Penalty Box
Love in the Arena: Book One
Kayla Tirrell
Contents
Also by Kayla Tirrell
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Preface
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
Silas
Miriam
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Acknowledgments
About Kayla
Also by Kayla Tirrell
Copyright © 2020 by Kayla Tirrell
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 author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Proofreading: EditElle
Also by Kayla Tirrell
Varsity Girlfriends:
Courtside Crush
Game Plan
Wedding Games:
The Bridesmaid & The Jerk
The Bridesmaid & The Ex
The Bridesmaid & Her Surprise Love
Shelfbrooke Academy:
Tessa
Boys of Summer:
Beauty and the Beach
Mountain Creek Drive:
Chasing Love
River Valley Lost & Found:
All The Things We Lost
All The Things We Found
All The Things We Were
Collection of Sweet Shorts:
Home For Christmas
Carnival Wishes
The Art of Taking Chances
Disastrous Dates:
Disastrous Dates: The Complete Series
Children’s Chapter Book:
Help! My Parents Are Zombies!
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BLUE CARD:
In arena soccer, blue cards are given for causing a severe injury. Offending player must spend time in the penalty box.
Miriam
Miriam felt a tap on her shoulder.
“I have something you want.”
Her fingers stilled over the keys on her laptop before she swiveled around in her seat. There, standing in front of her, was Harris with a bright smile on his face as he held one of his arms behind his back.
Miriam smiled and stuck out a hand for whatever he was hiding. When Harris didn’t pull it out from behind his back, she lifted a brow.
His smile turned teasing.
Miriam groaned. “You’re going to insist on polite conversation first, aren’t you?”
Harris’ answering laugh was warm. “You know I am.” He leaned against her office wall and ran a hand through his blond hair, making the front spike up even more than usual.
Miriam pouted, though it was mostly for show. Harris had been super chatty since day one in the office. At first, it had been lessons in how arena soccer differed from the outdoor sport most people knew, but it had quickly turned into a friendship that made Miriam thankful to have Harris hanging around the office. Other than Allie, Harris was probably Miriam’s best friend—with the bonus that Harris actually enjoyed arena soccer.
She playfully rolled her eyes. “Fine. How are you doing today, Harris?”
“I’m good. Thanks for asking.”
Miriam paused long enough to see if Harris would consider that enough. When he didn’t, she added, “And did you do anything fun this weekend?”
Harris tapped his chin with the forefinger of his free hand. “Well, I went and saw a movie with a friend from work.”
A corner of Miriam’s mouth lifted into a smile. “Did you have a good time?”
“Other than my friend stealing all my popcorn? Yeah, I had a lot of fun.”
A small giggle escaped Miriam. “I had fun too. Thanks for going with me.”
“And thanks for indulging me.” Harris pulled his hand from behind his back. In it was a small stack of papers.
Miriam’s eyes zeroed in on it, and her pulse sped up. “Is that what I think it is?”
“See? I knew you’d be excited.”
“Excited? That’s a bit of an understatement.” Miriam hopped up out of her chair and reached out greedily. Her fingers barely brushed the papers when Harris pulled his hand back. She gave him a death stare. “Seriously?”
Harris laughed again. “Fine. Here are the new trades that haven’t been announced publicly yet.”
Miriam did a little happy dance. As the community outreach manager for the Storm, she needed to know who else would be on the roster this season. Greg Martin, the general manager of the team, would eventually have a meeting with everyone to make sure they were all aware of the new players, but Miriam had never been patient.
While knowing exactly who could attend the public appearances that she scheduled was helpful for her job, that wasn’t her main motivation for bribing the info out of Harris early. Miriam wanted to know who the new players would be because she was a Storm fan through and through. She’d been watching them play since they’d first established the team just six short years ago. Now she knew enough about the league to have her own wish list of new players that she wanted Greg to acquire this season.
Waving off Harris with a squeal of thanks, she settled into her chair and took a deep breath. Her hands shook in excitement when she looked at the first page with the name, picture, and short bio about their first new player.
She let out a sigh of relief.
Vinny ‘The Box’ Nelson. Dark hair, olive skin, and a sweet smile that was deceiving. Vinny was one of the biggest hotheads in arena soccer. Some games he got so many blue cards that he spent more time in the penalty box than on the field. He was a loose cannon who liked to use any means necessary, including pushing and tripping, to win. But he was also a great defender when he kept a level head. Miriam could see why Greg picked him and knew the team would be better for it as long as the coach could keep him under control.
She flipped the page and frowned.
Grant Vaughn. She hadn’t heard that name before. He looked young, and his blond hair was long enough that it brushed his blue eyes. She scanned his page—midfielder, fresh out of a D1 school and star of that team. He wasn’t seasoned like Vinny, but a quick peek at his stats showed that he had a lot of promise. As long as he was able to
