Chapter 10
Leaning against the metal railing, Carly gazed around in awe at the 18,000-seat Oaktown stadium. From the top of the huge concrete structure’s giant floodlights to the jumbo electronic scoreboards at each end of the bright green artificial turf field, the recently completed Friday night hub of activity rivaled many of the top college stadiums around the country. As the first students trickled up the ramp along with the aroma of hot dogs roasting and popcorn popping, Carly checked for student identification cards while she kept one eye on the field where Gage was running the team through some pre-game drills.
A small pang of hurt stabbed at her heart as she watched Gage prowl up and down between the boys, calling out different exercises, never looking in her direction. She knew Gage was upset his son couldn’t play in the game. She wished she’d insisted on Jonathan’s attendance in her tutoring classes and had handled things differently.
Throughout the first quarter and most of the second, Carly tried unsuccessfully to think of a way to make amends. Everything she came up with, though, involved groveling to the blond-haired man down on the field, which wasn’t going to happen. She was still upset and angry he’d insinuated she should change Jonathan’s grade.
Close to halftime with OHS up by six points, Mr. Andrews made his way over to Carly.
“Ready for your break?” a beaming Mr. Andrews decked out with a red OHS shirt underneath his gray suit jacket inquired as he sat down next to Carly.
“Yes, I am. Thanks,” Carly replied, unable to keep the grin from her face as the well-liked principal bumped fists with a few of the boys on the next row up. With one more glance at the sidelines and catching a glimpse of Gage’s muscular form as he turned to motion to one of the boys on the field she stood up. With a sigh she headed down the ramp. After a visit to the restroom then a stop at the concession stand where the salty aroma of freshly popped popcorn was too much to resist, she bought a small bag and water then headed back up the stands. As she reached the top of the ramp, she had to squeeze her way through the just-released students as they headed to the concessions and restrooms below. Sitting back down on the first row, she was surprised when Mr. Andrews didn’t get up to follow the students.
“How are your classes? Any problems?” he asked over the sound of the visiting band as they took the field for their half-time show.
A little surprised at his questioning, Carly lowered the handful of popcorn to her lap and frantically tried to think of how to respond, not sure if he knew she was the reason Jonathan wasn’t playing.
Before she could think of anything to say, though, Mr. Andrews continued, “I apologize for not making it around to your classroom, yet. I’ve been busy helping Coach Wilson with a few things.”
Relieved, Carly released her pent-up breath. “It’s all right. My classes are going great.” Then with her curiosity getting the better of her, she added, “I hope Coach Wilson’s problems aren’t too serious.”
“Oh no. Nothing serious. I’ve been helping him with the final details for the documentary about his transition into coaching for one of the sports networks.” Mr. Andrews nodded his head at one of the cameramen Carly had noticed but hadn’t thought much of following Gage as he walked along the edge of the field on his way to the locker room.
Carly took a long drink of her water to wash down the popcorn caught in her throat at the thought of a national sports network filming the games. She’d assumed the video cameras down on the sidelines were from local news stations. With her chest pounding as Mr. Andrews said his goodbyes, Carly silently prayed they hadn’t caught her on camera. If her ex-husband saw her in the documentary, and there was every chance he would being a huge Dallas Rattler and Gage Wilson fan, all the efforts she’d made to disappear and start over would be for naught. It wouldn’t be long before he figured out where she was and come after her again.
She spent the rest of the game focused on the cameras, turning her head whenever they were pointed toward the stands. By the time the game was over, and she was on her way to the parking lot, Carly had come to one conclusion. She’d have to swallow her pride and talk to Gage. She would have to explain about her ex and ask if she could be removed from any scenes on the show.
***
Carly turned to the side and looked at herself in the floor length mirror next to her closet, amazed at the difference her newly highlighted hair made her feel. She touched one of the softly curled, almost blonde strands then twirled one more time watching the hem of her new purple and gold paisley-print dress as it brushed her knees above her rhinestone studded boots. Smiling, she reached over and grabbed her driver’s license and some cash then shoved them into the hidden pockets. As she turned off the light and walked out of her bedroom, she let out a sigh of relief that she was finally free of her ex and his constant criticism and could go out with her friends for a little fun.
