Chapter 37 - Max
Before I know it, it’s been three months since I quit my job and almost four months since I’ve seen Naomi.
“Westbrook!” Coach Carter says as I walk into the football wing of the athletic building. It still smells the way it did when I was a player—like sweat, cleaning supplies and dedication. Coach stands up and pokes his head out of his office. “Get in here, I want you to meet someone.”
I drop my bag full of clipboards, game notes, athletic tape, and bits and pieces that I carry around with me for practice, and I follow him into his office.
As soon as I see that red hair pulled back in a high pony tail, I know it’s her. I pause in the doorway. My stomach drops and my heart starts racing. I’m sure I look like a deer caught in the headlights, because Coach frowns. He waves me in impatiently.
“Come on, Westbrook. This is our new full-time physio company—PhysioFIT. Miss Rose here is the head physio over there. We were just developing a plan for the season. I was thinking you could be in charge of it.”
He nods to me, waving me towards the chair. I gulp.
Naomi turns to see me and her eyes widen. She wipes her hands on her thighs and takes a deep breath before standing up.
“Max,” she says. “Good to see you again.”
“You two know each other?”
“I was Max’s physical therapist for a while,” she says quickly, smiling at Coach. “How’s the knee?”
“It’s going,” I reply. I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s breathtaking. She’s more beautiful than I remembered. I thought her face had been burned into my mind’s eye forever, but my memory hadn’t done her justice. She extends her hand, looking me square in the eye as she pumps my arm up and down.
“Good to see you again.”
She sits back down, turning away from me and pointing back to a stack of papers. “We’re proposing to have full-time junior physios on site for every game and every practice,” she says to no one in particular. “I, or another senior physio will be here for the games as well.”
“Excellent, excellent,” Coach says. He glances at his watch and leans back in his chair to adjust his cargo pants down below his stomach. He’s built like a tank, with the thick neck and meaty hands that betray a long career as a football player. He nods to Naomi. “I’ll let you discuss the details with Westbrook here. I’ve got a few things to see to before practice. Glad to have you on board.”
He extends his huge hand, engulfing Naomi’s delicate one as they shake. She smiles at him and watches him walk out before finally lifting her pretty green eyes up to me.
“Hey,” she says. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Neither was I.”
“You… you’re working here now?”
I clear my throat, nodding. “Quit my parents’ company right after…” I wave my hand between us. I can feel a blush creeping up my cheeks and I hate it. As usual, Naomi’s got me feeling off-balance.
A smile twitches at the corners of her lips, and the edges of her eyes crinkle. She dips her chin down, looking up at me through her pretty, long lashes. “I’m happy for you. Spreading your wings.”
“Finally flew the coop,” I grin.
“Like a big boy,” she laughs, and an arrow pierces my heart.
She takes a step towards me and my heart goes wild. When she puts her hand on my forearm, the touch sends my whole body reeling. She looks up at me, taking a deep breath. “I’m proud of you,” she says. “The way your parents treated you wasn’t right.”
I nod. “How are things with your mom… and your dad?”
“They’re good. Mom’s in remission, and I’ve been keeping in contact with Jerry.”
She looks like she’s going to say something, but she closes her mouth and sighs. An awkward moment passes. I point my thumb over my shoulder.
“You want to grab a bite to eat? We can bring this paperwork and go over the work stuff, and then I can write it off as a business expense.”
She laughs and my heart clenches again. “How could I resist?”
Warmth floods through me, and I nod my head out the door. “I need to be back in an hour for practice, but I know a little cafe nearby that has great sandwiches.”
“Sounds perfect.”
We fall into step beside each other. She holds her papers close to her chest and I wonder if it’s to resist holding my hand. I feel her eyes on me and I glance over just in time to see her looking away.
As much as I’ve tried to convince myself that it was for the best to go our separate ways, I can’t deny how good it feels to be next to her.