Page 9 of Not that Impressed (Houston Pumas #3)

WILL

I smile in a satisfied way at the ground as Charlie and I walk out of practice, my limbs loose and my mind replaying the way I kept stuffing up Alec Sanford, one of the running-backs. My smile grows.

“You’re in a good mood,” Charlie says from beside me.

“I’m always in a good mood after practice.”

He chuckles. “That’s true. Bet Sanford isn’t.” He gives me a good-natured grimace.

I shrug it off. “Probably not, but he’s one of the best in the league. Not many linebackers out there like me that he’s going to face. I’m making him better.”

Charlie puts a hand on his heart. “Always so humble, Pemberton.”

I roll my eyes.

“Dinner tonight at my house. Eight o’clock. Wanna come?” He rubs at the back of his neck, a weird show of nerves over a dinner invitation to me…

“I’m guessing this isn’t you inviting me over for takeout and video games.” I eye him.

He laughs. “Kara is cooking. I invited Janelle and Ellie too. ”

My shoulders tense. I don’t want to go to dinner if Ellie’s going to be there.

But … I could use it as another opportunity to prove Ellie wrong about who I am.

I hate that she thinks I’m judgmental. I shouldn’t be obsessing about it.

I should let it go, but I can’t. Watching her the day we packed up school supplies has made it more imperative that she think well of me because … I’m not sure I even know why.

She does star in a TV show that millions of people watch.

If she talks bad about me, it will start more rumors I have to deal with.

Last time, I had everyone in the Pumas organization on my side because we take care of our own—but Ellie is the owner’s daughter.

My thoughtless words could have out-of-proportion consequences because she’s holding a grudge against me. It’s in my best interest to fix it.

Obviously.

We arrive at our cars, and I realize I haven’t answered Charlie. We’ve walked through the parking lot in silence as I consider what to do. Charlie pauses before heading to his car.

“You and Ellie got off on the wrong foot,” he says. “You’re not the guy she thinks you are, and once she sees that, everything will be fine.”

Still, I hesitate. Charlie’s time with Janelle will be difficult if I come. “Why don’t you just cook dinner for Janelle?” I ask. “Spend some time one on one with her?”

“Well, that would be awkward uninviting Kara and Ellie,” he teases.

“Kara won’t care. Neither will Ellie, especially if she knows you’re inviting me.” I open the driver’s side door of my Expedition and toss my bag across the console into the passenger seat.

He leans against my SUV and takes a second before answering. “Janelle is careful and quiet. She’s more comfortable with her sister around, and I want her to feel comfortable getting to know me. ”

I huff out a sigh. “This is why all the ladies love you and not me.”

Charlie shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

“There are plenty of ladies who don’t care what comes out of your mouth and would hook up with you just because you play for the Pumas, and you know it.

” Neither of us has to point out that’s not the relationship I want.

I’m only really comfortable with people I know well, and that includes romantic relationships.

Casual stuff is too difficult to navigate.

“You and Ellie can be friends,” Charlie insists. “I believe in your ability to not say anything to make her mad tonight.”

“Have Card and his fiancée come over. That’s the vibe you want,” I suggest. Charlie has been getting to know our tight end, Law Card, better since he decided to buy a house in his neighborhood.

“I’m not cutting you out of my life because of the woman I want to date. Come over, behave, and prove to Ellie you’re actually a nice guy.”

“Except I’m not actually a nice guy,” I point out.

He scoffs and punches me in the shoulder. “See you at eight.” He walks off before I can decline again.

When I get home, I text my mom for advice on how to fix this situation with Ellie. She’s known me longer than anyone, obviously, and has firsthand experience with my ability to turn an innocent observation into a barbed comeback without even trying.

Will

Charlie has a new girlfriend (almost) and I made a bad first impression on her sister. How do I fix it?

Mom

What did you do?

Will

Made some judgments I shouldn’t have, and then made it worse by being me.

Mom

You are a great guy. You know that.

Will

She doesn’t. That’s the problem. Charlie really likes her sister. I’ve gotta try for him.

Mom

Actions are what matter. You can say all you want that you’re one thing, but if your actions don’t match, the words won’t mean anything.

You could also have her call me.

I snort-laugh. My mom would absolutely win Ellie over—to liking my mom. I can see Ellie still being skeptical of me.

Will

I’ll let you know if I need to resort to that.

I show up at Charlie’s at 7:45 with cookies I bought from a bakery Janelle and Ellie have both mentioned several times on their socials.

I’d rather not admit to the amount of stalking I’ve done on Ellie’s page since Charlie’s house-warming party.

At first it was to prove that she’d presented a persona online that I couldn’t help but judge her by, but that was pretty far off.

Her Instagram profile isn’t personal, just like mine, but it’s filled with her work with various fitness-related businesses and accounts, especially those that promote healthy mindsets for social-media overloaded women and female athletes.

