CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Power surge.
Ana sat next to Ella at her first professional football game and wondered what wrinkle in the time-space continuum made it possible. After all, there was no less likely candidate than she to be the girlfriend of Jack Ellis, the darling of the sport.
And yet here she was sitting in the family section, with a bodyguard behind her scanning the crowd. Turning, she gave Travis a smile. “Are you sure that I can’t tempt you with a hot dog or something?”
He grinned and shook his head. “I’m on duty, Ana. Why do you keep trying to feed me when I’m working?”
“Because we’re at a football game, and no paparazzi is allowed in this section. It’s un-American to come to a game and not eat a lot of junk.” Looking around, she saw nothing of concern. “If my cousin knew I didn’t offer to feed you, he’d have my head.”
“We’ll keep it between us then.” He patted her shoulder and then sat back. “I’m good for now, but may change my mind in the second half.”
“Don’t tease me, Trevor, because you know my dream is to feed you.”
“I know, and you just keep that dream alive. Who knows? I may take you up on that invitation for Thanksgiving, after all.”
“I know you’re placating me, but I appreciate the effort.” Throwing him a wink, she then turned around, feeling lucky that she had a retired SEAL on her six. He reminded her a lot of her cousin, Josh, who was still on the Teams, and she felt completely comfortable around him. Which was a big bonus, she discovered, since she had someone with her 24/7.
Glancing over at Ella, she waggled her eyebrows. “Did you hear that?”
“I did and his ‘maybe’ doesn’t mean you should set him up.”
“But it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t either. This could be a match made in heaven, and I think we should give them a chance.”
“You also think running shoes are acceptable to wear everywhere.”
“What’s your point?”
“Stop with the matchmaking. Just because Birdie is obsessed doesn’t mean you should be, too.”
“One match does not make me obsessed. I think Katie would be perfect because they both share the same off-beat sense of humor and like to surf.”
Ella shook her head and let out a sigh. “I know you’re not going to be deterred, so go forth and may everyone forgive you for your meddling.”
“When we’re at their wedding, I expect an apology.”
“Hold onto that dream.”
“Whatever,” she mouthed as she looked around the stadium. The fans in Florida were loud, and she noticed a lot of people wearing Jack’s number, which meant he was a fan favorite. Laughing to herself, she figured the number would double after his campaign for the underwear was released since the proofs he’d shown her were smoking hot.
Ella turned and lifted her soda to her mouth and lifted an eyebrow. “What’s got you laughing to yourself?”
“I’m thinking about how much more popular Jack is going to be after his underwear campaign is released.”
“That good?”
“Yeah. I might have helped him out a little too much because after the women see him in his skivvies, his fan base is going to double.”
“Are you worried more crazies are going to come out of the woodwork?”
“A little.”
“I think he did a good job after the game last week when he announced he was planning on being married by this time next year. There’s not a whole lot of wiggle room in that statement, and it should give people pause.”
“Or make the crazies that much more determined.”
“He seems to have that covered with the massive man sitting behind you.”
Digging into her popcorn, she shoved a bunch into her mouth and wondered once again how she got herself involved with a man who required a twenty-four-hour security detail. She had barely been alone in the last week, and she’d seen Trevor put more than a few photographers in their place when they’d become too aggressive. As much as she appreciated the precautions Jack had taken, she was feeling claustrophobic and hoped the end date to the nonsense was coming soon.
“Showtime,” Trevor said as he leaned forward.
The music filled the stadium, and Ana looked across the field and saw the visiting team come out of the tunnel. Taking in the spectacle, she felt her excitement rise at the thought of seeing Jack in his element.
When the Sharks were finally announced, she jumped to her feet and started cheering along with the other women in their section and waited until the defensive line made their entrance. When she spotted Clark, she knew Jack wasn’t far behind and felt her heart trip over itself when she finally saw him.
Seeing him run across the field with people cheering his name left her awestruck. He was a big, impressive man in street clothes, but seeing him in his uniform and pads was mind-blowing and the fact that he was all hers was hard to believe.
“There’s Clark,” Ana shouted when she saw him standing not far from them with his feet planted wide apart. He made a motion for Ella to turn around and she let out a laugh. “He wants to see your jersey.”
