Chapter 2
Luca
If it had been cloudy, the air would have been too nippy to withstand a soccer game in the park. But, with the sun shining bright it was enough to bring New Yorkers out in droves to enjoy the crisp spring day.
When I arrived at my friend’s apartment, however, she was dressed for the Arctic. In contrast to my jeans and a lightweight sweater, Cassie’s jeans were tucked in her UGG boots, and a ski jacket with a fur-lined hood was zipped up to her chin. How she wasn’t dripping with sweat baffled me.
“Expecting snow?” I asked as we headed to the park a few blocks away from her place.
“It’s cold out.”
“Yes, almost sixty is frigid.” My comment earned me a smack on the arm. I pointed to an older woman on a bench with an afghan on her legs. “Maybe you should ask grandma to share her blanket.”
Cassie threw me a sideways smirk. “Shut it.”
A few minutes later, she led us to where two sets of kids occupied opposite sides of a small youth soccer field practicing their shots on goal. Most of the adults who were there congregated at the center, leaving significant distance between them and us.
Cassie spread out a gingham blanket and plopped down in the center of it leaving little room for me. Some of the other spectators looked her way, smiling warmly and even offering a wave. She reciprocated, but made no motion to go over and greet them.
Where most of the men were busy watching the kids and chatting amongst themselves, some of the females made an obvious perusal in my direction. “Um… should we go over and say hello?” I asked, feeling like I was eye candy.
“No.” Her quick response caused me to laugh, and she followed suit. “Sorry, if I go over there, I’ll be bombarded with questions and comments that belong at a parent teacher conference and not a soccer game.”
“Gotcha.”
Cassie pulled the zipper on her jacket down and started to fidget a bit. “Getting warm?”
“Nope, just comfortable.” God forbid she would have to admit I was right and she was overdressed. I figured by the end of the first half her jacket would be completely off.
A whistle blew and I watched the chaos on the field and wondered who was in charge of this mess. Some of the kids didn’t even have the right socks on to cover their shin guards. It was the Bad News Bears on a soccer field. When the referee, who couldn’t have been older than sixteen, blew his whistle, I asked, “Which team is your class?”
“The blue.”
“Whoever is coaching them sucks.”
She flung her gaze to my face. “They’re five.”
“So? That’s the perfect age to get them ready for the big leagues. They have no clue what they’re doing.” I pointed to one little boy who sat on the grass while plucking dandelions. “He should be running laps for that.”
“Oh my God!”
“What?” Her gape made me shake my head. “Americans. Please don’t tell me they don’t keep score and everyone gets a trophy.” The expression on her face was all the answer I needed. “Figures.”
Coaches arranged their teams in proper formation, preparing for the opening whistle. As soon as that shrill sound echoed, all ten players converged around the ball, immediately forgetting their positions.
Where the ball went, so did every member of both teams. At one point, even the goalkeepers came out of their areas trying to get part of that ball. My anxiety was getting the best of me. Neither coach, neither referee, nor any of the parents were attempting to teach these kids how to properly play the game.
When a boy in yellow picked up the ball and threw it to one of his teammates, I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Oh, come on Ref! He’s handling the ball!”
“Luca!” Cassie scolded me before smiling apologetically at the adults who were all staring my way. “You can’t yell at the refs.”
“Why the hell not? They suck!” I motioned toward the idiots who should have been instructing those kids. “Look, they aren’t doing anything. What good are they? The kids are all over the place. Do they even have assigned positions? Were they taught the basics? Did they practice before this game?” Seriously, my skin itched just watching this debacle. Then one of the kids in yellow kicked the ball out of bounds, picked it up, and threw it in. Once again, I threw my hands in the air and shouted, “Hey, that’s Blue’s ball!”
“Shh. You’re going to get us kicked out of here.”
“From a public park?” Cassie’s eyes narrowed at me in response.
“Fine. However, let me go on record and say these coaches are doing a disservice to the kids.” I folded my arms, huffing and mumbling Italian curse words under my breath for most of the first half. Every muscle in my body tensed from trying to restrain myself. I wanted to show those yahoos how to properly coach a soccer game.
