Lex and Lu (28 page)

Willa shook her head. “Lu, I can tell you what to do. I can tell you what to not do. I can keep trying to control the universe. Unfortunately, I keep getting outmaneuvered. I tell you not to have sex with him. You do it anyway. I tell you not to go to England. You do it anyway. You were drunk texting with him the other night. What the fuck was that about? I mean, shit, Lu.” Running her hand through her short hair in frustration, Willa looked at her sister. “Then he shows up here—Lex but not Lex. Not our mischievous, laughing boy, and he kinda breaks my ever-expanding heart.”

Lu didn’t say anything, just peered at her sister through the lens of her phone, vaguely wishing they weren’t able to have this conversation face to face. She wanted to speak, but had nothing to say.

“Here’s the thing,” Willa continued, “when I slept with Pete this weekend, I cut the cord. I can’t take on your burdens anymore—”

“I have never asked you to—”

“You didn’t have to ask, Lu. I love you dearly, but I need to put my energy into Pete—not you and Lex. You two have to figure that out on your own.”

“Point taken.”

“Call me after the game, OK?”

“Yup,” Lu said, detached. “Talk to you tomorrow.” Lu was about to disconnect.

“Wait!” Willa cried.

“What?”

“I know I said I wouldn’t interfere but—he’s hurting. So go easy on him.”

Lu almost fell out of her chair. “Seriously?”

“This is what sex has done to me. Turned me into a big ball of mush. Take advantage. You know this shit won’t last.” With a wink, she disconnected, leaving Lu feeling like she had stepped into an alternate universe.

“Big game tonight,” remarked the guard as Lex made his way off the pitch, into the locker room.

“Yes, sir,” Lex remarked, offering him his patented smile. He’d been on the field for a while. As was his habit, he arrived early in the day and conducted his own pregame warm-up prior to the team workout. Today was no different, even though he was suffering from a nasty case of jet lag. He wasn’t quite sure what made him think to make that trip this past weekend. He’d been shocked that his mother had attended Lu’s graduation, as he thought he’d find her at home, with the Knights’ house empty beside theirs. Shaking it off, as he’d done since their conversation ended, he continued on his way.

He wasn’t surprised to find Malcolm Helms waiting for him at the entrance of the locker room.

“Lex,” he said as they grabbed hands and man hugged.

“Mal. Are you consorting with the enemy before the game?” Lex said, smiling. Malcolm Helms was one of Lex’s favorite people. He’d been a brilliant player who left when he was at the top of his game. Although they’d never broached the subject, Lex was fairly certain that he’d wanted to leave while he was still on top. He’d been well into his coaching career when Lex arrived on the English soccer scene. Even though Lex had been on a rival team, he’d taken him under his wing and given him a lot of solicited and unsolicited advice regarding his career.

“Walk with me,” Malcolm said, placing his hand out as if to escort Lex where he wanted him to go.

“How are you?” Lex asked.

“Well. Your contract’s coming up.”

“Really?” Lex said, his face resounding with surprise, as if he didn’t know.

“Still a smartass,” Malcolm remarked.

Cocking his eyebrow and smiling, Lex responded, “Of course.”

“I’d like to talk to you and Caroline. Give you some options.”

Lex shrugged. “You know where to find Caroline.”

“I do. But I’ve been having a difficult time tracking you down lately.”

Lex nodded, the smile leaving his face. “Been an interesting couple of months.”

“I am sorry about the loss of your father.”

“Thanks. I appreciate the flowers you sent to my mother,” Lex remarked, reaching out and touching his shoulder. “Really.”

“You going to take it easy on my boys tonight?”

“Ha. I think I should be asking that question of you. I think last time we played I struggled with your defense.” Lex knew that Malcolm had had a hand in coaching that game. “It had your name all over it.”

“Let’s see how that works tonight,” his arrogance present, Malcolm smiled.

