Play Date (Play Makers Book 3) (45 page)

• • •

When Rachel returned to the McSpurling residence, Bannerman and Erica were on the redwood deck drinking Lager Storm beers and playing with a colorful tablet computer.

Erica jumped up first. “You’re back! How did it go?”

“Really well,” Rachel said. “Kerrie’s on board completely.”

Bannerman walked over and patted her cheek. “He gave you a rough time, right?”

“He’s pretty raw,” she admitted, wrapping her arms around his chest. “But he’s on board too, more or less.”

Erica’s eyes were filled with sympathy. “I’m sorry you had to do it, Rachel. It should have been me since it’s my idea. But I didn’t want to say the wrong thing—”

“It
had
to be me,” Rachel assured her, standing straighter and admitting, “She’s terribly jealous of your relationship with him. She’ll get over it, but for now, it had to be me.” Shaking off the memory, she asked more cheerfully, “How goes the party planning?”

Bannerman’s face lit up. “We’ve got the guest list together. Friends, family and reporters. We figure John’s dad needs to sit this one out, because of the Coz part, so he’ll babysit the hellhounds at the Ashton while Jayce and Beth party with us.”

“Oh, wonderful!”

“You’re wearing your red dress. The one you wore to dinner with Murf,” he continued in a brisk, party-planning tone.

“Really?”

Erica eyed her teasingly. “He says he has unfinished business with it.”

Rachel laughed and admitted, “That’s so true.”

“And speaking of unfinished business . . .” Erica arched an eyebrow in the halfback’s direction. “Hurry before Johnny gets back.”

Bannerman gave Rachel a sheepish look. “Did you ever meet Kerrie’s twin sister?”

“No, why?” she asked, then she exhaled in pretend annoyance. “Seriously? You actually scored with
every
unmarried woman in Portland?”

“It was an accident. And months before I met you. And just the one time.”

Rachel glanced from him to Erica. “It’s a secret from Johnny?”

“It would bother him, and he doesn’t really need to know,” she explained.

Rachel nodded. Johnny’s dad was a coach, which probably made the son extra-sensitive to coach-player decorum. “I won’t tell anyone. But it’s good to know. Even though I doubt I’ll ever meet her.” She sighed, depressed again by Sean’s behavior at lunch. For all she knew, they wouldn’t even be invited to his wedding, much less socialize with Kerrie’s family thereafter.

“I should have told you sooner,” Bannerman murmured.

“What? Oh, no. It doesn’t bother me at all.” She touched his cheek. “Thanks for telling me, sheriff.”

He grinned in relief. “So back to the agenda? We’re doing karaoke, so don’t bother arguing. I’ve got a song I want to sing to you. Then you can sing to me.”

“Pardon?”

“I already warned Erica you like that country crap. So just tell her what music to get.”

“I love the idea of
you
singing,” Rachel told him. “But I’d rather not.”

Erica’s gray eyes danced. “He says you have a great voice. He’s heard you in the shower.”

“I love to sing,” she admitted. “Just not in public.” When her eyes misted over, she knew it was Sean’s fault for making her so emotional and unstrung, so she forced a bright smile and told Bannerman, “I can’t wait to hear
your
song.”

He looked as though he wanted to say something profound, or soothing. But instead he just assured her, “It’s gonna be epic.”

“I agree,” Erica told them fondly. “I know this started as a way to help Sean, but we’re
way
past that now. The party of the century, right? For the love match of the century.”

At that moment, Johnny strode in from the living room and fixed a stare on Rachel. “How’d it go?”

She would have assured him all was well, but Bannerman weighed in first, saying, “Deck gave her a hard time. What a dick, right?”

Johnny’s face fell. “Sorry, Rachel. I had a feeling . . .” He settled into a deck chair, popped the top off a Lager Storm, and eyed her sympathetically. “How bad was it?”

She forced a cheery smile. “The good news is, Kerrie’s completely on board. Sean was upset that we might humiliate her in public, but she said it was just the opposite. Staying silent was humiliating. Standing up to him
—finally—
will be liberating.”

“Good for her.” The QB leaned forward in a gesture Rachel now recognized. He wanted to talk strategy. Because that was his strength. He would call the plays. Break it down, as Bannerman would say.

And she would go along with it. As long as he didn’t insult Kerrie.

