Worth it.
When I saw him next time on the field, he’d beenveryquick to tell me Ava was his. It’d made me laugh. That had only pissed him off more, and I’d laughed harder when I saw the anger in his black stare. My luck with women wasn’t good lately, but any chance to piss a Santo off, I wasn’t going to let it pass me by.
I closed the app and checked the time. Savannah had sent an email last night, and that’s when I realized who she was.
Savannah Cole.
When I put two and two together, the dress she’d been wearing made more sense.
None of the guys on the football team had been tutored by her, but then I was probably the only one stupid enough to do an elective on Education Policy and Governance. It had sounded quirky and interesting, but it was instead dry and boring.
I rolled my neck. I wouldn’t need much help; I was confident I could pick this subject up in only a few sessions.
I packed my stuff up and stepped out into the cool February air, thinking about training tomorrow, the throws, and the plays. The things I could control.
Meeting room C. This time, I had time to check the library directory and found the room with no assistance. It was on the first floor, and when I opened the door, Savannah was already there.
“Hey,” I greeted as I walked in, closing the door behind me, flashing her my signature smile.
She looked up and gave me a tight smile in return. “Hey, I’m just setting up,” she said, and I saw her surreptitiously look at her watch.
“I’m early,” I said, knowing I should have let it go, but something about her checking the time just irked me.
Savannah gave me that same flat smile again and returned her attention to the three notebooks, the laptop, and the two different-colored pens she pulled out of her purse.
“That’s a lot of paper.” When she looked up, I tapped the back of my laptop as I opened it. “I take my notes on this.”
Her eyes narrowed infinitesimally, but I saw it. “I find writing it down on paper is a better method of learning.”
“For you.”
She held my stare. “It’s our first session. Are you going to challenge me on everything?”
I liked her ‘cut to the chase’ approach, but I wanted to see how far I could push her. “I wasn’t aware I was challenging you at all.”
Savannah pulled her ponytail over her shoulder, her fingers stroking through the ends twice, and I wondered if that was a tell. I made it my business to read people — some were easier than others.
“You challenged me on the time—”
“You mean for meeting now? Seven? Not so much a challenge as an adjustment to a time that was convenient for both of us.”
“You were free at six,” she replied coolly. “I checked your schedule this morning.”
“I’d have sent it last night if you’d asked.”
There was that smile again. Practiced. False. I wore my own too many times not to recognize it on others.
“Why don’t you indulge me, keep your mind open, and let’s see how it goes.” She linked her fingers together as they rested in front of her.
Another tell.
I gave her the same plastic smile she gave me. “Fine, but if you wanted to drag our time together out, I suggest next time, just ask for my number.”
She slid her pen across the page without looking up. “Trustme, Spence, if I wanted your number, you’d already know.” She glanced down at her hands and then up at me again. “I don’t.”
I laughed — low. “Careful, Cole. Keep talking like that, and I might think you actually like me.”
“That’s not going to be a problem,” she said, tone crisp, but her eyes flickered — just enough for me to wonder if she was lying. That half second was all it took for me to file it away for later.
