Page 47 of Going for Two

And as I stared into her eyes and saw those perfect lips pull into one of her beautiful smiles while the crowd roared around us as they celebrated the Bobcats’ victory, I felt like I was walking away a different kind of winner.

Cheers erupted on the plane as the guys celebrated another great performance by Caleb. Derek and I joined in from the frontas we watched them take videos of some of the linemen trying to hoist Caleb onto their shoulders in the aisle of the plane.

But as soon as we reached cruising altitude, I slipped out of my seat next to Lottie and into the empty one next to my head coach in the first row of the plane.

“Hey, Coach, I was hoping we could continue that conversation about me potentially joining the staff next year.”

Coach Randolph nodded his head as he remembered what we talked about earlier. “Sure, sure,” he said. “I think you would be a great addition to the staff with the knowledge and wisdom you bring, but I wanted to run one other option by you.”

My stomach sank as the first few thoughts of not being good enough began to trickle inside my head.

“I know you haven’t been healthy this whole season and I know you intended for this one to be your last, but I’ve spoken with the owner and the coaching staff about bringing you back for one more year so you can really end it the way you want to.”

My mind ran blank as I realized what he was offering me. It felt like everything I had been mentally preparing myself for was short-circuiting inside of my head as I was gifted an opportunity that I would have once considered to come from my dreams—the chance to keep playing and prolong the end for one more year. But I thought about my body and the physical decline I’d experienced these past few seasons and how my career was starting to take a toll on me.

Would I even last another season? It was only November now and I could tell how much slower my body was recovering during the week than it had in previous years. Who was to say next year would be any different? Maybe even worse?

“Now, you don’t have to say anything yet. I just want you to think on it. You’ve done so much for this organization, and we just want to do right by you.” Coach Randolph reached over togive my shoulder a squeeze as I sat there still trying to process the curve ball that he had thrown at me.

I didn’t even remember walking back to my seat. And when Lottie asked me how the conversation went, I found myself telling her it went well while leaving out the part about playing again next year because I was afraid that I’d only see disappointment on her face instead of the happiness currently there.

My conversation with Lottie about waiting until after the season to date replayed in my head. She had made it clear that for her own professional boundaries she would wait until I wasn’t a player anymore because, while her career was just starting and reaching new heights, mine was ending.

Would it be selfish of me to take Coach Randolph’s offer only to prolong the inevitable end? Would that ruin any chances I had with Lottie?

I glanced over to catch a glimpse of her with her eyes closed and her head leaned against the window as she tried to get an hour or so of sleep on our short flight home. Her hand rested on the arm rest between us, and I risked the chance of anyone seeing me as I wrapped my pinky around hers for just a moment.

My mind stretched itself into different shapes as it tried to work through every scenario, but my heart clenched when I felt Lottie’s pinky squeeze mine before it slipped back into her lap.

Chapter 22

Lottie

“Are you sure you don’t need to check on the turkey?” Olivia asked me as she sat at my kitchen island.

It was Thanksgiving afternoon, and the team had a short practice earlier this morning before Coach Randolph had given everyone the remainder of the day to spend with their families. I wasn’t sure what had come over me earlier in the week when I had invited all our friends over to my apartment for Thanksgiving dinner because boxed stuffing and a supermarket turkey were the extent of my knowledge—which Olivia was reminding me of with her judgement over my first turkey.

“I’m following the directions,” I told her.

“When does everyone get here?” She glanced over at the clock on the wall, which read an hour before I had told people to show up and I had yet to start getting myself ready. My hair was still in a dirty bun, and I still had on the clothes I wore to practice earlier today.

“In about—” The buzzer to my apartment cut me off. Panic clenched at my insides as I began to wonder if I had given someone the wrong time.

“Who is it?” I asked into the intercom.

“Nolan.”

I ignored Olivia’s laugh as I buzzed him up.

“And the two of youaren’tdating?” I continued to ignore my sister as she gave me a look that said I was kidding myself. Butbefore I could reply, Nolan walked through my front door with multiple containers of food.

“Did you make all of this?” I asked as I rushed to help him.

My eyes danced over the jeans that accentuated every muscle in his legs that he had paired with a light blue button-down shirt and navy sweater. He was easily the best-looking thing in my apartment, and I struggled to take my eyes off him. I would have stared at him all day if Olivia hadn’t cleared her throat to grab my attention and subtly tell me to stop staring at him.

“Of course,” he replied, as if it were the simplest of gestures. “I couldn’t imagine cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal by myself—especially my first one.”

Once Nolan had emptied the containers onto my counter, he stepped back to take in my dirty hair and clothes. “What else needs to be done?”