“So here’s what you need to know about Decker,” Johnny told her briskly. “His strength comes from his core. His balance. It’s almost uncanny. He can absorb an amazing amount of stress. We can fall behind by ten points, twenty points. He can still focus. I’ve seen him play through stomach flu. Through hurricanes. It’s nothing to him, because he’s literally in the zone.”

Rachel felt a wave of affection, not just for Sean but for the QB. “That’s quite a tribute.”

“It’s true, teach,” Bannerman murmured. “When Deck’s on the field, he’s on his own. Sure, I hold the ball for him, but it’s all up to him. For me and John and the rest of the squad? We’ve got each other’s back. But being a kicker? I could never do it. It takes a certain kind of dude. A dude like Deck.”

Johnny nodded. “A good kicker—a
great
kicker—thrives on the same characteristics that make him such a great friend. Core strength. Natural balance. He’s relaxed. He’s confident. It just flows through him. That’s our guy.”

“Amen,” Bannerman said reverently.

She understood what they were telling her. And she knew it was true. This affair with a married woman had sabotaged Sean’s greatest strength. Hadn’t Rachel known that from the start? That of all the guys she had ever met, this sort of sneaking around would tear Sean Decker apart most acutely?

“It takes a lot to rattle him,” Johnny assured her. “I’ve only seen it once before. When he broke Bam’s hand. You know about that, don’t you? It was a nightmare, and Deck went into a temporary slump, which was bad enough. Then that asshole Coz wanted to bring in a replacement.” His upper lip snarled unexpectedly. “I never liked Coz, but when he was willing to throw away the best kicker in NFL history? Scuttle the guy who had done so much for us? Man, I hated him that day.”

“Too bad you didn’t kill him,” Bannerman quipped. “Then Deck could’ve married his widow.”

Rachel froze, but to her relief, Johnny burst out laughing. “Yeah, what was I thinking?”

Erica gave Rachel a teasing smile. “Don’t try to figure it out. The more they offend each other, the closer they get. So please don’t worry about Sean. He’s not going anywhere.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Bannerman pulled her close. “He just wants a real girlfriend. He’s tired of blow-up dolls.”

Johnny howled again, then gave Rachel a grin. “It’s true. We thought
you
would be the answer. But you got Bammed up before Deck could make his move.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, but inside? She loved it. If they could joke this way, then maybe Sean wasn’t lost to them after all.

So she confided sheepishly, “I’ve seen it, you know. That balance you talked about. My first date with Sean—the infamous blind date—was
seven
hours
long
. Laughing. Chatting. Relaxing. And even later, when he visited me at my house, and he was clearly stressed about Kerrie, he took me for a walk and bought me an ice cream cone and just seemed liked the most laid-back, adorable guy in the world.”

“What’s your point, teach?” Bannerman demanded. “I’m supposed to buy you ice cream too? The ring wasn’t enough?”

She giggled, then brushed her lips across his. “The point is, he wants a girlfriend. Just like you said. He wants to date.
Really
date. And with Erica’s plan, it will happen.” She gave Johnny a grateful smile. “Thanks for explaining him to me. It really helped.”

“And thanks for explaining Kerrie to me,” he said quietly.

“And now that we’ve got the boring stuff out of the way,” Bannerman said mischievously, “we’ve got an engagement party to plan. Right?”

“Right!” Erica and Johnny chorused.

Rachel laughed happily. Then she told her handsome fiancé, “I’ve got unfinished business with your black leather vest, you know. So put
that
on your list, too, please.”

Chapter 19

Sean had visited his QB’s house so often over the past two years it was a second home to him, or at least a third after his own Portland residence and his family’s ranch. But on the night of the engagement party, he felt like a guest. Or worse, a stranger. Rock music was blaring, champagne was flowing, and every single Lancer had shown up despite the short notice and being scattered to the four corners and beyond during the off-season.

No one wanted to miss this. Seeing the woman who had snared Bam Bannerman? But even more important, they wanted to celebrate with him. Show him how much they cared. He had been there for every single one of them, cheerful and supportive and cracking them up at every turn. They loved the guy.

And Sean loved the guy too. But tonight? He wished he could be somewhere else.
Anywhere
else. Maybe Vegas with Kerrie. A desert island with Kerrie.

Room 108? Not really. They were hopefully past that, at least. But being
here?
He hated it. Hated knowing he’d have to interact with Johnny and Erica. Hated knowing Kerrie would be there but he couldn’t be with her or offer support. Probably couldn’t even
look
at her for fear of ruining the infamous plan.

