Love at the 20-Yard Line (14 page)

Chapter Eleven

After flying home on a redeye flight following the game Friday night, Brody crashed from exhaustion within minutes of walking in his apartment door. Afternoon rolled around on Saturday before he opened his eyes and stretched in bed.

The team razzed him all the way home about his “doll” and kept asking who she was. Marcus was the only one who knew and refused to say anything. Brody threatened to inflict serious damage if he so much as hinted anything about her identity.

Brody arrived home in the wee hours of the morning. He hoped after getting some sleep, to surprise Haven and take her out on a real date.

Uncertain whether she’d be at home, the farm, or some event put on by one of her clients, he reached for his phone and sent a text to Hale. Her brother had proven to be an especially helpful ally, and one he genuinely liked.

He could see why Hale was her favorite of the three brothers. Wes was all wrapped up in his little family, and rightfully so, while Tom spent most of his time focused on himself.

Finally getting out of bed and shuffling to the kitchen, he drank orange juice straight from the carton then made an omelet. After eating it, he checked his phone and saw a message from Hale responding that Haven and Allie were shopping at the mall.

Brody sent Hale a brief message of thanks, then hurried to take a shower and dress. Once he was ready, he drove to the mall, determined to find his girl.

One of the last places he wanted to be on a sunny Saturday afternoon was in the midst of busy stores packed with people, but he really wanted to see Haven.

He wondered if she liked seeing the message on his hand as much as she said. Then again, she wasn’t the type of girl to be coy or play games with him, which was one of the many reasons he was so attracted to her.

Inside the mall, the noise level was somewhere between a football game and a rock concert. He watched a handful of kids scream as their mothers tried to drag them away from the play area.

On his way to one of the big department stores, he took out his phone and sent Haven a text message, asking what she was doing.

She quickly sent a text back that she was shopping with Allie.

He asked her where.

When she named one of the boutique stores located outside the mall, he stopped and bought three Italian sodas. He strolled to the front of the store and waited for her to step outside.

When she and Allie walked into the sunshine a few minutes later, they both stared at him, surprised.

“Oh, my gosh, Brody! What are you doing here?” Haven wanted to give him a hug, but his hands were full of drinks. She settled for kissing his cheek.

“We caught a redeye home. Now that I’m awake, I wanted to see you.” He held out the drinks and the girls each took one.

“Nice to see you, Brody.” Allie gave him a flirty smile before taking a sip of her drink.

Haven rolled her eyes as they meandered toward the next store. Outside the entrance, she looked from Allie to Brody, uncertain what to do.

“Hey, don’t let me interrupt your shopping adventure. I just wanted to surprise you.” Brody took Haven’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “If you don’t have plans later, I’d like to take you out to dinner and a movie.”

“Oh, please.” Allie plopped down on a bench and motioned for the other two to join her. “Cool your heels for a minute there, handsome. We’ll finish these drinks and you can shop with us. When we’re done, you can kidnap Haven and do what you will with her.”

“Excuse me?” Irritated, Haven glowered at her cousin.

Brody stood and started to back away. “I’m not so sure shopping with you girls is a good plan. I’ll just… um… I’ll give you a call later, doll, and we can decide…

“Scared of a little retail therapy, Mr. Jackson?” Allie asked in a tone that dripped with challenge.

“No. I just don’t want to interrupt your girl time.” Brody had never had a steady girlfriend to force him to accompany her on trips to the mall and his mother never had the money to waste on anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. He didn’t think this particular afternoon seemed like the right time for an initiation into the rituals of tagging along with women intent on shopping.

“Watch this, Haven. He’s about to tuck his tail between those long legs and run,” Allie said, bumping Haven’s arm with her elbow.

Brody glared at the girl who was too pretty for her own good and far too opinionated for his. He finished his soda and dropped the cup in a nearby garbage can. He’d never run from a challenge and today would not be the exception.

If any of the guys saw what he was about to do, they’d probably roll on the ground laughing, but odds were high he wouldn’t run into any of his teammates in the girly stores he’d no doubt be dragged to before the shopping expedition ended.

He gave Haven a hand and helped her to her feet, then kissed her cheek. “Lead on, fair lady. I’m here to serve this afternoon.”

Haven looped her arm around Brody’s then shot her cousin a smug smile. “Told you he wouldn’t run off.”

“Let’s just see how long he lasts. Rick can’t even make it through Macy’s shoe department,” Allie said, going to Brody’s other side and looping her arm through his. “I bet I can break you before the afternoon is over.”

“Give it a try, Allie. Bring it on.” Brody held open the door to a shoe store as the girls preceded him inside.

An hour and a half later, as he sat in a chair by the dressing rooms waiting for the girls to finish trying on outfits, he wasn’t having a terrible time. In fact, he’d learned a lot about Haven by listening to her and Allie talk, and observing the types of things that captured her interest.

While Allie went for the flashy, super trendy pieces, Haven gravitated to career clothes or outfits that were much more conservative.

