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Chapter 116: Everyone's got a love story
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Keeping Score Chapter 117: It's always going to be you
LEO"It would be impossible for me to take you to just one favorite restaurant." Quinn grinned at me across the table. "So this is in the top ten. Tomorrow we'll have dim sum in Chinatown, but it would be hard to talk there. Tends to get a little noisy and crazy."I couldn't complain about the small restaurant she'd chosen, although I did love a good Chinese dumpling. This one, though, was cool in a kitschy, throwback way: it was a little hole-in-the-wall in Haight-Ashbury called Aquarius, and the walls were covered in old stickers and photos from the days of the hippies. Groovy music-or at least, that's what Quinn called it-played in the background, and the wait staff all looked as though they'd stepped out of a documentary about the Swinging Sixties. "This one feels very San Francisco." I took a tentative bite of my black-bean-and-veggie burger, which was liberally covered with sprouts of some sort. It was surprisingly good. "So." Quinn crumpled her napkin in one hand and bit t
Keeping Score Chapter 118: You got heart
LEO"Another beer, Leo?" Allan Crocker held out the frosty bottle to me. "Good thing about being in the city is that we rarely drive ourselves anywhere, so you can definitely have a second without worrying about being behind the wheel. And of course, you're still in the off-season, so you might as well live it up a little."I accepted the beer with a grin. "You're not wrong, sir. Thanks.""Hey-no sir here, please. You make me feel like an old-timer." He sat down on the other deck chair, and both of us gazed out over the nighttime skyline of the city. "I've seen tapes of your games. It's really an honor to meet you." I'd been here in San Francisco for four days now. Most of that time had been spent playing tourist, sightseeing and eating in some of the best restaurants I'd ever tried. Quinn and I had both realized, even without really discussing it, that the less time we spent alone in her apartment, the safer we were. So each morning she cooked me a killer breakfast, and then we'd
Keeping Score Chapter 119: Friends and family discount
LEOWe'd been good over these past four days, Quinn and me. We'd kept our promise to each other, and although we'd touched and held hands, I hadn't kissed her on the mouth yet, and we'd shared only brief hugs at bedtime. It was as if we both knew that taking one more step put us at risk for a plunge we weren't ready to navigate yet. But tonight was my last night in San Francisco. Tomorrow I'd board a plane that would take me three thousand miles away from her, and neither of us knew when we'd be together again. Quinn had told me that she was technically free to leave any time, but she still felt responsible for some of the final cleanup details that went along with publishing and releasing a book. She wasn't sure when she would be back in New Jersey. "The thing is, I'd like to have a plan before I go back," she'd said earlier. "Mom's sold the house, you know. She and Shane the dry cleaner are in Europe right now." There was still a little residual bitterness in her tone, but I und
Keeping Score Chapter 120: Opening day
QUINNWhen I was growing up, football was a regular part of my life. My dad took me to games from the time I was little, and then once Leo began playing, I never missed seeing him play, from grade school on. In high school, watching him play and then go off with a different cheerleader every time had broken my heart on a weekly basis, until that brief, bright few months in junior year when he'd been mine-and then football had been more than fun, it had been almost foreplay. During Leo's years at Carolina, I'd been at as many of his games as I could manage. If I wasn't there in person, I was devouring his moves on television. Watching him improve each week, find his own graceful rhythm, had been sweet while we were together and then bittersweet after we'd broken up. As I made my way into the Richmond Rebels' stadium on the first Sunday of the season, I realized how much I had missed this. Football. I'd missed the excited chatter of fans ready to see their team play, the smell that
Keeping Score Chapter 121: Jumping into the deep end
QUINNI thought back to a couple of weeks before, when I'd landed in Philadelphia. I'd planned to get a shuttle to Mark and Sheri's house, where my mother had left my car before she and Shane had taken off for Europe, and then drive down to the shore house. But instead, when I'd left the restricted area of the airport, Zelda and Gia had been waiting for me on the other side."As if we were going to let you do this by yourself?" Zelda had cuffed me on the arm. "I'm pissed that you didn't ask us to pick you up. Now come on, let's get your bags. We're going to stop for your car, and then Gia's going to ride with you while I follow behind on the drive to the shore. We're staying with you overnight, and then she and I will head back tomorrow afternoon."And that was just what they had done. I'd been pathetically grateful for their presence, because coming home was harder than I'd expected. After months of living in peace in California, back in Eatonboro, even for a brief stop, meant that
Keeping Score Chapter 122: It's a touchdown
QUINN"Leo's starting?" I breathed the words in a whisper. He'd gotten a fair amount of play time last season, but he'd never actually started a game; he was always sent in, usually in the second half. Next to me, Ellie grinned. "Surprise! He didn't want to tell you, in case anything happened. How awesome is it that you're here on his very first game as a starter? It's like kismet." "I thought I was nervous before, but now I'm a mess." I bit my lip. "But I'm more anxious for him than for me. He must be freaking out.""Nah." Ellie shrugged. "Leo's cool, and he's confident. Just watch." Watching was all I could do. The Rebels won the toss, and I fidgeted in my seat as the players went into formation for kickoff. Detroit's kicker ran forward, and the ball soared into the air toward the Rebels. The guy who caught it managed to get about fifteen yards before Detroit piled onto him. Special teams ran off, and Richmond's offensive line trotted onto the field. I kept my eyes glued to
Keeping Score Chapter 123: About time
QUINNBy the second half, Leo seemed to have found his rhythm. He caught several more passes and ran for a decent amount of yardage. When the clock hit all zeros, Richmond had won by ten points. I was ready to sprint down to the locker room, but Ellie caught my arm. "There's no rush, honey. Look." She pointed to the field, where the players were still milling around. "They'll be out there for a bit, doing some on-field interviews, and then they'll be in the locker room for a while before the post-game press conference. I doubt either Leo or Corey will be part of that today, but still-we don't want to be hanging out in the hallway until right before they come out. It's a mess. The press is there, and the jock junkies." She wrinkled her nose. "Okay." I sat down again. "So we just ...stay up here?""Yeah." Ellie lifted one shoulder. "Most of the wives take off and wait in the parking lot or meet their husbands at home. Corey and I have a tradition of meeting in the hall, so I don't
Keeping Score Chapter 124: Redux
LEOThe last time Quinn had been in my house, I'd been in agony, wanting her and yet knowing the timing wasn't right yet. So as I led her up the steps and to my front door, I was determined to erase all the bad memories and replace them with only good ones.Before I turned the doorknob, I paused, gazing down at her. "The day I found this townhouse, I'd been looking at places all day. My mom was with me. Everyone had told me not to buy right away, in case I didn't last the season in Richmond or if I got traded or whatever, but I had a hunch. I knew I wanted to buy a place to live and not be just renting. I was ready for something permanent."She nodded, expectant. "I couldn't put my finger on why none of the houses seemed quite right. Then I realized it was because I couldn't see you in any of them. When I stood here for the first time, though, I turned around and looked at the neighborhood, the front lawn ...the view." I steered Quinn by the shoulders, pulling her back against me
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