa, I shouldn’t start this out on a lie.
“Sort of.” I take another gulp of beer.
“Uh oh, are we going to need something stronger to discuss this?” Jase asks me. There’s no joke or levity in his voice. He’s seriously asking me the question, which makes me think that the man might understand my plight.
“Nah, it’s not as exciting of a story as you might be anticipating. I used to be married, but that blew apart. I thought a change of scenery might do me some good. August had mentioned a few weeks ago that he needed a trainer.” I take a break and sip on my beer again. “I turned him down at the time, but given the state of my marriage, I thought it might be good to get some distance. A fresh start of sorts.”
Jase nods knowingly. “I know a thing or two about that. I was running from something across the pond too. A marriage that I knew wasn’t going to work once I had to give up playing soccer and the travel that went with it.”