“I know he does,” she huffed out. “I guess I’ll make him a happy man.” She blew him a kiss and twirled, looking over her shoulder. “Is he putting his hand over his heart and smiling like an idiot?”
“Yes, he is,” Ana responded.
Trevor leaned over and shouted, “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Ella gave him a grim smile. “I don’t want my heart broken. What happens when I give in, and he loses interest?”
Trevor pointed to the Jumbotron as Clark’s antics were replayed for everyone in the stadium to see. “A man doesn’t do that unless he has some serious intentions. Get ready, girl.”
Ella collapsed into her chair and let shoulders slump. “I’m as good as dead and to pretend otherwise is just an exercise in futility.”
Ana took her friend’s hand and squeezed. “Maybe it’s time we both took a leap of faith and see if these men are as good as they seem. We can’t wait on the sidelines for the rest of our lives until a sure bet comes along. Given our history, we probably wouldn’t recognize it anyway. Maybe we should start acting brave and see if our minds can catch up.”
Ella squeezed back. “Yeah, with our brain power, it may not take long.”
Ana let out a laugh and then stared at the men who were messing with their mighty reasoning powers. It really was time to go all in and see if he was half as good as she suspected because wasting an opportunity wasn’t something she wanted to live with.
***
Ana stood in the hallway next to the area where families could wait for their players with Trevor and was glad the game was over. “I hate the sound of their pads crashing into each other. Every time Jack was on the field, a feeling of panic ran down my back. I don’t know if I’m meant for this since I wanted to kick the man that blocked him. I’ve never felt such rage in my life. I’m a calm, rational scientist, not a crazed woman who wants to rip the face off a man who crashed into her boyfriend.”
Trevor put his hand on her shoulder. “This was your first game; eventually, it won’t bother you.”
Glancing up, she tried to determine if he was privy to some secret knowledge that she wasn’t. “I sure hope you’re right because I didn’t enjoy it. When we watched it last week on TV, it seemed much more civilized. Being on the field is like witnessing some ancient Roman battle. The crashing pads, bodies, and helmets are so brutal, and the cloud of testosterone that hovered over the field almost choked me.” Seeing Trevor’s smile, she shook her head. “Why am I talking to you? You’re a retired SEAL, and they don’t let you in unless you’re crazy.”
He shrugged and looked out over the crowd. “Those photographers are not supposed to be taking shots of the families.”
Ana looked over and frowned. “Where’s security?”
“At the other end of the hall,” Trevor replied. “I’m going to clear them. Stay here, and I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, I may grab a soda, though.”
“That’s fine, but don’t move from this area.”
“Yes, sir.”
Trevor approached the group and nodded to the front row. “This area is restricted, and if you’re taking pictures of the families, you’re going to have your pass pulled. Respect the rules or move out to the parking lot.”
“Fuck you; are you a rent-a-cop?” A mouthy photographer called out.
“Nah, just a man who doesn’t want the families disturbed.”
“I don’t got to listen to you.”
“That’s true since in about thirty seconds your pass will be revoked.” He lifted his phone, took a quick picture of the man’s press pass, and shook his head. “Hope waggin’ your shit was worth it.”
Ana walked up to the group and let her eyes run over the photographers that were assembled. “Did I hear the words rent-a-cop?”
“Yeah, and your boyfriend here thinks he’s the fuckin’ shit.”
“Ana, don’t worry about it; let’s go back over and wait.”
“Oh, hell no!” she replied loudly. “Nothing makes me madder than someone disrespecting the men and women who have served this country.” Pointing her finger at the man who was running his mouth, she narrowed her eyes. “You apologize this instant. How dare you call this man a rent-a-cop? He is a retired Navy SEAL and has put his life on the line for this country for the last fifteen years. You show him the respect that he deserves.” She stared the little weasel of a man down and waited as she crossed her arms. “I can wait all day if I have to and I expect the apology you make to Lieutenant Norris to be a good one.”
Trevor chuckled and looked down at Ana. “I guess Jack’s going to be in good hands with you.”
“I don’t stand for people behaving badly just because their life didn’t turn out the way they planned.” Looking over her shoulder, she noticed a small crowd had gathered and wondered if Jack was going to be bummed that she caused a scene. “You’ve lost your pass and, after this, no one is going to let you near the team, so just apologize and thank Trevor. At least you can walk away with the knowledge that, in the end, you made a good choice.”
