Caught Off Guard: A Sports Romance Novella Page 2

  Another win under my belt. Another team conquered by yours truly.

  “You’re praising yourself again, aren’t you?” Evan’s voice came from behind, along with the slap to the back of my head that came after his comment. I frowned and followed him to the locker rooms.

  Evan Hall was probably the only one I’d let hit me upside the head, because we’d grown up together and been together for as long as I could remember. His mom used to run the orphanage I grew up in called “Our Place,” and they became the family I never had. Our personalities couldn’t have been more different, though.

  I was the badass, and he was the good guy; I liked the thrill of the chase, while he liked to take his time. He was patient, whereas I was hot-headed. But it was probably why we got along so well together, though, because we balanced each other out. And it was probably why I ended up pushing for a football career, while he took the quieter route and served as the team’s athletic trainer, a job I had recommended the coach to give to him not just because he was my bro, but because he was damn good at it.

  “A little self-praise is a good thing,” I reasoned, massaging my head.

  “‘A little?” he repeated, and he chuckled when I gave him the finger.

  “Next time you want to show off, do it on your own time and not during a game”, Parker called, sending me a quick glare before opening his locker on the other side of the room. Evan and I looked at each other, and I shrugged. Parker could bark all he wants, but if I hadn’t been there, they would’ve lost the game and we both knew it.

  “He’s got a point, Sean. This is the third time you’ve done this. One more strike and Coach might kick you off the team,” Evan said. I waved off his worries.

  “He’s not going to do that. I’m the best–”

  “You are, but that doesn’t mean you’re not replaceable, Sean,” Evan interrupted, and I frowned at him.

  “What do you mean?” I said.

  “It means it doesn’t matter how good you are, West. If your attitude sucks, then we have no problems kicking you to the curb,” Parker said, coming toward us, his phone in his hand. “Where the hell have you been today that made you come late?” he demanded.

  “Jesus, Parker. What are you, my nanny? I was driving over here when a crazy lady jumped in front of my car, and I almost killed her. That’s the reason I’m late,” I replied.

  “You what?” Evan cried in shock, but I ignored him.

  “And you didn’t do anything else to her?” Parker asked menacingly.

  “What the fuck, Nolan? No, I did not do anything to her except tell her it was her fault I almost hit her. I high-tailed it out of there before she did something else,” I told him.

  “Bro,” Evan said, shaking his head in disappointment.

  Parker shook his head in the same manner and walked off, typing away at his phone.

  “What?” I asked.

  Evan sighed.

  “Just…never mind, Sean,” he said, giving up on explaining it.

  “Oh hey, when was that brand party we need to go to?” I asked him.

  “You mean that swanky gathering we’re required to attend because we’re endorsing their clothing line? In two weeks, why?” Evan replied.

  “Do we really have to go? I hate wearing suits,” I said, scowling at the prospect of needing to buy a tie. Evan chuckled.

  “You hate wearing anything. But to answer your question, yes, we must. We’re getting paid to make appearances,” he replied, and then it was my turn to sigh.

  “You know, sometimes I wish I wasn’t such a celebrity,” I chirped.

  Evan and I looked at each other in dead silence before exploding with laughter.

  Who am I kidding? As much as I hated wearing a suit, I loved what I was, and I’d go to any appearances or parties I was required to attend.

  But they better be serving some good food.

  Chapter Four

  Charlie

  Any minute now, baby. We’re going to be in your new home,” I said, scratching my new dog’s neck, making him yip in delight.

  I told the driver that I’d agree to come with him if he agreed to let me keep the dog. He was surprised and had to call my father about it, but it didn’t take him long to get the go ahead. I had told the vet the good news, and she gave him one of the spare collars she had in her office.

  So now I had a new black lab that I hadn’t figured out what to name yet, and I sort of sold myself and my dignity to my father so I can give this dog a proper home.

  I’m realized how stupid that was, but what’s done is done. At least I had company.

  “Miss Charlotte, we are here,” the driver said, coming to a stop in front of a huge mansion, complete with a gravel pathway and big mahogany double doors at the main entrance. The driver opened my door and the dog and I got out, still in awe of our surroundings.

  “I don’t remember this place being this big before,” I marveled. Granted, it’s been years since I was here, and I was a little girl back then. It probably wasn’t reliable to rely on those memories. I fixed the grip I had on my dog’s leash and looked back at the driver. “So, where is he?” I asked.

  “Right this way, Miss,” he said, extending his hand out towards the double doors, waiting for me to walk ahead of him. I tightened my hold on my dog’s leash, took a deep breath, and went in.

  The first thing I thought of when the doors opened was that the house looked larger from the inside, something I knew to be impossible. There was a big, sparkling chandelier hanging over the foyer and two grand staircases arcing the walls. My gaze followed the steps all the way up until I reached the center, where a tall man with greying hair peered down and two women stood on either side of him.

  I didn’t have to ask who that man was, as the same eyes I see whenever I looked in the mirror were the exact same ones looking down at me silently. This man was my father, and instantly I felt a flash of anger coursing through me as I remembered everything that happened in my life – and in my mother’s life – all because of him.

