Her career was just as important to her as mine was to me, and I would never stand in the way of that.
We fell into easy conversation again as the music drifted through the park. Someone laughed nearby, and I was thankful that no one else recognized me or approached our table.
Because I needed this night. More than I realized. I couldn’t recall the last time I was this relaxed on a date. Usually, women tried too hard to impress me. Becca didn’t fawn all over me. She didn’t care who I was. She just liked being around me.
That feeling shouldn’t be so rare, but it was.
“Do you want to browse through the tents before we leave?”
“Sure.” We stood and threw our trash away.
“You know I’m curious about something?” I said as she fell into step beside me. We made our way over to the vendor tents lining the parking lot.
“What’s that?”
I glanced at her sideways, wondering what motivated her and how she had become such a strong, independent woman.
“Where did you get your work ethic from?”
Her brows knitted together slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” I coughed into my hand, “did you just wake up one day and decide to be such a relentless reporter?”
She wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“You’re a badass, trust me, it is.”
She pushed the strap of her purse higher up her shoulder. “I guess I got that from my dad.”
“Are you close with your folks?”
She glanced over at a vendor who was selling some type of weird metal sculptures.
“I was always closer to my dad than my mom.” Her voice grew with sadness. “Until he passed away a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry.” I reached for her hand, not caring if anyone saw us. Any words that came to mind felt inadequate. I have never lost anyone that important to me. It was obvious from her tone that she still struggled with his death.
“He was the best.”
“What about your mom?”
Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “We don’t have the best relationship.”
“How did you end up in sports journalism?” I asked, brushing past the topic of her mom. I didn’t want to push. Especially since she didn’t seem that interested in unpacking that baggage tonight.
“You’re going to love this.” She grinned as we stopped at the first booth. “My dad was a high school football coach.”
I stopped in my tracks. “No shit.”
“Yep, I was the team manager of the Fairmount High Bobcats varsity football team.”
“Damn. I feel like I missed out. Our team manager was my coach’s uncle, a seventy-year-old bus driver.”
She laughed lightly, but it quickly faded. “I went to every single game and learned so much from him. Not just football, but baseball and basketball too.” She laughed at my stunned expression. “My dad was a total jock. You would have loved him.”
“I have no doubt I would have.” I leaned forward. “The bigger question is, would he have approved of me?”
She let out an unladylike snort. “He probably would have warned me away from you. He loved sports, but he didn’t trust the players around his baby girl.”