“Hey, Deck!” Johnny strode over, his smile genuine as he slapped him on the shoulder with his left hand while pumping a handshake with his right. “Thanks for coming. As Bam would say,
now
it’s a party.”

“Hey, John,” he replied, trying for an equally friendly tone, but sounding strangled even to his own ears.

The QB flashed another smile. “Rachel’s been telling us amazing stories about Kerrie, Deck. She sounds
great
. And I feel like shit for reacting the way I did. So give me another chance, will you? I’m on board now. Everyone is.”

“Thanks, John. Is she here yet?”

Johnny’s answer was interrupted by Erica, who bounded over and threw herself into Sean’s arms. “You’re here!” She hugged him frantically. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”

“I’m here for Kerrie,” he said quietly.

She drew back and looked into his eyes, and he thought for a moment she was upset. Who could blame her? But instead, she told him, “She’s
such
a good sport. Wait till you see what she’s wearing. A gorgeous ivory suit. The beautiful, long-suffering NFL wife. It’s classic.” Hugging him again, she assured him, “It’s going to work. I just know it. Then the six of us will be best friends. Right?”

He nodded, then had to chuckle when he saw Bannerman headed his way. It was either get flattened or shake the huge halfback’s hand in self-defense, so he braced himself for the impact. But Bam skipped the handshake entirely, pulling him into a rib-crushing embrace and exclaiming, “Deck! Where the hell have you been?”

“Congratulations, buddy,” Sean said lightly. Then he laughed at the black leather vest. “Don’t tell me: Sheriff Bannerman?”

“Anything to get her hot, right?”

Sean laughed again, then scanned the room for Kerrie, spotting her with a group of well-dressed women, quiet and demure. He had seen her that way at official functions before, which was why he had viewed her as prim and quiet. Just as Erica described. Except now he knew her brain was bursting with erotic cravings and wild ideas, and he felt a wave of protective anger. Were they really going to put her through this? Make her play this submissive role? Wouldn’t it be better if he just took her away from all this?

He gave Erica a brisk look. “What’s the schedule? The sooner we get it over with, the better.”

She recoiled again, albeit slightly, and he knew he was hurting her feelings. And while it wasn’t intentional, he also knew how intimidated Kerrie was by their close relationship. Better to hurt Erica than the woman he loved, right?

Even though Erica had been there for him when he needed her most, so he felt like a creep choosing sides against her.

Luckily, her gaze was still warm, still loving, when she said, “Bam’s going to sing to Rachel. Then Janine—my actress friend—will turn up the heat on Coz. She’s been flirting with him off and on, and when I signal her, she’ll really make it sizzle.”

“Yeah, man,” Bannerman enthused. “Have you seen her? Smokin’.”

“Let’s just get it done,” Sean muttered, barely recognizing his own voice. “Once Kerrie plays her part and storms out, I’ll leave too, then I’ll catch up with her at my place. Or if Coz doesn’t take the bait, we’ll just head straight to Vegas. Just fyi.”

Bannerman’s expression hardened. “I’ll be sure to tell Rachel you said ‘hi.’”

The remark hit home, and Sean winced in apology. “I’ll talk to Rachel before I leave, obviously. She’s been great through all this. You’re a lucky guy.”

“You’re a lucky guy too,” he told him gruffly. “You’ve got friends who love you even when you’re being a dick. So get it together, will ya?”

Before Sean could respond, the halfback grinned to show he was only half serious, then he turned and caught Erica’s face in his huge hand, telling her, “Nice party, beautiful. I might have to sing a song for you too.”

“I’d love that,” she said, her silvery eyes misting slightly. Maybe it was Bannerman’s tribute, or maybe she was upset over Sean’s cold shoulder. Either way, she shook it off quickly, insisting, “Go on, now. Make us proud.”

The halfback nodded, sprinted over to the stage and then leapt up onto it, grabbing the microphone confidently. “Hey, sports fans! Listen up. I need to sing a song for my bride-to-be. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, she’s the hot blonde in the red dress. This one’s for you, teach.”

As Sean watched, Bannerman cued the music, then morphed into Elvis Presley and began a raucous version of “All Shook Up,” his intense stare fixed on Rachel, who hurried to the edge of the stage, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She was wearing the same dress she had worn to dinner with Murf, and while she had looked great that night, she was pure dazzle now. The other women in the room gravitated to the sexy voice too, a few screaming in mock adoration. Or maybe they were remembering the old days—and what he had done to them—and were having actual Bam flashbacks.