As she stepped onto the white-tiled floor of the front entrance, she leaned down to scratch Max on the head as he sniffed the leather of her boots. She heard a door shut overhead and looked up the clean but slightly stained carpeted stairs. When neither Rachel or Sophie appeared, she stood and cupped one hand to her mouth.
“Y’all ready yet,” she yelled, then laughed when Max put one paw on the first step and barked up the stairs.
“Coming,” a muffled voice shouted back as another door banged shut and muted footsteps sounded from above.
Finally, a nervous Sophie in a pair of tight-fitting skinny jeans and cowboy boots paired with a dark-blue peasant blouse trimmed in a silver thread design appeared at the top of the stairs. Rachel followed right behind in a soft, flowing floral-print dress and a similar pair of boots.
“You look gorgeous,” Rachel remarked as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Thanks,” Carly replied, running a hand down the front of her dress. “I still need to lose a few pounds, though.”
“Nonsense. You’re beautiful just the way you are. Any guy would be lucky to have you,” Sophie added from her side as they went out the front door.
Carly ducked her head not sure if she should believe them as she followed behind to the waiting taxi. As they climbed into the back seat and the nice older man in the driver’s seat smiled at her in the rearview mirror, she realized she did feel pretty. Although things hadn’t turned out the way she’d briefly wished with Gage Wilson, hopefully, she would meet someone else soon. It had been a year since her divorce was final and having turned thirty over the summer she was more than ready to find a nice man and start the family she’d always wanted.
***
Carly stepped out of the taxi. She nervously looked up at the flashing neon sign of the Buckin’ Bull Bar Rachel had heard some other teachers raving about last week.
As they walked up to the door, she was pleasantly surprised at the fresh paint on the sturdy wooden doors, the entrance free from trash, and relaxed. After flashing their IDs at the bouncer and stepping inside, Carly took a whiff of the spilled beer and stale smoke smell of the bar, immediately reminded of the fun she used to have when she’d gone out dancing with her friends in college before she’d met her ex-husband.
She looked around at the warm, inviting interior. Quirky mason jar chandeliers hung from rough wooden beams, highlighting the tops of the bar height tables and stools placed around the perimeter of the room. A large wooden dance floor packed with couples two-stepping to the music of a band on stage at the far end took up the center of the cavernous space. A fully stocked bar ran along the length of the wall to the left of the dance floor and just past a long hallway sporting a burnt-wood restroom sign. Already surrounded by men and women dressed in a plethora of country western clothing, the bartenders worked frantically behind the polished wooden bar top, pouring beer and mixing drinks. Carly relaxed at the friendly vibe of the space. Taking a deep breath, she followed behind as Rachel with her arm around Sophie squeezed into the throng of people waiting to order.
Placing the frosted mug of her margarita down on the table, Carly tapped one toe against the bottom rung of the stool and ran her fingers through her hair. She turned to her right then reached over and squeezed Sophie’s hand.
“Thanks for agreeing to this,” she said to her friend who’d finally given in to Rachel’s pleas for a night out together to relieve the stress they were all feeling after moving to an unfamiliar town and new school.
“You’re welcome,” Sophie replied as she looked nervously around the room.
Carly gave her painfully-shy-around-men friend another squeeze. “You don’t have to dance with anyone if you don’t want to. Rachel or I will dance with you.”
“No, I want y’all to have a good time tonight. I’ll be okay after another one of these. I’m determined to get over my stupid shyness if it kills me,” Sophie stated as she took a long sip of whatever fruity drink she’d ordered.
“I wonder what’s going on over there,” Rachel remarked as she finally joined them at the table and looked across the dance floor.
Carly followed Rachel’s gaze to the far side of huge space where a large crowd had gathered. She dismissed the plethora of cameras raised snapping pictures of someone sitting at a corner table when the band began to play a popular line-dance song. Draining the last of her margarita, she hopped off her stool and pulled a wide-eyed Sophie and a grinning Rachel with her to the dance floor.