“Yes, let’s,” Lex said. Turning back to head toward the locker room, he looked back at Malcolm. “See you after the game.”

Lex would have loved to play for Malcolm, but he had this thing about staying loyal. His club had picked him up when going after an American was not the thing to do. He’d been there his whole career. While the thought of playing for Malcolm Helms appealed to him, he didn’t think he would make the jump. Most of it was loyalty, but some of it was his inability to take on any more change. Still trying to find his way with Nina, navigate his relationship with Lu, and deal with the death of his father, he refused to add learning a new system. Heading back into the locker room, Lex pulled out his iPod and his game face.

The sensory images that assailed Lu differed little from those she saw at the football games she had attended over the last couple of years. The laughter, the din of the crowd, flashes from cameras, the noise reverberating off of the walls around them, the smell. She couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the feeling of being back in a stadium. She’d missed the adrenaline rush of watching people she knew compete for a victory that they’d trained for. She had to smile a little at the path her career had taken.

Lu could see the smug look on Malcolm’s face as she smiled at the atmosphere. Even knowing that she was about to watch Lex play couldn’t dim the feeling of excitement of being in the stadium. The fans, the chanting, the cheering all converged to create a bubbling anticipation. When the players entered the field, Lu attempted to keep her eyes off of Lex, but it was impossible. Even if he wasn’t who he was to her, his personality and presence drew your eye. Watching him it felt as though she didn’t know him. He was just as unknown to her as any of the players on the field. The disconcerting notion stayed with her.

She watched the game sitting on the edge of her seat, caught up in the excitement, cheering along with the rest of the crowd. Malcolm patiently explained everything to her and prompted her to watch as plays developed. He called it when Lex came off the left side, headed a ball that came into the center, and scored the only goal of the first half. Lu couldn’t help but cheer and Malcolm even appreciated Lex’s skill, saying as much to Lu.

“I hate playing against him and have been doing my best to get him to come to us when his contract expires,” he commented.

“Will he do it?” she asked, feigning indifference when she wanted to drill him for information.

Malcolm laughed good-heartedly. “Probably not, but I’m going to do my damnedest. So how does this compare to your American football?”

She was thankful that she didn’t hear any condescension in his voice, only curiosity. “I hate not knowing all of the rules.”

“You’ll pick it up as you watch more. I think I see a fan in the making.”

Lu laughed. “You may be right.”

Enjoying every minute of her night, Lu almost wished she wasn’t planning on going to work for Malcolm Helms. She enjoyed his company, not to mention he was hot. She could totally see enjoying herself with him. But it wasn’t something she’d pursue, knowing that their relationship would be professional. His attentiveness allowed her to forget that the Lex Pellitteri on the field had long ago stopped being the boy that she loved. Without realizing it, she got caught up in the excitement of watching him play and felt a pride that she knew she had no right to feel. Even those rooting against him appreciated his skill.

In the eighty-seventh minute, with the game tied, Lu felt rather than saw Malcolm’s body tense. She focused in, trying to see what he was anticipating.

He leaned in. “Watch Pellitteri.”

Like she needed to be told, she thought. She watched Lex come from the right. He received the ball but passed it quickly back, breaking to the middle. The ball came back to him. He trapped the ball and shot, sending it sailing past the goalie into the back left post, opposite from where he kicked. She wanted to jump in the air, but she contained herself out of respect, although the smile on her face gave her away. Lex looked heavenward and raised his left hand in the air, pointing his finger toward the sky. Then he brought his arm down and kissed the inside of his wrist. With three minutes added to the time, the last five minutes of the game seemed to fly by and before she knew it, the game was over. Lu’s eyes stayed trained on Lex.

She saw him run toward the box where she was sitting and felt, rather than saw, something pass between him and someone in her vicinity. Glancing at Malcolm, she saw him nod his head, his eyes locked with Lex’s and a rueful smile on his face.

“Smug bastard,” he muttered.

