Page 19 of Offsides

She’d been caught off guard when Cowboy had approached her after the postgame press conference and asked if she would be joining them at the team hangout.

“You want me to join you at Bunz?” she’d repeated, making sure that her ears weren’t deceiving her.

“Only if you want. I wouldn’t want you to break any rules,” he teased. Theo could see the glimmer in his eye as he said it, and she hoped that her cameraman hadn’t noticed. She didn’t want anyone getting any ideas. Herself included. “But you asked for all access, and I figure that includes the after-party.”

“On the record?”

“Bunz is a public place, so I can’t stop you from bringing in a camera. Although Heather, the owner, might have an opinion. Come, have a drink, relax, get to know the team.”

And that was exactly what she planned to do. Well, not the relaxing part. But the having a drink and getting to know the team part, absolutely. She still had the small handheld camera in her tote bag, so she told her crew they were free to go after the press conference. Steve, her cameraman, had two little girls at home, and she figured he was probably much more interested in spending time with them than following her around.

“You’re with the team?” the hostess asked as Theo walked up the three stairs just inside the front door.

“Um, yeah,” she answered, thrown a bit wondering how the girl would know that.

As if reading her mind, the hostess pointed to the credentials still hanging around her neck. Theo could feel her cheeks pink as she nodded in realization, quickly pulling off the lanyard and shoving it in her bag. While plenty of people around the city of Atlanta recognized her from the show, she still didn’t feel the need to announce anything while out for the night. Especially while hanging with the team.

Following the hostess toward the bar, Theo was still stunned by the sheer size of this place. With two levels of seating in the restaurant, a private back room, and a bar that was just separate enough that it was both its own thing and part of the restaurant, the thought of what it took to make this place run every day made her head spin. Especially since the place was an instant hit with the city. It seemed every time she passed it was busier than the last. She couldn’t blame women for flocking to it though. The food was good, the prices were reasonable, and well, the half-naked waitstaff was rather easy on the eyes.

Just not as aesthetically appealing as the team’s technical director. Who just so happened to be staring her down from a table across the room.

“So, what’s your poison?” he asked as she approached him. “Wait, let me guess, soda water with lime. Or do you get fancy on a Saturday night and have a Shirley Temple?”

“Ha, ha,” she responded. His teasing tone was sweet, making the butterflies come alive inside her. “A French 75, please.”

“A what?”

“It’s a cocktail. The bartender should know how to make it. In fact, whoever was on duty the other night made me a fabulous one after you left.”

She gave him a knowing smile, unable to help herself from getting that dig in. He’d already apologized, and she did believe he was sorry. At the same time, she had no idea how to act around him. At least not in this kind of situation.

Cowboy was easygoing, relaxed. Those were things that Theo hadn’t been in a very long time. Things she felt no need to be. Her job required determination and focus, so that’s what she was. Being carefree only led to trouble. Still, being around this man made her want to let loose a little. She wanted to be fun and flirty. But her orderly side couldn’t be stopped. It had been in charge for too long.

“That would be Talia,” Cowboy informed her.

“You know the bartender's schedule?”

A halfhearted chuckle escaped as the corner of Cowboy’s mouth pulled upward. The sparkle in his eyes was undeniable, and part of her hated how much she loved it. Almost as much as she hated that she was borderline jealous of the fact that he knew this Talia’s schedule.

“It was Thursday. Talia always works on Thursday night because Saxony takes Tanner to a life skills class. The special needs school he goes to runs programs for the kids to teach them how to live in the world. Tanner has been learning how to cook,” he explained.

Theo nodded, understanding setting in. She’d met Saxony and Tanner briefly at the auction a few weeks back. As Felicity Sutherland’s best friend, Saxony and her son Tanner, who had been born with a neurological disorder, had served as part of the catalyst for the Rising forming the Special Olympics team that the auction had benefited. The two had been the guests of honor at the event, opening up the evening with a speech about how excited they were about the Rising Unified team and just what the money raised would help support. It was a cause that Theo was more than happy to contribute to. However, none of that stopped the little bit of jealousy from forming in her gut over him talking about other women.

“And you left me and went straight to your favorite bartender then?” she said, her voice not sounding near as teasing as she’d hoped. He’d commented that he’d grab his food from the bar, but in her head he was meeting the waiter there, not some other woman. Why the hell was she so upset by this?

“Talia is Gunnar’s daughter,” he answered. The same corner of his mouth was still quirked upward, as if he could read her thoughts and knew that she was feeling a little prickly about this. “She’s twenty-two.”

Theo’s eyes grew wide, feeling as if they might pop right out of her head.

OMG, did I seriously just get jealous over him talking to his best friend’s daughter? Why the hell am I jealous at all?!

“G-G-Gunnar's daughter?” she sputtered out, her mind reeling.

She knew that the Rising Coach had an adult daughter that he’d recently reconnected with. No, reconnected wasn’t the right word. Connected. Neither Gunnar nor his daughter had any idea the other existed until the young woman’s mother passed away and left her a letter. When Gunnar took the job in Atlanta, she’d tracked him down and introduced herself. Theo had no idea that she was working at Bunz, or that she and Cowboy were close. Although, Cowboy was her father’s best friend, so it made sense now that she thought about it.

“Now this is a pair I didn’t think I’d ever see again,” the dark-haired waiter who they’d ordered from the other night greeted them. Theo sighed, happier to see him than she expected. She needed distraction from the awkwardness she’d just caused. Turning slightly, she looked the waiter up and down, this time appreciating just how good-looking he was. He gave off a James Dean impression—if James Dean had worn Wranglers and looked like he belonged on the cover of a romance novel. “I don’t think we were actually introduced. I’m Devlin Decker, head of staff here at Bunz.”

“Theo Kappas.”