“Who cares? Come on. Let’s have some fun.” Carly laughed as they reached the middle of the heavily scuffed wooden floor and joined the crowd already stepping to the music.
As the song ended, the effects of the large margarita along with a bottle of water she’d had earlier began to make themselves known. Carly motioned to her friends joining the crowd for one more song pointing toward the hall next to the bar. At the nod of their heads, she made her way through the crowd and down the hall to the ladies’ room.
A few minutes later, after washing her hands and checking her hair in the mirror, she opened the door of the restroom only to freeze at the sight of Gage casually leaning against the opposite wall. Scanning her gaze over his tall frame decked out in a pair of well-worn boots, some dark wash Wranglers, and a navy-blue, button-down shirt emphasizing the sinewy strength of the muscles underneath, Carly realized who was at the center of the crowd earlier. Her skin prickled at the intense look of his eyes as they peered at her from underneath the brim of his black cowboy hat. She took a deep breath and tilted her head to the side wondering what he wanted.
“Hey,” Gage said as he pushed off from the wall. “Can we talk?”
Carly still frozen in place nodded as he stepped closer, the scent of his musky cologne and the nearness of his body setting off a fire in her nether regions. Gasping when he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way of a group of giggling, barely legal girls she hadn’t noticed trying to get into the restroom, Carly had no choice but to follow while he dragged her further down the dimly lit hall. After two locked ones, Gage finally turned the knob on an unlocked door. As he herded her inside and shut the door, Carly turned and found herself shoved up against a wall of shelves in a small cleaning supply closet. With no room to move in the tiny space, she tentatively rested her hands on his expansive chest. When his hard, pectoral muscles flexed against her fingertips, she looked up into his magnetic orbs. She shivered as he brushed a stray piece of hair out of her eyes.
“I like your hair. Did you do something different?” Gage asked quietly as he lifted a strand to his nose. He took a long sniff before letting it fall back on her shoulder.
“Thanks. I had a few highlights put in today.” A blush crept up Carly’s neck as she dropped her gaze to Gage’s chest where she felt the pounding of his heart through the fabric of his shirt.
“It’s pretty,” Gage replied as he removed the hat from his head and placed it on one of the shelves beside him.
“So, what are you doing here?” Carly asked, curious what he wanted to talk about while praying fervently he wasn’t on a date with another girl.
He chuckled. “A couple of high school buddies wanted to meet up and reminisce about old times. I was just about to leave when I saw you across the room.”
Carly smiled, pleased she didn’t have to worry he was cheating on someone else while crunched up against her in the tiny closet. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to apologize. I should have kept up with Jonathan’s grades better myself. Instead, I blamed you. Will you forgive me?” Gage asked as he looked down from his formidable six-foot-four height, his chin dipping slightly as Carly shivered, caged inside his muscular arms.
“There’s nothing to forgive. I should have tried to contact you sooner. You had every right to be upset as a parent.” Carly trembled as the continued nearness of his hard body sent shockwaves of desire through her core.
“All right. I guess we were both in the wrong. Can we start over?” he rasped with his heated gaze smoldering down at her.
“Yes,” Carly breathed as he wrapped his arms around her. With one broad hand between her shoulders and the other dangerously close to her ass, he pulled her close. With her heart hammering in anticipation, Gage lowered his head. Carly leaned in closer and let out a sigh when his lips danced across hers.
“So sweet,” he growled against her lips before deepening the kiss.
Carly would have melted into a puddle if not for the tight grip he kept as he plundered her mouth. The light rasps of his tongue as he stroked it against hers had bolts of lightning singing through her body. She moaned and pressed closer. Much to her dismay, he broke the kiss when she started to rub herself against the hard muscle of the thigh he had thrust between her thighs. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing hard as if he’d run a marathon.
“We need to stop before we get carried away, sweetheart. A storage room in the back of a bar isn’t what I imagined for our first time,” Gage rumbled in Carly’s ear before he pulled away.