Lu turned back toward the field and saw Lex see her. His whole body stopped, as if he had run smack into some invisible wall. He pinned her with his eyes, all the joy of his victory seemed to leach out of his body. As the rest of his team celebrated, Lex left the field.

Lu tried not to let his reaction affect her. She knew when she’d agreed to come to this game that she had gambled. But she convinced herself that surprise played the biggest role in his actions—not anger. She let Malcolm lead her from the box where they sat.

“I’m sorry your daughter was unable to come,” he remarked as they walked down the steps into the bowels of the stadium.

Lu had made that decision. Nina still suffered from jet lag, as evidenced by her cranky mood over the last few days. Technically, she should have been grounded because of her stint as an extortionist at school. Leaving Nina at home had been a responsible parenting decision. One that she knew Nina felt as she had really wanted to see Lex play.

“With the trip this past weekend, I thought it best that she stay home.”

“Are you able to stay for a bit or do I need to get you home?” he inquired.

“I’m at your disposal. I know you are working.”

“I have someone I want you to meet.”

Lu looked at him quizzically. “OK.”

They continued past the home dressing room through the corridor. As they drew near the visitor area, Lu began to panic.

“Who is it that you want me to meet?” she asked, hoping what she was thinking was wrong.

He stopped and turned to face her. “I may be interfering but …” He paused. “Lex Pellitteri lost his father a number of months ago and I think he’s having a hard time with it. I thought maybe he might be willing to talk to someone.”

“That’s not what I do,” she said quickly, trying to find a way to avert this certain disaster. “I’m sure that there are qualified people that you could suggest.”

“I know his club manager has made suggestions. He thought I may be able to help because of my relationship with him. And when I met you yesterday, I felt certain that you were the answer. You understand athletes and you work with them. I really think you could help him.”

“Mr. Helms, I think you misunderstand what I do. This isn’t what I do. I’m not comfortable with this,” she said firmly. “And from what I saw tonight, he seems to be doing just fine.”

“She’s right, Mal. I’m just fine,” Lex said from behind her. She felt every muscle in her body cringe, but she valiantly hid her reaction and didn’t step away. “Oh, and we already know each other, don’t we, Lu?”

The sarcasm dripping from his voice sounded sickly sweet in her ear. He’d moved toward her, she knew, because she could feel his body heat. Lu watched the impassive face of Malcolm Helms in front of her. He’d be good at poker, Lu thought, as she couldn’t read anything in his expression.

“Lex, nice game. I could see that second goal when you crossed midfield.”

“I figured. What the hell are you doing, Mal?”

“Favor for a friend,” he responded.

“I think I told him to stay the hell out of my business.”

Lu, sandwiched between the two men, shifted uncomfortably. Malcolm looked down at her as if he’d forgotten she was there. Grabbing her arm, he looked back at Lex.

“I’m going to see Dr. Knight home. Hopefully, we’ll talk soon,” Malcolm said, turning her back the way they had come.

“I’ll take her,” Lex said, surprising everyone.

“No, I brought her. I’ll take her home,” Malcolm said as he led her past Lex, whom she had avoided looking at thus far.

“Really, Mal, I want to take her.”

Again, Malcolm showed no reaction. Lu felt the tension between the two of them and knew that she needed to do something to stop the showdown. She had a vague image of each man grabbing an arm and pulling her in two different directions.

Lu took her first look. Lex leaned against the wall, one leg propped up so that his leg bent. Straight from the shower, although the way he sweated, it could have been sweat, his hair slicked back, he smelled of soap and anger. He had on a pair of faded, worn jeans, a T-shirt, and warm-up jacket. On his feet was a pair of slides that Lu had always associated with soccer players. She took him in but didn’t look at him.

“It’s OK, Mr. Helms. Lex will get me home,” she said.

“Don’t worry, Malcolm. I’m not going to let anything happen to my baby mama.” With that, he picked up his bag, reached for her arm, and led her away.