“Do you need me to do anything with it?”
“No, you don’t have to do anything.” Miriam giggled. “Just go make sure everything is okay in there, and I’ll be right back.”
“O-kay.” Em shook her head as she walked into the stands. The lights were off, and she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to find what Miriam left in there when it was so dark. The only light in the entire room was a soft glow that came from midfield. When Em looked more closely, she saw the light was coming from a table covered in candles—and someone was standing beside it.
Grant.
He was the thing Miriam left on the field?
Breathless, she carefully walked toward the table. She was glad that she’d listened to Miriam and dressed up since Grant was wearing a suit. The urge to play with the curls she’d put in her hair or smooth her hands over her dress was hard to fight under his watchful gaze, but she did not want him to see the effect he had on her even now. She held her head high as she got closer.
“Wow,” he breathed when she stopped in front of him. “You look gorgeous.”
Em’s cheeks heated. She looked down at her feet in hopes of hiding her reaction to his words. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you came.”
She looked back up, keeping her features blank. “Miriam said she needed help with something. If I’d known that this was her project, I might not have shown up.” The words and her tone sounded harsh to her ears, but she didn’t apologize for either. Grant had hurt her—deeply—and now he was trying to...what? Em still didn’t know. “What is this?”
“This is me trying to apologize.” Grant sighed loudly and shook his head.
It was the most elaborate apology she’d ever gotten. Decorating the field on game day was risky. “Does Coach know you’re making a mess of his field so close to kickoff?”
“Since he hasn’t stormed the field yet, I can only assume the answer is no.”
“And how exactly did you pull this off without him knowing?”
“With a lot of help from Miriam...and your brother.”
Finn had helped Grant with this? Now she really was shocked. But she still wasn’t sure what Grant was hoping to accomplish with a table and some candles. “Why?”
His brows lowered. “Why what?”
She put her hands out. “Why did you do all this? The suit, the table, the candles?”
“I was hoping I could take you on a proper date.”
A date?
Even though Em could appreciate the effort he’d gone through, did he really think he could light some candles and everything would be fine? Things weren’t fine. She shook her head. “You and I both know this isn’t going to work out. You said yourself that you’re going back to Kansas City when the season is over. And just like you, I don’t want to have a long-distance relationship. Going down this road will only lead to more heartache.”
“What if I wasn’t leaving?”
Her brows lowered. “What are you talking about?”
“Please just sit with me for a little while and I’ll explain.”
Speechless, she nodded.
Grant walked around the table and pulled out a chair for Em. When she was comfortable, he walked around to his side and sat down. He pulled a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “Would you like a drink?”
“Yes, please,” she said, though it was going to take more than a glass of champagne to settle her nerves.
Grant opened the bottle and poured the bubbly liquid into both of their glasses.
“So, you’re staying in Waterfront?”
Grant opened his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope from the inside pocket. He slid it across the table. “I recently applied to a couple masters programs. One of them was USF.”
Her eyes went to the envelope on the table. She wanted to know when he applied—and why. Was it too much to hope that she had something to do with his decision? She took a shaky breath. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“I didn’t want to end things. I’ve regretted it every day since I let you walk out my door. I figured if I got into a local school, I would have an excuse to stay. And if I stayed, I might get another chance.” He reached out and grabbed her hand.
So she had been a factor in applying to a Florida school, and now he was asking for another chance. Warmth filled her chest. She wanted to say yes, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind warning her that she’d only get hurt again. The idea of facing another rejection from Grant was unbearable. She pulled her hand away and picked up the envelope. “When do you start?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t actually know if I got accepted yet.”
“I don’t understand.”
He shrugged. “I haven’t opened it.”
What was wrong with him? Why go through all the trouble of applying only to not open the envelope? “Why not?”
“I wasn’t sure what I would do if they didn’t accept me.” He shook his head. “Or what I would do if they did.”
“Then how can you sit there across from me and say you want another chance when you don’t even know if you’re going to stay?”
Without asking for permission, she grabbed the envelope off the table and tore the edge. She stared at him as she pulled the letter out, daring him to stop her. He didn’t.
Em unfolded the paper and read the first line.
Congratulations. You’ve been accepted into the master’s program at the University of South Florida’s School of Business.
He got in. This was great news.
Or was it?
It was one thing for Grant to stay in Florida if he were to go to school at USF—he’d already said that he would. But would he still feel so passionate about another chance with Em if he wasn’t accepted into the program? She needed to know how much he wanted to be with her.
She turned
