Keeping Score by Elley Arden

Author:Elley Arden [Arden, Elley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2015-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Rome was under no obligation to be at this game. He didn’t owe Jade anything. He hadn’t lost any more bets. In fact, he still wasn’t sure what to make of Jade and the whole full-time radio thing. But ever since July Fourth, Tess had been asking about her nonstop, and it had been a while since he and Tess had had their own day.

He’d promised himself to keep some distance from Jade, and twenty-six rows up definitely qualified. Hell, she didn’t even know he was here, and he intended to keep it that way.

“I have to pee really bad.” Tess fidgeted in her seat beside him.

It was a long way down, and there were only five minutes left in a back-and-forth, conference championship game, but when natured called, you listened.

“Okay, kiddo.” Hopefully, he could walk her down, send her in, and stand where he could still see the game. “Let’s go.” He held on to her hand and made their excuses as he edged out of the packed row and down the steps.

At the bottom, he turned left and weaved through the crowd. Restrooms were probably by the concession stand.

“You hanging in there?” He glanced back at Tess, who was walking funny but nodding. “Almost there.”

Farrell with the carry. First and ten Clash.

The announcer’s voice infiltrated the buzz of the crowd, and Rome slowed his pace to catch the next play. He scanned the line of scrimmage until his eyes locked on to the scuffed-up red helmet in the center. A clash of equipment sent an echo through the stadium, but the ball didn’t soar, and the running back didn’t bolt. A sense of foreboding filled the humid air.

He veered a little closer to the fence for a better look, and that’s when he saw the scramble. Fumble on the snap. Shit.

“Pelicans’ ball,” the announcer said.

The crowd groaned, and Rome swore under his breath as he led Tess toward the concession stand.

“What happened?” she asked. “Why is everyone booing?”

“Somebody dropped the ball.”

“And that’s bad?”

“Really bad.” He just hoped it was the quarterback’s mistake, not Jade’s, because carrying that kind of weight through the rest of the game sucked. And if they lost ... He could only imagine how much she would beat herself up over it. That was one thing that definitely wasn’t determined by gender.

Once Tess was safely inside the women’s room, Rome wandered back to the chain-link fence that separated the running track from the field. He watched the Pelicans steamroll the Clash defense until the ball sat in the red zone.

He leaned on the fence and roughed a hand over his face, surprised by how much one measly fumble bothered him. He wasn’t vested in this team. He wasn’t vested in their center. He definitely didn’t want to be vested in her after what had happened on Monday.

Touchdown Pelicans.

He kicked the chain link, then searched the sidelines for a glimpse of Jade. Nothing. The area was thick with players in the midst of the switch to special teams.

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