I swallowed and nodded as he turned his back and walked deeper into the apartment. I felt strange and intensely curious. What did that mean? Not “I don’t
Or maybe I read too much into things.
I stepped clear of the entrance and stopped, stunned at the apartment, a massive open space with bright wooden floors and a glass wall overlooking Central Park. Laughter and steam and spices filled a copper and chrome kitchen at one end, while two dozen famous faces ranged throughout the room.
I looked for Rachael, but she was over in the kitchen, clearly giving very pointed directions to a set of two defensive tackles twice her size. They seemed to be concerning tableware.
“Let me guess,” someone said behind me. “Friend of Rachael’s.”
Linebacker Abe Krasner grinned at me from beneath a halo of dusky brown curls and held out a beer. I was very good; I didn’t gape or pinch myself or anything, even though the last time I’d seen him he’d been preventing a game-losing touchdown.
“Yeah.” I took the bottle and tried not to sound too star struck. “I am. Sort of. I’m Natalie.”
“Abe,” he said, in case I lived under a rock. “Are you the archaeologist?”
Archaeology small talk for the win. I smiled brightly, back on firm ground. “That’s me.”
Abe’s easy going manner put me at ease within minutes, and he introduced me to several other players. Within another twenty, Rachael appeared, a tall, quiet woman at her side who she introduced as Alexa. Alexa was the grad student from Chicago, and I probably could have talked to her all night. We did talk for a full hour before dinner was ready. I didn’t often run into people who not only cared about my research, but understood it. When I had to explain archaeology or Iron Age history to people that didn’t study it, I felt like I was translating everything into another language, one neither me nor my listener understood very well.
Of course, it went both ways. Once I asked one of my earth science friends to describe what she did, and she basically told me I would never understand.
When Ryan hollered from the kitchen, everyone fell in like a well-ordered troop. Mike tried to seat me far down the table, but Rachael out-maneuvered him and we found ourselves directly across from each other. Abe dropped in on one side and lowered his voice. “Ryan’s nickname is the General, but I always thought Rachael would be called the Commander.”
I laughed too loudly, and clapped a hand to my mouth. Mike eyed me warily, and then shook his head and turned to smile at some tiny, beautiful brunette beside him.
Despite Rachael machinations, Mike and I didn’t talk directly to each other until the very end of dinner. Instead, everyone else spoke, mostly about their plans before training camp started up at the end of July. “Bri wants to go to Paris,” wide-receiver Malcolm Lindsey said, referencing his absent fiancee. He sent a look at Rachael. “Somehow that got in her head.”
“Wow, what a great idea,” Rachael said with patent transparency. She turned to Ryan Carter. “Interestingly enough, there’s a book fair in Milan that work’s sending me to in July.”
Ryan failed to suppress a grin. “You need to work on your subtly.”
“I don’t really think so.” She glanced at me. “You have any plans this summer?”
Only by sheer dint of willpower did I keep my eyes from lifting to Mike’s. “Um. Actually, I’m going to Ireland in two weeks.”
Mike coughed explosively. “You’re
Rachael looked between us with quick eyes. “Oh?” She directed the question at me. “What part?”
I dug some of the sweet raisins out of my couscous. “A little town in Cork. Called Dundoran.”
Mike pinned me with those steel eyes. “No.”
“Yes.”
“
“Well,” I said delicately, very aware of the eyes of half the Leopards, “I’m sure it’s big enough for both of us.”
Mike snorted. “Why would you even go when you’re not excavating?”
“My advisor lives in Ireland. Even if we’re not able to dig, I’ll need to talk to locals and do research that will only be possible in the area.” I paused. “Of course, a dig would be preferable. There’s a wealth of information just waiting to be discovered.”
Mike set his fork down with a loud clatter. “Then it can wait a little bit longer.”
“You know,” I said, “there’s so much development going on that if it doesn’t get excavated now, there’s probably going to be a rushed contract archaeology dig before a bunch of condos are built there. A handful of state mandated archaeologists will go in, do a quick excavation, and they won’t even have finished typing up their notes by the time the bulldozers destroy everything. Wouldn’t you prefer the land’s protected?”
“You’re forgetting the most important factor—no one’s building anything there without my permission.”
“So why don’t you want anyone building anything?” Rachael asked.
Mike took a deep, frustrated breath and turned his gaze to the hostess. “Rachael.”
She smiled sweetly. “Michael.”
I watched, fascinated, as Mike O’Connor locked gazes with Rachael Hamilton, and then lost the anger that had been simmering toward boil. Just like that. One moment, he was ready to yell at me, and the next he was laughing and apologizing to Rachael, and throwing even me a sheepish grin, and he’d changed the topic to Rachael’s job without anyone really noticing.
After dinner, everyone migrated back toward the east side of the giant room, with the window overlooking Central Park. I hovered in a small circle with Rachael while Mike sat on a couch directly before the window.
“Sorry about Mike.” Rachael frowned
I let out a scoff. “Charming? Him? Yeah, sure.”
Rachael looked at me consideringly.
“I bet that’s just his agent talking.” The wine felt warm and fuzzy, like a blanket draped over my sensibility. “A selling point. Each player needs a distinctive trait, something that will make them stand out. Mem’rable. Memorable.”
“Interesting. What’s Ryan’s?”
I didn’t even hesitate. “That he’s pretty.”
Rachael laughed until she had to sit down. “That’s true. But don’t tell him. He’s vain enough as is.”
Across the room, Keith got up, leaving the seat next to Mike open. I eyed it.
Rachael nudged me. “Go on.”
Okay. Yes. If he was going to Dundoran—and I was going to Dundoran—well, I’d done my research, and there was only one inn in the village’s vicinity. Better go over there and make nice instead of spending the next two weeks freaking out over what would happen if—when—we ran into each other across the pond.
When I plunked down beside him, his eyes immediately rose to mine.
I folded my hands in my lap and looked up at him, trying to think of the exact way to break the news.
He took one look at me and groaned. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Okay, that was totally fine too. I mimed zipping my lips and throwing away the key, with wide, exaggerated gestures and an unwavering gaze.
His brown eyes glinted with what might have been humor. “Good.”
I nodded and leaned back against the couch. My forehead wrinkled and a small, sad frown pulled at my mouth.
“What?”
I leaned closer, as though reluctant to admit a tragic truth. “You’re not as charming as everyone says you are.”
He scowled at me and took a long pull of his drink. “I’m charming when I want to be.”
I laughed.
He took another sip and thunked his drink down. And then, just like during dinner, everything about his demeanor changed. He propping his elbow on the couch back, he grinned down at me. “So do you do this to all your landowners? Chase them down and beg them to change their minds? Or am I special?”
