Read Online Breaking All The Rules (Book 1 - Second Chances Series) by Rhonda McKnight - Free Book Online

wrong.”
    Ethan squeezed my hand back. “It’s okay. How could you? We hardly know each other.” He opened his menu and mumbled. “Not that I don’t want that to change.”
    I smiled inwardly. It was nice to have the complimentary Ethan back. I had to admit the attention he showered on me made me feel special.
    A waiter interrupted us to take our drink and menu selections. Once he was gone we resumed our conversation.
    “So, do you want to talk about your friend?” I asked. “How old was he? Which team did he play for La Rojas or Tricolores?”
    “You know the teams I played for?” he chuckled. “Someone has been using Google.”
    I brushed my hair off my shoulders and raised my neck proudly. “What makes you think I had to Google you? Would it surprise you to know that I followed your career?”
    Ethan’s face took on a serious look. “Yes it would. I’d be surprised to know you cared.”
    “You’re our local celebrity.” I nodded past him. “And that’s about to be confirmed right now.”
    A man and a boy who looked about ten years old approached our table with a notebook in hand.
    “Mr. Wright, I don’t mean to disturb your dinner, but my son and I are big fans. If you and the lady,” he glanced toward me, “don’t mind the interruption, my son would love a picture and your autograph.”
    Ethan lifted the child onto his lap. “Of course.” He looked at me and made the biggest smile he could manage. “Do I have anything in my teeth?
    I giggled and shook my head. “You look fine.”
    He turned the boy toward him. “What about you, dude? Do you have anything in your teeth?” The child laughed and opened wide so Ethan could inspect his mouth. “Nah, you’re good. They both turned to face his father and after a few flashes of light and Ethan’s signature on the pad, they were gone.
    I sat back and crossed my arms. “I’m impressed.”
    “Don’t be. Making kids laugh and playing soccer come natural to me. Be more impressed that I learned to play that piano.”
    The waiter returned with our drinks and bread. I reached for my water goblet. “Speaking of which, I didn’t get to ask you how you learned to play.”
    He snapped a finger and wagged it. “Yeah, that’s because I was too busy trying to get my tongue in your mouth.”
    I pinned him with a look. The old Ethan had definitely resurfaced.
    He tossed his head back a bit. “I’m just saying, I remember how it went down last night.” He smiled. “I took lessons when I was in France. It was kind of lonely and boring being in a foreign country. Taking lessons assured me that I would have something to do on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Plus the teacher spoke English, fluently and that was what I was looking for. Most of my teammates spoke French. The coach spoke French. I didn’t have anybody to talk to. I tried to learn the language, but you know you’re never fluent so…”
    I nodded. “Impressive.”
    “Yes, be impressed with that. Learning piano was hard.”
    “You make it look easy.”
    “Well, I had my heart in it last night.” His gaze was more than smoldering under the dim restaurant lights. We chatted a little more about his piano lessons and then we were served our salads and more bread.
    I bowed my head for grace and noticed that Ethan did as well, but he certainly hadn’t taken the lead on it. The sadness he’d exuded earlier crept back over him.
    “We hadn’t finished talking about your friend,” I said.
    “You could tell I was thinking about him. I’m sorry to be bad company for you.”
    “You’re not.” I shook my head. “I want to know about him, so please tell me.”
    “We played together in France. He was from South Africa, the oldest of fourteen children. He loved the game, but loved that he was in a position to take care of his family at home even more.”
    “That’s a wonderful testament to his life that he cared for his family.”              
    “Yeah, but such a waste. He