  “Charlotte,” he called softly, and I turned my eyes down to stare at the floor. “I’m glad you finally decided to accept my offer,” he said.

  “I only took it because this big guy doesn’t have anywhere else to go,” I said, holding the leash up so he could see.

  “Daddy, why are you letting a dog in here?” one of the women beside him asked. My ears perked up when she called my father, “Daddy”, and I immediately realized that she was my half-sister, which means the older woman on the other side of my father must be…

  “Charlotte, I’d like to introduce you to–”

  I raised my hand up and stopped him from saying another word. I didn’t like how we were set up. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs while all three of them addressed me from above, not bothering to come down and greet me properly. It was a statement, I realized. This was their subtle way of telling me where my place was, and it was beneath them.

  Well, I figured I should give them a statement of my own.

  I pulled my dog’s leash lightly and climbed up the stairs, my lips barely able to contain the smirk that crossed my lips as I watched the older woman’s face turn ghastly. I guess she really did mean something with the whole staying on top of the stairs thing.

  I stopped right in front of them and turned to look at my father, smiling politely.

  “You were saying?” I asked him.

  “Oh. Charlotte, allow me to introduce to you my wife, Wilhelmina,” he waved his hand towards the older woman and she lifted her hand slightly – a poor attempt at a wave. She raised one eyebrow as she assessed me from head to toe, and I could tell she didn’t think highly of me. I was just wearing a shirt and tattered jeans after all, very different from the fine dresses she and her daughter were sporting. “And this is your sister, Ariana.” He pointed towards the younger woman.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, smiling politely at both of them.

  “I’m sure it is,�
�� Ariana replied, and I knew then that my half-sister and I would not be getting along anytime soon.

  She was beautiful. Her long curly brown hair was tied in a high ponytail, her tanned skin was flawless and radiant, and she had big brown eyes that looked sleepy yet vibrant at the same time. She was quite petite as well, barely reaching my chin with the top of her head, and I guessed she was about 5 feet tall. However, he way she stood was ramrod straight, making her look regal and so much taller than she was.

  I tried to not let the growing feeling of insecurity show in my face as I looked at her, even though it was hard to do so. She was so beautiful and looked like she really belonged here, surrounded by luxury, unlike me, who stuck out like a sore thumb. I looked plain compared to her – my flat red hair and green eyes would never compare to the almost exotic allure of her features. Her mom pretty much looked the same. She was an older version of Ariana but with hair that barely reached the tip of her chin.

  In the corner of my eye, I saw my father pull his phone out and answered the call. He spoke quietly for a while and when he hung up, I knew he was about to ask me something else.

  “I’m so sorry, but I have to take care of this matter for the company. Ariana, May I please ask you to give your sister a tour?” he asked her.

  “Of course, Daddy. Leave her to me!” she said, grinning so hard I thought she’d break her teeth.

  “I’ll go and help you with the documents, darling,” Wilhelmina said, following after him.

  As soon as they disappeared to one of the rooms, Ariana turned to look at me, her eyes blazing and taking me aback.

  “Let’s make one thing clear, Charlotte,” she sneered. “I don’t like you. I don’t even understand why my father would ask for you when I’m here.”

  “What did I ever do to you that’s making you hate me so much?” I asked, my brows furrowing in confusion.

  “You exist. That’s what you did!” she cried. “I’m sure you can find your own way around the mansion, so hop to it!” she flipped her hair and walked away from me, leaving me alone with my dog.

  I still didn’t understand what was going on, and my father had left before he was able to explain anything. I contemplated whether to just explore on my own or look for my father’s office and ask him what I was doing here when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and smiled as I saw that I got a text from Parker. I checked the time and immediately felt guilty because I had promised him I’d watch his game today.

  From: Parker

  I’m glad you’ve finally realized it. I told you he was a douche.

  I’ll be out in a few minutes. Can you wait for me outside? We’ll get a bite to eat before I take you home.

  I bit my lip, feeling guiltier after reading his reply and quickly texted him back about what happened and that I would make it up to him next time.

  “Charlotte? Why are you still standing there?” a voice asked, and I looked up to see my father coming towards me, his brows furrowed in concern. “Didn’t Ariana show you to your room?” he asked.

  “Uh, no. She mentioned she was busy with something, and I didn’t want to disturb her so I told her I could take care of myself,” I quickly fibbed. We may not have started on the best of terms, but I didn’t want Ariana to get into trouble because of this. “Besides, I was just about to look for your office. You never told me why your driver had to drag me over here, remember?”

  “Ah, I remember. I apologize. The call I received earlier is related to why I called you here actually. It’s about our company and, in particular, the C&A – our fashion line. News of my…my ailment,” he said the last part with distaste and I figured he might be feeling sore because of what happened to him. “Anyways, news has spread and already people are talking about who I’m going to be appointing as the next head of C&A.”

  “And you brought me here because of that?” I asked.

