Grabbing the oar, I paddled us back to the middle of the stream while Saylor resumed her seat across from me.
“Told you I keep my promises.”
“That you did.”She gazed out at the water where the apricot glow of the setting sun had deepened to a fiery orange reflection.“Being out here on the water at this time of evening is gorgeous.”
“It certainly is,” I agreed—only, my gaze was on the stunning woman across from me, which was all the scenery that interested me.
“The idea of floating the river at this time of day didn’t appeal to me, which was another reason I didn’t sign up for the pledge party with the house.But after experiencing it—”
“With me,” I interrupted.
She smirked.“With you, I’m glad I said yes.”
“Meaning you’re going to give me another chance to show you a good time.”It wasn’t a question.
She didn’t say anything, which with someone else would have worried me.But during the few short times I’d spent with Saylor, I’d paid close attention to her tells.The sly looks she kept sending me from beneath her brows said my interest in her was reciprocated.Perhaps that interest was against her better judgment, what with her “aversion” to dating football players, but it existed all the same.
All too soon we were floating next to the takeout area.From the river I could see the van I’d reserved idling near the dock.When we walked over to it, Saylor glanced at me in dismay.“That splash war with the SCRs left me with a soaked towel.”
Though she tried to remain stoic, I caught her shiver and reached into the cooler.“Don’t worry.I got you.”I handed her one of the vacuum-sealed bags and watched her face light up.
“Wow.You thought of everything.”She popped the seal and tugged a dry towel from the plastic.
Rolling my shoulders, I grinned.“What can I say?I’m a quarterback.Thinking ahead comes with the territory.”
“I think I should be worried about that.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cash
Two days aftermy first date with Saylor I had my first date with the Wildcats.The live spring scrimmage was open to the public and the media.We suited up the same as for a conference opponent—only, the offense wore home jerseys, while the defense wore away uniforms.I had expected to feel weird playing the game while wearing a new set of colors.But the second I pulled my navy-blue lucky number seven jersey over my pads, I felt like a Wildcat for the first time since I arrived on campus.
Since it was offense versus defense, the spectators cheered for everything about every play.The biggest cheers went up for the favorites on both sides of the ball: Callahan, Danny, Patty, Tarvi, Bax, and Finn.Even Dalton got some love when he kicked a forty-five-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
I stood beside Coach Wiley absorbing as much of his game-day commentary as I could.When it was finally my turn to relieve Patty in the second quarter, my game-time butterflies were running routes through my belly like an entire squad of receivers.On my first play from scrimmage, Coach Wiley called the tricky homerun I’d thrown to Callahan a few weeks ago in practice, but this time, I wasn’t wearing a red jersey to remind the defense to play nice with me.
As scripted, I dropped back three steps, but out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of what could only be one wild-man middle linebacker: Wyatt Baxter.I spun hard to my right and took off parallel to the line of scrimmage, scrambling away from a certain sack.The line flowed with me since the play was supposed to go to the right anyway, and through a seam between the guard and the tackle, I glimpsed Callahan O’Reilly streaking down the right sideline.Setting my feet, I cocked my arm back and threw a laser at him.
Right as the ball left my hand, 240 pounds of speed and determination drove me into the turf.While I wasn’t a fan of Bax’s technique, I grinned up at him when he rolled off me and offered me a hand up.All around us, the fans in the stands were screaming.When we turned our attention downfield, there was Callahan, standing in the end zone, pointing the ball to some spot in the bleachers, while the rest of the offense danced around him.I took off at a dead run to join them.
When I returned to the sidelines, I walked over to Coach Ainsworth.“You still worried about my durability, Coach?”
“You must have eyes in the back of your head.”He snorted.
“Well done, son,” Coach Wiley said as he joined us.“You ran that play exactly as we drew it up.”After giving me a fist bump, he turned his attention to O’Reilly, the real hero of the offense.
The next time Coach sent me onto the field I handed the rock off to Tarvi for a couple of running plays before I had another chance to throw it.This time I found Danny on a crossing route and dropped the ball directly into his hands for a fifteen-yard gain.Coach continued to mix up the run and pass plays, though he didn’t give me the same option plays he gave Patty.Guess the staff still didn’t fully trust my scrambling skills.But I went eight-for-ten on pass attempts before we ended up settling for another Dalton Sneed field goal.
In the second half of the scrimmage, LeSean got most of the work with the second team offense.The planet-size chip he was carrying on his shoulder didn’t help his play much.While he didn’t add to the offense’s score, at least he didn’t put us in a hole either.The tantrum he threw in the locker room afterward impressed no one, least of all Coach Ellis.But when I walked out of the facility, it wasn’t LeSean who was standing in Coach’s office receiving a dressing down.Why Coach was mad at Finn and Callahan was a mystery—and none of my business, so I put my head down and kept walking.
“What’s going on with McCabe and O’Reilly?”I asked Dally as I hopped into the passenger seat of his truck.
“Fuck if I know, but I bet we’ll hear all about it at Stromboli’s.”
When we arrived at the pizzeria, Danny and Tarvi and their girlfriends were already seated at a booth.Before we could slide in with them, Taco and Dalton beat us to the extra seats, so we grabbed the next booth back.A few minutes later, Bax, Finn, and Callahan arrived with their girlfriends—and Saylor.
Dally was asking what beer I wanted when I saw her walk in.As I slid out of the booth to make room for her, I overheard Bax say, “The guy’s got some dog in him.”His face lit up when he saw me.“Just who I was talking about.”He extended his hand and as we shook, he pulled me in to clap me on the back.“You took the hits like a man out there today,” he said, laughing.
