Chapter 4
Ivan
“My daughter’s in town. I want you to befriend her and make sure she sticks around and doesn’t run away or do something stupid. I want you to help her get a job, inspire her to work hard and learn to value money, show her how to be responsible. Do all that and I’ll pay you your monthly income as a football player. Is it a deal?”
When I heard that proposal from Mr. Young, I had no idea what I would be dealing with. I didn’t know how I would go about doing all that, but because I needed the money, I had immediately said yes.
“Great,” he had told me. “Coach Beckham said you could be trusted.”
So the rich business tycoon had even talked to my coach. He could surely pull connections for me if I could accomplish well what he was asking of me. At the same time, I know he’d be capable of breaking my career as well should I fail in this “mission”.
I watched the beautiful young lady from behind as she bent over to spray the crops the way I taught her how. Her perfectly shaped butt and slim legs were evident in her tight-fitting jeans. And under her straw hat, I could see her wavy blonde hair billowing in the soft breeze, seemingly calling out to me, enticing me to run the tresses through my fingers.
This woman was very attractive, no doubt about it. The way she had stood up to me, answered back, and struggled to learn a ton of farming chores in one day made her even more appealing and fascinating.
She turned around then, sauntering over with confidence and a haughty look on her face. The graceful swing of her hips and the cleavage showing through the open top buttons of her polo captivated my manly tendencies all at once. I felt a stirring in my groin.
As she approached, I shifted my gaze to her pinkish lips, her perfectly carved nose, the determined glint in her blue-green eyes. I could see the sweat on her flawless face glistening in the brightness of the afternoon. She was damn striking. I’ve never felt such a strong attraction to anyone before.
“Are we done?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“Yup.”
“Okay, great,” she said eagerly, heading toward the house. “I’m dying to get out of these filthy clothes!”
For some reason, that statement gave me a very visual picture of her without her clothes on. It sent my blood rushing and my body temperature rising. I literally shook my head to get it out.
The elderly Miss Young was calling for us to join her for early dinner. I looked up at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set.
An enticing smell wafted through the kitchen window as we passed. “Smells good,” I said, my stomach grumbling in response.
Cassy went ahead of me and quickly headed straight upstairs. I plopped on one of the stools at the kitchen counter and chatted up the old lady.
“Can I help with anything?” I asked.
“You’re too sweet, my dear,” Miss Young said. “But no thanks. I’m almost done.”
I got up and prepared the table instead. Little Miss Spoiled Brat was probably going to be taking forever in the shower. I doubt she even had any intention of helping with dinner.
After a while, Cassy bounded down the stairs looking fresh and much younger than her actual age. She was wearing a rather short navy blue dress, showing off her lean, tanned legs. I felt my eyes following her as she sat down at the table across from me.
“You seem overdressed, Cassy,” Miss Young observed, her eyebrows shooting up. “Going somewhere?”
Cassy threw her an overly friendly smile. “Well, I thought maybe you’ll give me my salary for the last three days and I could relax a bit for a change. It’s still a bit early. Maybe I could try to make friends here and actually have some fun.”
I stayed quiet, waiting for the old woman’s answer. She seemed to be pondering her response very seriously.
“Well, you know our agreement. You’ll get your week’s salary every Friday. That’s tomorrow, Cassy. You can wait until then and have some time off on Saturday.”
Cassy sulked, her pretty little face crumpling. For some reason, I suddenly had the urge to go over and give her a comforting embrace. Maybe she had that effect on men.
“But don’t I deserve a little break here?” she said, slightly raising her voice in an irritated manner.
Miss Young looked stern. “I’m sorry, but if you’re going to learn to be more responsible, then we ought to stick to the rules.”
Cassy pouted and ate in silence. Miss Young tried to steer the conversation toward the farm work she’d learned for the day, but Cassy just kept on mumbling and mostly ignoring her.
It was certainly awkward for me. She seemed not to care what I heard, anyway.
Miss Young faced me instead and started to ask about my football career. I wasn’t eager to share much because of my injury, but I was curious about Cassy’s reaction. From the looks of it, she wasn’t a football fan and had never watched a single game even on TV. But when she heard her aunt raving about my skill on the field even during my high school days, she seemed to perk up and pay more attention. I beamed proudly, of course, glad that I didn’t have to be the one to brag.
As the meal ended, an idea came to me. Without thinking, I blurted it out. “Uh, Miss Young…is it okay if I drive Cassy around in town, just so she could settle in and maybe meet some friends? I think some of my former schoolmates are having a get-together at The Creamery.”
Cassy looked up from her plate in surprise. Even the old woman was taken aback. She hesitated before saying, “I guess I could trust you to take her if she likes. Just have her back early.”
I grinned, then looked at Cassy who was actually scowling at me. “What do you say?” I asked nevertheless. “I wouldn’t want you to waste your lovely dress.”
She glared at me, which made me want to laugh out loud.
Miss Young was looking at her expectantly.
She shrugged. “Sure, whatever. I guess it’s better than staring at my wall all night until I fall asleep.”
“Okay, off you go so you can get back early,” the old woman said, standing up and beginning to clear the table. “I’ll take care of these.”
I went outside without another word while Cassy followed behind me. I went straight to my car and got into the driver’s seat without giving her a second look.
After a second of hesitation, she got into the passenger’s seat. I got a whiff of her perfume, which made me quite heady. All of a sudden, I could feel the air getting thick with tension as I turned the ignition. It wasn’t negative tension, but more of the invisible magnet that seemed to be hanging between us, drawing us close to one another.
Very much aware of our close proximity, I opened the windows to let the night wind blow on our faces so I could also breathe better.
“So you were living in the city, huh?” she started.
“Yeah,” I said. “Big football player. I can give you my autograph later.”
She gave out a sarcastic laugh. “No, thanks,” was her curt answer. “I don’t intend to become part of your groupies.” She laughed again.
I knew I should feel insulted. But the sound of her laughter felt like music to my ears, somehow warming my body and relaxing my nerves. It was odd how we connected in some way, despite our differences and our satirical banter.