  “Yes. Also, I think it’s about time I introduced my first born to the world, don’t you agree?” he asked, and my eyes widened.

  “What do you mean introduce me? How?” I asked.

  “We’ll be holding a party in two weeks to announce the changes for our brand as well as some other projects we have planned. But the main event would be to finally reveal your existence to everyone.” He explained.

  “But if your reason is because you want everyone to know you’re stepping down as Chairman of C&A, then why do you have to involve me? I’m sure Ariana would be the better choice in this matter,” I said.

  “Ariana is the obvious choice, that’s true. But I’m afraid she’s entirely confident that she’ll get the position no matter what, and therefore I don’t see her working as hard as she should. Introducing you would force her out of her comfort zone.”

  “So, you’re introducing me because you want Ariana to have an opponent for her dream job. Is that right?” I asked him. I shook my head, mad at myself for not expecting this. I heard my father sigh heavily before putting both of his hands on top of my shoulders, making me look up at him.

  “There are plenty more reasons why I’m doing this, and some of them I know you’d never believe, given how I never gave you and your mother the time of day, but I promise to explain everything when the time is right. Just trust me for now,” he said.

  “Alright, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” I grumbled.

  “Which reminds me, starting tomorrow, you’ll be starting your training. Good luck,” he said, giving me a brief smile before entering his office again, shutting the door in my face before I had a chance to ask him what he meant.

  Training? Training…how?

  Chapter Five

  Sean

  So, whatever happened to that chick you almost ran over, Sean?” Evan asked as he spotted me. I grunted a little as I lifted the barbell over my head. Honestly, I didn’t need a spotter to bench press 250 for only 2 reps. But ever the worrywart, Evan insisted he spot me so nothing dangerous would happen...like, I don’t know, I lose my grip and the bar falls on my neck and suffocates me or something.

  “I don’t know. Why ask me?” I said, slowly putting my arms down.

  “Dude, you almost ran her over,” he stressed.

  “Yeah, and?” I asked, not following where he was going with this.

  “Are you serious? It’s your responsibility to check if she’s alright,” Evan pointed out.

  “Well, I’m pretty sure she and that dog are doing just fine. Besides, how am I supposed to check on them, huh?” I asked.

  “Didn’t you get her phone number or something?”

  “No!” I said, a little too quickly. If that chick and I had met somewhere else, under entirely different circumstances, I would’ve totally asked her for her digits. But unfortunately, I was too preoccupied by my smarting foot and need for escape that it completely slipped my mind.

  I finished my set and placed the weights back before sitting up. I grabbed my towel from the side and proceeded to wipe the sweat on my brow with it. I could feel Evan staring at me, but I ignored him, pretending that I didn’t notice it.

  “Not cool, bro,” Evan finally said, and I grimaced as I turned to look at him.

  He didn’t need to tell me I messed up on that one. I should’ve given that girl my number, or at least told her my name so she could look me up and tell me if she needed something because of that almost accident. Which reminds me…

  “You dumb jock…”

  Her voice echoed in my brain as I recalled her calling me that a couple of times that day. I’m sure I didn’t give her any outward indication that I was a football player, which means…

  “She knows me,” I muttered, my eyes wide, surprising myself at how I hadn’t realized it sooner.

  “What?” Evan asked, raining one eyebrow.

  “She knows me,” I repeated, smirking as I swept my hair up with my fingers and feeling a surge of confidence rising inside me. “She called me ‘a dumb jock’ that day, and I never told her who I was. I guess I’m more famou
s than I thought, huh?”

  Evan blinked a couple of times as he stared at me before bursting into laughter. I frowned at him as I waited for him to finish laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked, annoyed.

  “It’s funny because of course there’s a huge possibility that she knows you, and yet you seem so utterly surprised about it!” he pointed out. “I mean, come on, Sean. After being part of the Giants for a couple of years now, plus all those endorsements you’re doing? Your face is practically mainstream on television. It’s not exactly a stretch to think she knows who you are,” Evan explained.

  The massive ego boost that I felt earlier burst like a needle went up and popped it.

  “And you know the best part? You’re actually happy she thinks you’re dumb!” Evan chortled.

  I scowled and looked away, ignoring Evan as he continued to laugh at me. I never thought I was the type to get easily bruised by words, but he didn’t have to laugh so hard about it. I didn’t think I’d be so happy a girl knew who I was right off the bat, and that thought was unsettling. She was affecting me more than I thought, and it wasn’t good, not when there’s a remote possibility of me ever seeing her again. I should nip this in the bud before it gets worse.

  Desperate for a change of subject, and you know, to get Evan to shut his trap, I asked him about the one thing I’ve been meaning to talk about.

  “How’s the orphanage going?” I asked him, and just like that, Evan’s face lost all its humor and was left with a solemn, almost tired face.

  He sighed. “It’s not doing so well. The building’s old, and it’ll cost more to repair it than to tear it down or renovate it. But we can’t do that unless we find a place to relocate the children. Other than that, there are a whole mess of problems.” He sighed again and I felt sorry for him.