Page 28 of Not that Impressed (Houston Pumas #3)

“Don’t forget our sparkling water,” she says, her eyes twinkling.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Dinner goes well. We chat with ease, and more than once I catch a sort of surprised expression crossing Ellie’s face.

Our discussion hasn’t been heated even once.

We talk about her championing women’s sports and the line of Girls Play t-shirts she’s been promoting.

She bursts into laughter when she finds out I’ve already ordered the Girls Play Pumas Jersey and a t-shirt that says, “I play football like a girl.”

When I clear the table and take our plates and silverware inside, Ellie moves to the outdoor couch, kicking her bare feet up on the ottoman. I return and take a seat right next to her, putting my arm over top of the couch.

She tilts her head and studies me. “What are we doing, Will?” she asks.

“Dinner. Conversation. Maybe … more. ”

She squints at me and shakes her head. “You said the other night that you don’t do messy. I thought?—”

I press a finger gently against her lips. “No more assumptions.”

She sighs. “I don’t know what else I’m supposed to think. I said things could get messy, and you said you didn’t do messy.”

“I meant I don’t make things messy. Sometimes I say stupid things, yes, but I tend to say what I mean too. I knew once we understood each other, once we were taking the time to really get to know each other, that it wasn’t going to be a thing. We’re not going to be messy, Ellie.”

She doesn’t look convinced. “Everyone is a little messy. And my life is under a microscope.”

I reach over and take her hand, sliding my fingers through hers.

“I didn’t handle the rumors about me and Coach’s wife well,” I admit.

“I thought I could convince people. Make them see I was telling the truth. And when that didn’t work…

” I push out the memories of how helpless I felt in my own life.

I’d always been able to convince people about who I was—the hard-working linebacker who pushed himself all his life to get to the top.

I practiced hard; I played hard. I showed up and showed coaches exactly what they were getting.

“When that didn’t work,” I go on. “I got mad, and it only made things worse.”

She scoots closer, gripping my hand in hers. “People like that don’t want the truth,” she says softly. “They just want to be entertained.”

“Believe it or not, I’ve learned a lot from you the last few weeks.” I look down at our enjoined hands and picture the team I want us to become. “Enough to know that I believe that whatever comes our way, we can handle it. I can handle it. Whatever people say … it won’t be messy with us.”

She pulls her feet up underneath her and shifts so she’s facing me. “I suppose this is how you got here—the top of your game and playing for a championship team? Being totally sure of yourself. ”

She leans closer, and I take advantage of it. I scoop an arm around her waist to hold her there. She presses her fingers lightly into my chest as she comes closer. “Is this the part where we stop talking for four minutes so we don’t fight?” she whispers.

“Maybe to be on the safe side,” I murmur back.

I stare at her, like I did that night at the fundraiser.

I want to discover everything about her face, to notice it and memorize it.

Obsessing over things is the way I do my best work—like hours and hours of film to figure out an opposing team’s offense or extra time spent on drills to make me quicker.

I don’t know what advantage I’ll have by knowing Ellie’s face so completely, but I’m compelled to.

Her eyes are deep green, but they have flecks of gold on the edges that mesmerize me.

“You’re intimidating when you stare like that,” she whispers.

I shake my head. “Just staring at you is one of the most electric things that has ever happened to me.”

Ellie’s lips are inches from mine when a buzzing erupts from her pocket. She growls, which makes me tighten my arm around her waist and chuckle.

“Not this time,” she says fiercely and snatches the phone out of her pocket, tossing it aside on the couch.

It stops buzzing after a moment and she leans back into me.

I press my hand to her back, guiding her closer.

The buzzing starts again, but we ignore it.

Ellie’s lips meet mine and we melt into each other.

She grips the sleeves of my t-shirt and rests her weight against me.

My heart pounds as our lips move together. Holding her was intense—this is freeing. I wrap another arm around her, lifting her closer to me.

She whispers my name against my lips, and I haul her fully into my lap.

Until a loud siren alarm makes us both jump and Ellie squeals. I’m on my feet in an instant, holding Ellie behind me and whirling around. Is it my house alarm? Something sounds off about it .

Ellie pushes my arm down, sliding away from me to her phone, where I can see the screen blinking at her.

“I’m sorry. That’s probably Janelle.” She picks up her phone and scowls at it. “What’s so important,” she murmurs as she flicks open the screen. The blaring stops. She looks up at me as she puts the phone to her ear. “I missed three calls from her.” Her expression has gone from annoyance to worry.

I shift so that I’m sitting next to her, and she rests her hand absently on my leg. That’s my invitation to scoot even closer, putting an arm around her shoulder.

“Nell? What’s wrong?”

I can only hear a few words from Janelle’s side of the conversation, even sitting this close. It’s not surprising that Ellie has the volume turned down. Given her lifestyle, worrying about people picking up on her phone conversations is a real issue.

“What? When?” Her voice rises with tension, and I clench my jaw to keep from asking what’s wrong. Ellie will fill me in when the conversation ends. She murmurs several okays and then, “I’ll meet you at Mom and Dad’s. Love you. Bye.”

She turns to me when she pockets her phone, her eyes no longer fierce or hungry but worried. I pull her closer, but don’t press for information if she doesn’t want to give it.

“Libby went to Mexico with Grayson,” she says.

I gape at her. “What? I thought your dad told her to stay away from him.”

Ellie huffs again, full of frustration but also a hint of fear.

“She didn’t believe us. She said we were just taking your side.

Mom says she’s been trying to convince her but—‘this is what happens when you forbid a teenager from something.’” She pitches her voice higher at the end, imitating her mom, I presume.

She presses a shaking hand to her face and stands.

“I’ll drive you over,” I offer immediately. My stomach is twisting into knots, seeing her afraid like this.

She shakes her head. “You don’t want to do that.

Mom and Dad were filming their date night.

A game of Monopoly.” She smiles a little, but it breaks my heart more than anything.

One of the things that should have gone through my head that first night I met Ellie was how down to earth I already knew her parents were.

“And if Victoria was there when they found out, she’ll have pushed to keep recording.

Dad put his foot down on talking about you and Grayson, but this is different. ”

“I don’t care.” I take her hand and move to lead her from the apartment.

She resists. “Will. I don’t want to pull you into this.” I turn to her and cup her face in my hands, then I stare at her. She smiles again. “That’s not going to work.”

“I want to be here for you. This is a big deal. It’s scary. I don’t want you to be alone, even for the time it takes you to drive to your parents’.”

Her shoulders heave up and down. “Fine.”

I kiss her forehead and lead her from the apartment.