Villain on TV. Girl power champion online. Mean girl in real life?

In my defense, the clips that popped up in my research do show her leaning into that villain thing.

I ask Kara and Charlie what I can do to help with dinner.

So, in the first thing that’s gone well with me around Ellie, I’m busy shredding the pulled pork when Charlie opens the door to Janelle and Ellie at eight o’clock on the nose.

Coco, Charlie’s lab, greets both women excitedly.

Ellie crouches down in front of the dog, scratching behind both ears and talking to her in a low voice, words I can’t make out. Coco is putty in her palm.

Ellie turns to me, and our gazes meet. For a second she studies me, but then her expression tightens, and I drop my eyes.

Okay, so shredding meat isn’t the most amazing accomplishment. I’m helping, and I don’t need an award for it.

Janelle notices the cookies first. “Charlie!” she exclaims when she comes into the kitchen and sees the bakery boxes on the counter. “You got peanut butter cookies from Kookie House. I love those!”

Charlie beams but turns to me. “That was actually Will.”

Janelle’s smile turns shy. “Thanks, Will. I love them. I see you got Ellie’s favorite kind to0.” Her eyes dance with mischievousness that’s so faint, I’m not even sure that’s what it is.

I swallow my embarrassment. Getting their favorites is such obvious butt-kissing. “Oh?” I force a smile. “Sugar cookies are my favorite too.”

Kara snorts from next to me, where she’s slicing bread.

I ignore her and dare another peek at Ellie.

She glances between me and Kara, unsmiling, and her brows furrowed.

The thing is, I hate sugar cookies. I got sick once after eating too many at a party when my youth league football team won the local championship. I haven’t been able to touch one since.

I’ll get one down tonight though. I’d rather do that than admit I searched through Ellie’s posts to find out which cookie she liked best from Kookie House.

“I’m jealous.” Kara puts down her knife and turns to grab some plates from the cabinet.

“I eat two bites of a cookie, and I gain five pounds. I bet you’re one of those girls who can eat as many as she wants, and the calories just melt off you.

” Kara smiles at Ellie, but the statement has bite to it.

She knows how much Ellie’s comment about Coach’s wife bothered me, especially the very public way she reprimanded me over what happened.

Kara’s being protective. But she’s not helping my case.

Will Ellie think I was talking about her behind her back, venting about how awful she is?

Ellie returns Kara’s smile and shrugs. Her expression is a practiced one, a tool I recognize from the way I’ve had to let all kinds of criticism slide off my back since coming to the Pumas.

Thanks to our success the last few years, we’re America’s team right now, everyone jumping on the fan bandwagon, and all the players are facing more scrutiny than ever because we’re so visible.

Ellie’s lived under that kind of microscope most of her life. Her family’s show has been the biggest reality show on TV for over a decade.

Guilt snakes through me. I’ve been focusing so much on what she said to me, how it wasn’t necessary to prove her point. Yeah, my comment is one of dozens she gets every day, but maybe she just snapped?

I grudgingly respect the way she uses criticism as fuel.

Maybe I’m even jealous that I haven’t turned the stupid gossip I’ve had to deal with on its head the way she does.

Her fierce persona is all over her social media, but it’s different from the clips of her on Being the Bennets that try to paint her as a diva and aggressive, the ones showing her confronting people or fighting with her younger sister over dumb stuff for drama.

When she defines her image on her terms, she’s still aggressive but it’s easier to see how that’s positive.

Confidence and passion. Pushing for people to think differently about women’s sports and pumping up middle-aged moms to be happy in their skin.

“Does Girls Play make swag for guys?” I ask abruptly.

Ellie’s eyebrows jump and she blinks at me. She draws back a little. “Anyone can wear the Girls Play gear,” she says, her tone even. “There are a lot of girl dads out there supporting their daughters.”

“Great.” I go back to shredding the meat.

I can feel Ellie’s gaze on me, so I look up to find her staring me.

Her expression is still indifferent. I wonder if that’s an expression she’s trained her face to do naturally, to never get her in trouble with her reactions.

She must have to be on so much. I’m dying to know what she’s really thinking.

Was my response too short or clipped? I try not to worry too much about what people think of me, but after getting off on the wrong foot with Ellie, this matters.

I glance at Charlie to check in. If he looks exasperated, I’ll know I’m screwing up again.

He's engrossed in conversation with Janelle. And when I look over at Kara, she’s focused on tossing the salad.

I go back to shredding the meat, fighting myself to keep from admiring Ellie for all she’s accomplished, but at what point am I a guy holding on to a petty grudge because she hit a nerve?

I want her to know now more than ever that I’m not the jerk who said that stuff two weeks ago. Am I just trying to prove myself, or is there something more?

She looks away and moves toward Janelle, taking the silverware that Charlie has handed them to set the table.

This might be a long night.