The wormy man finally acknowledged Trevor and, with as little enthusiasm as he could get away with, quietly apologized and thanked him for his service.
Nodding, Ana uncrossed her arms and let out a long breath. “It burns my biscuits when people don’t show the proper respect and gratitude. There’s not a person in the world who doesn’t know what you and the Teams have done for this country.”
Ella walked up and looked around. “What did I miss?”
Trevor let out a laugh and gave Ana a side hug. “Not much. Ana just decided to take on a bunch of photographers and made one of them apologize.”
“Did he insult people from the military or music from the nineties?”
“Military,” Trevor replied.
“Par for the course,” Ella replied as she pushed her hair over her shoulder. “Next time, can you wait until after I go potty to go rogue on a crowd?”
“I’ll see what I can do; in the meantime, I need a Diet Coke.”
“Me too,” Ella responded as she took Ana’s hand and led her over to the table filled with drinks.
Grabbing a Diet Coke, she passed one to Ella and then took her own as Trevor grabbed a bottle of water. “I think all of this aggression is starting rub off on me. I kind of lost my shit back there.”
Ella patted her arm and took another sip. “That was nothing. Do you remember how my Aunt Belle lost hers when she thought that woman had stolen her recipe for macaroni salad at the town bar-b-que last summer? That, my friend, is what really losing your shit looks like.”
Ana tried to hold in a burp and failed. “Why do I drink this when I know I’m going to burp?”
“Because nothing is better than a cold Diet Coke after you tell someone off.”
Collapsing into a chair, Ana watched several people approach Trevor and was gratified to see many of them shake his hand and thank him for his service.
“Standing up for what’s right is always a good idea,” Ella said as she took a seat.
“Did you know that Jack’s brother, Chris, is retired from the Teams, too?”
“I don’t think so,” Ella replied before sipping her Coke. “Are you going to tell him what you did?”
“Probably not since he’d just give me a lecture about not putting myself in danger.”
“Yeah, probably not a bad idea since lectures are about as much fun as dentist appointments.”
Ana leaned her head against Ella’s shoulder. “I’m tired and need to go home so I can lie down.”
“Add a bowl of ice cream to that, and I’ll join you.” Ella sighed. “Uh oh, Trevor doesn’t look very happy.”
“He looks insulted,” Ana said quietly as he approached. “Hey.”
“I think what you did was very sweet, but it wasn’t very smart because it’s going to show up on the internet. I had no idea that you felt so strongly about it because, if I did, I probably would’ve stopped you.”
“No offense, Trevor, but nothing was going to stop me. I’m a peace-loving girl until someone doesn’t show our veterans the respect they should.”
“I can see that and want you to know that if the science thing gets boring, we may have room at SAI.”
“That would be cool. Would you teach me how to kick butt and take names?”
“Sure, we could make you a regular commando in no time.”
“I’ll think about it since I’ve always wanted to be able to kick a little ass.” Feeling a big hand drop to her shoulder, she looked up. “Hi there.”
“Whose ass do you want to kick, honey?”
Sighing, she rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you later.”
Trevor shook Jack’s hand. “Congratulations, man. Great game.” Tipping his head to Ana, he grinned. “I’d hold on to this one; she’s a good one to have in your corner.”
“Feel like there’s a story there.”
“Which will be told after you’ve eaten and had time to relax,” Ana said quickly. “If you’re ready to go, I am too because I’m exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to watch you play, and I must’ve died a thousand deaths every time someone hit you.”
Laughing, he helped her up. “Did you enjoy, it though?”
“I did, and it wasn’t just because of how sexy you are in your uniform. Seeing you in your element was scary as all get out, but amazing.”
“Glad you enjoyed it; let’s get out of here, and you can show me just how sexy you thought I was.”
“Sounds good to me.” Looking around, she spotted Ella in a clinch with Clark and figured she shouldn’t interrupt. “Come on, boyfriend, let’s go home and celebrate.”
“Like the sound of that.”
“Me too,” she replied as she put her arm around his waist and walked out of the stadium.