Read Online In the Zone (Portland Storm 5) by Catherine Gayle - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Catherine Gayle
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didn’t want anything to do with me. That wouldn’t stop me from trying. He was the only brother I had left.
Anyway, it was after no small amount of finagling and cajoling on my part that Brie and I ended up at a swanky French place, surrounded by flowers and candles and soft, classical guitar music playing in the background. The candlelight made her hair gleam like nothing I’d ever seen before. I made a mental note of it so I’d remember it in future. Candlelight and Brie were a match made in heaven.
“If your family lives in Illinois, how did you end up in Providence?” I asked her over my wineglass. We’d already finished eating, but there was still enough time before the parade began that I wasn’t in any big hurry to leave.
She shook her head. “They’re not all in Illinois anymore. My brother lives in Ohio now. But when you’re a dancer, you follow where dancing leads you. I ended up paired with the best partner I’d ever had, and he wanted to go train with one of the ballroom greats who had a studio in Providence. Val wasn’t just the best partner I’d ever had; he was miles better than any of the others. I didn’t want to lose my opportunity to dance with him, so I agreed to move. I’m sure it’s the same with you ending up here in Portland. Or at least similar.”
“Not exactly.”
“You followed the work, didn’t you? You went where the game took you. If you wanted to play at this level, to compete against people who are in the same professional sphere as you are, you had to go where they told you to go.”
“At first, sure. But now I can play where I want to play.”
“And you want to play here because it’s familiar?”
“Something like that.” More because I liked the direction this team was headed. I liked the position I had within the team, being part of the leadership core. I liked that playing here meant that, for much of the year, I could be so far away from the yawning hole I’d created within my family, that I could live with that emptiness all by myself without being surrounded by reminders of it everywhere I turned. I didn’t want to talk about myself, though. Not right now. “You have a sister, too, you said?” I asked. “She still lives near your parents?”
“Oh, yeah, she never had any intention of leaving. Married her high school sweetheart. She teaches second grade, and he’s a mortgage lender at the oldest bank in town. They’ve got a house a few blocks over from Mom and Dad, complete with the minivan, two and a half kids, and the picket fence.”
“Two and a half?”
“The dog is as good as their child,” Brie clarified, laughing.
“Understandable. My dogs are my kids. At least for now.” And we were back to talking about me. Not only that, but her eyes lit up when I added that last part. Fucking hell. I had to try harder to keep the conversation on her. “And your brother? Is he living the American dream, too?”
“His version of it, at least. He’s moved up through the ranks to become the CEO of his company, and he has a live-in girlfriend. No pets or kids, but he has a fancy sports car and lives in a penthouse.”
“And you’re somewhere in between the two of them, I guess.”
“Age-wise, yes. In any other way?” She shook her head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She rolled her eyes at me, and even that was as pretty as a picture. She held up her hand and started ticking off a list, putting up a finger with each thing she named. “Single. Transient. Fleeting career after foolishly chasing my dreams.” With her other hand, she waved it along the side of her body, indicating God only knew what.
No, I knew what. It hit me like a ton of bricks. She meant her appearance.
“Dating a hot professional athlete,” I interrupted before she could make herself feel any worse, especially because I was positive she was preparing herself to demean the body I found so beautiful.
Her eyes flickered up to meet mine, darker than ever
Anyway, it was after no small amount of finagling and cajoling on my part that Brie and I ended up at a swanky French place, surrounded by flowers and candles and soft, classical guitar music playing in the background. The candlelight made her hair gleam like nothing I’d ever seen before. I made a mental note of it so I’d remember it in future. Candlelight and Brie were a match made in heaven.
“If your family lives in Illinois, how did you end up in Providence?” I asked her over my wineglass. We’d already finished eating, but there was still enough time before the parade began that I wasn’t in any big hurry to leave.
She shook her head. “They’re not all in Illinois anymore. My brother lives in Ohio now. But when you’re a dancer, you follow where dancing leads you. I ended up paired with the best partner I’d ever had, and he wanted to go train with one of the ballroom greats who had a studio in Providence. Val wasn’t just the best partner I’d ever had; he was miles better than any of the others. I didn’t want to lose my opportunity to dance with him, so I agreed to move. I’m sure it’s the same with you ending up here in Portland. Or at least similar.”
“Not exactly.”
“You followed the work, didn’t you? You went where the game took you. If you wanted to play at this level, to compete against people who are in the same professional sphere as you are, you had to go where they told you to go.”
“At first, sure. But now I can play where I want to play.”
“And you want to play here because it’s familiar?”
“Something like that.” More because I liked the direction this team was headed. I liked the position I had within the team, being part of the leadership core. I liked that playing here meant that, for much of the year, I could be so far away from the yawning hole I’d created within my family, that I could live with that emptiness all by myself without being surrounded by reminders of it everywhere I turned. I didn’t want to talk about myself, though. Not right now. “You have a sister, too, you said?” I asked. “She still lives near your parents?”
“Oh, yeah, she never had any intention of leaving. Married her high school sweetheart. She teaches second grade, and he’s a mortgage lender at the oldest bank in town. They’ve got a house a few blocks over from Mom and Dad, complete with the minivan, two and a half kids, and the picket fence.”
“Two and a half?”
“The dog is as good as their child,” Brie clarified, laughing.
“Understandable. My dogs are my kids. At least for now.” And we were back to talking about me. Not only that, but her eyes lit up when I added that last part. Fucking hell. I had to try harder to keep the conversation on her. “And your brother? Is he living the American dream, too?”
“His version of it, at least. He’s moved up through the ranks to become the CEO of his company, and he has a live-in girlfriend. No pets or kids, but he has a fancy sports car and lives in a penthouse.”
“And you’re somewhere in between the two of them, I guess.”
“Age-wise, yes. In any other way?” She shook her head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She rolled her eyes at me, and even that was as pretty as a picture. She held up her hand and started ticking off a list, putting up a finger with each thing she named. “Single. Transient. Fleeting career after foolishly chasing my dreams.” With her other hand, she waved it along the side of her body, indicating God only knew what.
No, I knew what. It hit me like a ton of bricks. She meant her appearance.
“Dating a hot professional athlete,” I interrupted before she could make herself feel any worse, especially because I was positive she was preparing herself to demean the body I found so beautiful.
Her eyes flickered up to meet mine, darker than ever
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