Shecan’t be here.
Because if she’s here, sharing this field with me and she’s holding two motherfucking pom poms, it means she’s a…
She’s a…
Serenity is a goddamned Mutineers cheerleader.
With those pretty eyes, she stares right back at me.
And by the looks of it, she’s as surprised as I am.
Chapter Six
Jake
I can see her. I’m inside my pickup in the parking lot outside The Bounty diner in downtown central Canyon, early Friday morning, watching her through the windows. The building is on the crossroads, next to a gas station and opposite a used car showroom, underneath a giant billboard advertising a brand of dog food. It’s ninety degrees out.
The radio is on. The breakfast show hosts are analysing last night’s pre-season opener, won comfortably by the Mutineers. We took no prisoners. Commentators are describing my debut as ‘solid’. I’d say my performance was decent, and that’s what matters overall.
But that’s not what I’m thinking about right now. Serenity looks different to last night, when she was inside the stadium. This morning, she’s wearing a pale-colored dress, her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. Last night, her hair was loose but styled like she’d come direct from the salon, with a whole lotta makeup and a beaming smile for the crowds. And her moves… it took everything I had to focus on our plays and not turn and watch her dance, and it took me until the end of the first quarter to manage anything close to concentration. Sure, all of the cheerleaders looked awesome out there. But it wasn’t them I was wanting to look at.
Last night, I was nervous about the game. Yet my heart wasn’t hammering like it is this morning, when the door to The Bounty creaks on its frame as I open it. Even my palms are sweaty. I’m wearing a cap pulled low, a plain white tee and jersey shorts, a brand-new pair of high-top sneakers. There’s a bar to my left. I head for a table near the back, near to where she’s serving a bunch of college kids, ordering their eggs over-easy.
‘I’ll be right with you, sir,’ she says to me, without looking up.
Their order taken, she goes over to the counter and comes back with a menu.
I slide off my cap, fold it between my fingers. She slows as she sees me, and we lock eyes. Man, she’s really something.
I greet her with a ‘Mornin’, Serenity.’
She stops at the edge of my table, places the menu under my nose. Her lips twist into a smile. ‘Good morning,’ she says. For a moment, she looks lost for words.
‘So…’ I continue, ‘you didn’t tell me you were a cheerleader.’
She puts one hand on her hip. ‘And you didn’t mention you were a football player.’
‘Guess it never came up, huh?’
She’s still smiling. It’s the sweetest goddamned smile. Then she pushes her tongue into her cheek and rolls her eyes. ‘Guess not. What can I get you?’
I pick up the menu, but I don’t look at it, keeping my gaze trained on her face. ‘A drink.’
‘What kind of drink?’
‘The just-you-and-me type-o-drink. I’m buyin’, remember?’
She twists the end of her ponytail between her fingers, unaware of how endearing it makes her look.Why can I not get enough of this girl?
‘Uh-uh,’ she says with a grin. ‘I signed a contract. There are rules about you and me being in close proximity.’ She glances down at the menu. ‘I’ll be right back to take your order.’
I lean to my left and watch her walk away, back toward the bar. My eyes glide all the way down her body and linger for a moment on her ass. I can’t help it. It does things to me. She doesn’t look in my direction, not once, and the fact that she turned me down once already only strengthens my determination to leave here with her phone number.
She delivers a couple of plates to the college kids and comes back to my table, then reaches into her apron and flips to a new page on her notepad.
‘You didn’t think I’d come, did you?’ I ask. ‘Not after yesterday.’
‘I didn’t know that the guy who bought my groceries for me was the Mutineers’ newest draft pick, Jake Walsh, no.’