This store was a mix of both. Allie was like a whirlwind, grabbing a handful of clothes and insisting Haven go back to the dressing rooms with her.

After spying a few other men waiting, Brody joined them. So far, no one recognized him. If a video of him packing shopping bags around ended up online, his carefully cultivated reputation as a partying bad boy was as good as dead.

A few minutes later, Allie appeared and motioned Brody toward the dressing rooms.

“I’ve been trying to talk Haven into modeling an outfit to see what you think. I’m pretty sure I’ve finally got her convinced to stick her nose out the dressing room door, but she refuses to walk all the way out to the sitting area.” Allie spoke quietly, her voice holding a hint of conspiracy. “If you don’t mind waiting right here, I’ll shove her out of the dressing room and you can share your thoughts on how she looks.”

“What’s she trying on that’s such a big deal?” Completely unfamiliar with the trauma women endured in front of dressing room mirrors, Brody had no idea what could cause so much fuss.

“I told her this dress would make your eyes pop out of your head and she’s convinced it’s a little too… me!” Allie hurried back to a dressing room halfway down the hall.

An older woman stepped out of a dressing room to look in the big mirror at the end of the hall. When she saw Brody’s reflection in the glass, she sent him a scathing glare, returned to her dressing room, and slammed the door.

Allie poked her head out and nodded at Brody before shoving Haven into the hall.

He stared at the girl in the mile-high heels wearing a dress that accented every generous curve in her figure.

Allie was almost right.

Brody’s eyes didn’t pop out of his head, but it felt like they might. His jaw dropped as he studied Haven from the top of her golden head to the tips of the “notice me” shoes.

“Haven…” His voice sounded unusually husky and rough as he reached out a hand to her. Uncertain and self-conscious, she walked over to him. The dress had a lower neckline than anything he’d seen her wear, but it still provided more coverage than the clothes many women wore.

He knew nothing about women’s fashion, except that the cut of this particular dress was made for Haven while the rich blue color matched her eyes.

“Whatever it costs, you’ve got to have it.” Haven needed this dress. Not only because she looked so hot in it he was afraid he might singe his fingers if he touched her, but also because he knew it would boost her confidence whenever she wore it.

“Do you really like it?” Delighted by the look on his face, Haven began to experience a heady sensation from the way Brody couldn’t take his eyes off her. Absently, she wondered if that was how Allie felt all the time.

“No, I don’t like it. I love it. I don’t care what else you planned to buy today, you’ve got to have that dress, doll.” He bent down so he could whisper in her ear. “And you have to promise you’ll wear it on a date with me.”

Haven nodded her head and turned to go back into the dressing room, noticing her reflection with Brody in the big hall mirror. He placed a hand on her waist and smiled as she looked at their images.

“We look good together, don’t we?” he said, admiring the view of her in the mirror as well as the feel of her waist beneath his hand.

“Yes,” she whispered, then hustled back inside the dressing room.

Allie winked at him. “You can thank me later.”

Brody felt the need for some fresh air and a cold shower. He stepped outside and took several deep breaths then returned inside. Haven stood at the cash register with the dress along with a few other things.

“Don’t you want the shoes, too?” he asked, hopeful she’d get the entire outfit.

Haven shook her head. “No. I’ve got some at home that will work.”

Disappointment settled over him. The shoes that made her legs look a mile long wouldn’t be part of her killer outfit. He somehow doubted she had anything similar in her closet. From what he’d seen, she owned tasteful heels for work, flats for casual events, and boots she wore out to the farm.

“You want me to buy your dress?”

Haven and Allie both looked at him in surprise.

“Thank you, but I’ve got it,” Haven said, shocked by Brody’s offer. She knew playing arena football didn’t make him a fortune and he didn’t have unlimited funds. That he’d even offer melted another piece of her heart.

At this rate, he’d have it entirely dissolved before he left in June.

“I think we should quit while we’re ahead,” Allie said, taking pity on Brody. He’d not complained once, carried their bags without comment, and the way he reacted to Haven in the dress was more than she’d hoped for.

“Want to make it dinner for four and go to the movies?” Brody asked as he walked Allie and Haven to where Allie parked her car.

“I’d love that. Rick and I were planning something similar anyway. Why don’t we get a little fancy so Haven can wear her new dress?” Allie suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Brody said. The three of them decided on a restaurant and agreed to meet there in two hours. Allie planned to help Haven get ready before running home to change.

Brody really wanted to take Haven home, but he needed to go back to his apartment and change.

He kissed her cheek then walked around to the side of the mall where he parked his truck. Suddenly remembering something that would make Haven smile, he ran back inside and found what he was looking for in one of the stores he’d visited with the girls.

After arriving home, he dug his sports jacket from the back of his closet and changed from his T-shirt into a button down shirt. He swapped his faded jeans for a new pair then spent a few minutes polishing his boots before pulling them on.

He still had time to kill, so he turned on the television, but couldn’t get interested in anything. He thumbed through a magazine, paid a few bills, and paced the floor.