Page 9 of Once Upon A Player
“Thatfootballer?” She takes another sip of her cocktail before giving me a sympathetic frown. “How far up himself was he?”
Not very.
I shrug to convey my total disinterest in the combustible package that comprises Lucas Carter. “He was all right.”
“Does he know dick-face?”
Probably. Professional football is a small world, after all. “No idea. I didn’t ask.”
“Ugh.” She gives a delicate shudder. “You don’t have to go back there, do you? Can’t your mum give that job to someone else?”
“It was just a one-off to help her out. The thing is, it made me realize I’ve got to stop being a hermit just because I might bump into Geoff orher. I mean, what are the chances, right?”
Especially at Sycamore Lodge, but I don’t tell Katie that, since it kind of diminishes the awesomeness of my brave new start.
“And you had this epiphany after meeting Lucas Carter? What the hell did hesayto you?”
“He was nice, that’s all. I’d forgotten guys could be like that.”
Katie stares at me as though I’ve lost my mind. Although my comment was dumb, it doesn’t make it any less true. My social life died the night of that disastrous party, and I’ve barely spoken to a strange guy since, never mind a ripped one.
“You fancy him, don’t you?”
My drink goes down the wrong way, and I cough. Trust Katie to jump to that conclusion. Luckily, she has no idea of my teen crush on him, since if she did, there’s no way she’d believe my denials.
“No, I don’t. And even if I did, it wouldn’t make any difference. There’s no way I’d fall for another player in a million years.”
Chapter Four
Violet
Stick to the plan.
Before I left yesterday, Lucas told me he’s not moving in officially until a couple of weeks from now, so there’s no danger that I’ll do something completely stupid likefallfor him, because we’re not going to see each other again. Simple.
And what if we do meet again?
Yeah, that might not be quite as simple, but it doesn’t change anything. And I’m not going to start analyzing why I dreamed about him last night, either. It was just a freaking dream. Considering how long it’s been since I’ve even kissed a guy, let alone done anything else, a dirty dream’s been in the cards for months.
I’m still smirking as I open his door, even if a part of me is slapping my head for allowing a bloody footballer to invade my private fantasies. I’ve better things to think about. Such as the fact I start work at Sycamore Lodge on Monday afternoon for my first four-hour shift.
It’s amazing how positive I feel about this. After the whole Geoff and Monica thing, I was so off guys and the thought of ever dating again that I focused all my energies on my studies.
Thank you, Lucas Carter, for not being an arsehole.
I bump the penthouse door shut with my butt and take a deep breath.
A couple of hours should do it. Mum’s going to renegotiate the contract with Bec, and I’ll never have to come here again. And I still have enough time to finish my assignment before tomorrow night.
Like a continuation of my early morning dream, Lucas strolls out of the sitting room, and the pit of my stomach swirls, and not from disappointment. Argh, this is so inconvenient. What’s worse, if I’m honest, I’m not even surprised he’s here.
Admit it.I was kind of hoping he would be. Otherwise, why did I go to all the extra trouble with my hair and makeup?
“Hey.” His easy grin takes my breath away, and even though he’s wearing casual pants and a shirt that’s two thirds buttoned, there’s something ridiculously sexy about his bare feet.And not just because they’re big.
I swallow a groan and focus on his face. Which doesn’t help with the whole “Keep cool and professional” mantra thudding through my head, since it should be illegal for any guy who’s so gorgeous to also look so…what’s the word?
I don’t want to think it, because it’s boring, bland, and ordinary, and he’s none of those things. But nothing else fits.
