Out of My League
(The Underdog Series #1)
Brea Brown
Copyright © 2019 by Wayzgoose Press. (Note: An earlier, slightly modified edition of this novel, with the same title, was originally published in 2015, ISBN 978-1517357436.)
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited by Maggie Sokolik
Cover design by Keri Knutson at alchemybookcovers.com
Second edition ISBN: 978-1938757686
To my husband, who’s taught me most of what I know about football, including the stuff I forget in the off-season. Thanks for being such a good sport and a patient teacher, not just in football, but in all aspects of our life together.
Contents
Author’s Note
1. Hobnobbin’
2. Colin, the Ex-Pat
3. Christmas Plans
4. Rae & Maura: A Friendship
5. Bah, Humbug!
6. Catching up with Colin
7. First(ish) Impressions
8. Inquisitions
9. Charmed
10. Multiple Penalties
11. Reluctantly Willing
12. Losing and Winning
13. Sweet Enticements
14. Fort Knox
15. Getting Lei’d
16. Playing Hosts
17. The Big Show
18. Reality Beckons
19. Reconnecting with Rae
20. Incompatible Lives
21. Procrastinating Panic
22. Knox Family Invasion
23. Draft Day Doubts
24. Chief AND Chef
25. Bridesmaid Blues
26. Scandal
27. Conflicting Takes
28. Game Day Jitters
29. Insult and Injury
30. Reassurances and Upheaval
31. Safehouse
32. Disappointment
33. Dark Clouds
34. San Diego Surprise
35. “So Blassed!”
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Publisher
Also by Brea Brown
Author’s Note
I love football (all forms), and this book is my love letter to the American version of the sport (played by the National Football League). As with most things I love, though, I don’t fully understand it. So. Many. Rules! I don’t go too far into the weeds on rules and regulations in this book (I realize not everyone loves the game as much as I do, and I didn’t want to bore or alienate readers with extensive play-by-plays), but the game was a big part of the main characters’ lives, so when I did mention it, I needed it to be authentic. I probably drove my husband crazy, asking him all these hypotheticals, not just about the rules of the game, but also about the regulations that guide players’ behavior off the field. Something tells me he kind of liked being my main consultant, though.
I also did my own research, obviously, and read many interesting—and odd—articles about players’ routines, health practices, and roles in the community. And yes, I had to brush up on terminology. I tried not to overdo it with the football-speak and worked hard to contextually define terms (I know you’re a smart bunch and can figure this stuff out), but there were many places where it would have interrupted the flow of the story or seemed odd for characters so familiar with the game to explain things to each other. I’d like to refer you to the Wikipedia page for American football (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football) as a quick, easy guide. That way, if you’re inclined to know more than you already do, you can look it up. Otherwise, you can skim right over those terms (like I used to do while casually watching football each week), and nothing will be lost in the story. I promise. You don’t have to be an NFL expert to understand what’s happening in the following pages.
If you’re a sports fan, I hope you find a lot to love about this book. If you’re not a sports fan, I hope you can overlook the brief discussions of sport in this book and enjoy the overarching storyline, which is a fresh [I think] take on familiar themes: love and self-worth. If you hate sports and love, I weep for you, but to each his/her own. However, you may want to save yourself the six hours of boredom and/or frustration and put down this book now. Then again, these characters and their story may change your mind and be a surprising delight. You wouldn’t want to risk missing out on that, would you?
So, happy reading! And if you feel moved to post a review on the site of your choice when you’ve finished reading, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
One
Hobnobbin’
If this were a movie, something big would be about to go down. Something bigger, that is, than that enormous linebacker doing the Running Man on the dance floor in front of me.
No, I’m talking something epic and life-changing. The ordinary woman invited to an exclusive NFL Christmas gala as the plus-one of her best friend, one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ trainers, would look across the dance floor and meet the eyes of Keaton Busch (a.k.a., “Mr. Tight End,” which describes both the position he plays and my sexist assessment of his fine figure). The rest would be filler until the happily ever after.
Or, if it were an action film, someone would come in here right now and shoot this mother up. Considering how the evening’s gone so far, and the fact that Mr. Tight End is nowhere in sight, the latter seems much more likely.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a movie. So nothing exciting is happening at this party.
I sit, abandoned, at a table for eight in one of Arrowhead Stadium’s premier event venues, watching huge dudes—most of whom I can’t identify—gyrate to the pulsing music on the makeshift dance floor with their dates.
I don’t recognize anyone. Well, I take that back. I knew Coach Dick Bauer when he got up and addressed the attendees, back at the beginning of the night, when it held so much promise. I also knew the Wise brothers, the team’s owners. Everyone else here, they’re a different story.
Despite being an avid fan of the team, I never realized how much I rely on the names and numbers on the backs of jerseys to help me identify the players. Here, in their formal wear, they look like clones at a giants’ convention. I guess they’re not quite identical; there’s