Sinking against the shelves behind her, Carly lowered her gaze to straighten the front of her dress. Her insides were in a tangle at the words he’d uttered. With the lust-filled haze of her befuddled brain lifting, she was grateful he’d put things to a stop. She wasn’t ready for things to go so fast between them. Thankful they were in the small closet instead of the back seat of a car, or somewhere else with more room and privacy, she watched as Gage grabbed his hat then opened the door and stuck his head out.
“All clear. I hear my favorite song. Want to dance?” He grinned at her nod and reached for her hand.
As they walked down the hall, thoughts of possibly spinning around the dance floor with Gage flooded Carly’s thoughts. That is until a vision of cell phones raised in the air snapping pictures reared its ugly head. With her heart racing and her knees shaking, she pulled on Gage’s large hand until he stopped.
“What’s wrong?” His brows furrowed as he turned to look at her as they approached the end of the nearly empty dark hallway.
“I can’t go out there with you,” she replied and removed her clammy hand from his.
“Why not?” he asked as he grabbed her elbow and pulled her aside to let someone pass.
“It’s complicated,” she answered. “Can we talk about it later?”
Gage studied her face for a long minute. A combination of hurt and concern swirled in his blue eyes before he slowly nodded. “Okay, but if it’s because you’re here with someone else I understand.”
“No, there’s no one else. I don’t want to talk about it here, though. I’m tired and want to go home,” Carly replied, not wanting to get into a conversation about her ex-husband and all her problems inside the noisy bar. Avoiding his troubled eyes, she turned to hide her shaking hands as she quickly texted Rachel she was leaving.
She put her phone back in her pocket. “Talk to you later?”
At a curt nod from Gage, she walked away. Ignoring the prickle on her back from his gaze, she headed for the exit. A short time later, alone in another taxi, Carly’s stomach sank as she thought about what could have happened on the dance floor with Gage if she hadn’t remembered the phone cameras. Wincing, she reached up to her left temple and ran her finger over the slight scar. She trembled at the unwelcome memory.
“Did you think you were going to get rid of me so easily?” Daniel sneered while he backed her up against the outside of the brick school building. She’d been one of the last teacher’s out, having stayed late to get the rest of her grades entered before the weekend. She’d almost made it to her car, when Daniel had appeared out of nowhere.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone. I gave you everything in the divorce,” Carly pleaded then winced as the rough edges of the bricks cut into her back.
“You don’t get it, do you? You’re mine, and I’ll never let you go.”
Carly whimpered when Daniel pressed himself against her. He grabbed her chin and forced his lips to hers. Fighting back the nausea welling up, she shoved against his broad chest. Caught by surprise Daniel stumbled back, but before she could slip sideways and out of his hold, pain exploded across her face. Her head twisted sideways and bounced against the solid brick wall from the force of the punch he’d landed on her cheek.
“Make no mistake, Carly. If I can’t have you, no one else will either,” Daniel threatened before he turned and stalked off at the sound of another door farther down the building opening.
Carly pressed a hand to her clenching stomach. Daniel had never laid a hand on her before. It was at that point that she’d begun to worry for her safety. Who knows what might have happened if one of her fellow teachers hadn’t come out of the building. With the small police force in her hometown offering no help after she reported the incident, she’d decided it was time to put some space between them. She’d been lucky to find a new position in Oaktown several hours away where Daniel hopefully wouldn’t find her. While she agreed with her brother, Mark, that running and hoping Daniel would forget about her wasn’t the best option, she hadn’t had much choice. Having used all her meager savings hiring a lawyer to finalize the divorce and relinquishing all their joint assets to Daniel to get him to sign the papers, she didn’t have the funds to hire protection. She still hadn’t figured out how to deal with her ex and couldn’t afford for her picture to be out on social media or in the news as it would be if she pursued something with Gage. She couldn’t see any choice except to end things before they had even begun. But first, she’d have to talk to him about the cameras at last night’s game.