Cassie’s lips quirked to the side. “Noted.” She shrugged off her jacket and set it beside her. When I pointed to it sitting on the blanket she snarled, “What? You’re making me all hot and bothered.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.” I laughed and earned my arm another smack.
It was almost halftime, and right when the whistle blew, Cassie’s phone buzzed. She bent to retrieve it from her bag just as a soccer ball came careening in our direction. “Heads up!”
On my command, she buried her head into my chest giving the ball open air to hit me square between the eyes. Jesus Christ! It hit me so hard, my vision blurred. Through my haze, I saw Cassie clamp a hand over her mouth as she laughed her ass off.
“That’s going to leave a mark.” She leaned in closer and added, “I think I can see the word Wilson on your forehead.” Her laughing resumed, and she doubled over in hysterics at my expense, swiping at the tears falling from her eyes.
“Fuck,” I muttered. An instant headache took hold, spreading from temple to temple. “It’s not funny.” Rubbing my forehead failed to alleviate any of the throbbing pain.
A frantic woman holding a little boy’s hand came running toward us. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it was Sabrina and Mikey. “Oh my God! We’re so sorry. Are you okay? Do you want me to find an ice pack? Doctor?” When she realized it was me again, she gasped. “Oh no. You must think we’re targeting you.”
“It’s not a big deal.” I rubbed my head again with a forced smile.
“He’ll be fine, Sabrina.” Cassie chuckled through her response. “Hi, Mikey. That was a great kick.”
Mikey hid behind his mom, peering at me with the same terrified expression as yesterday. His bottom lip trembled, prompting me to kneel, bringing us eye level. “Hey buddy, don’t worry. I’m fine. Miss Brooks is right, you have an awesome kick.”
A small smile played on his lips, otherwise he didn’t acknowledge me. “Sweetie, say thank you.” Sabrina mimicked my stance, squatting beside him. With her attention on Mikey, I took a moment to admire her. The woman was stunning.
Mother and son’s physical traits couldn’t be any more different, and the only thing they shared was a smattering of freckles over the bridge of their noses. Where Mikey was dark haired with big brown eyes, Sabrina was blonde with hazel eyes. The multi-colored flecks in them, combined with the definition of her cheekbones, her upturned nose, and full lips made her gorgeous.
“Thank you,” Mikey said quietly. “And I’m really sorry I hit you… and ruined your pants.”
I turned my focus back to Mikey and shook my head at his apology. “Don’t be sorry. They’re just pants. And that kick… awesome. If I was the net, you would’ve scored a goal with that shot.” He released a small giggle and shrugged.
“Mikey.” His eyes focused on Cassie before she added, “Mr. Benedetto played soccer when he was younger.”
“You can call me, Luca,” I said, offering him my hand. With a smile he grabbed onto mine, and shook it.
“You did?”
“Yes. I grew up in Italy and played the game most of my life. I almost went pro, but even I didn’t kick the ball that well when I was five. If you’d like, I can help you practice. I think you can be even better than I was.”
“Really?” he asked, excitement altering his otherwise shy expression.
I winked at Sabrina, quickly adding, “If that’s okay with your mom.” As I did to her son, I offered my hand again with a smile. “It’s great to meet you.”
Cassie blurted out, “I’m so sorry, where are my manners? Sabrina, this is my friend, Luca Benedetto. Luca, Sabrina Callahan, Mikey’s mom.”
“Same here.” A genuine returning smile spread across her face. Our eyes held before she broke the connection and pulled her hand from mine. “Thank you for the offer. Mikey loves this sport, but we wouldn’t want to impose.”
“No imposition… that is if you and his dad don’t mind.”
“I don’t have a dad anymore,” Mikey interrupted. A whistle blew, taking his attention back to the field. “Mom, I have to go.” He took a few steps and stopped. “Luca, will you watch the rest of my game?”
“Of course, buddy. I’ll be right here.”
An adorable smile lit up his face before he hustled back onto the field. And just like that, one little boy managed to steal my heart in an instant.