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Chapter 102: Parting again
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Keeping Score Chapter 103: Tired of biding my time
LEO"As God is my witness, I'm never going to drink again." I cradled my aching head in my hands, resting my elbows on the kitchen table. "Hmmm." My mother pushed a mug of steaming coffee toward me. "I think I've heard that before." She smirked. "I think I've said that before, come to think of it. What was it that pushed you over the edge?""Tequila shots. Tucker's idea. I hate that guy.""No, you don't." Mom's voice was mild. "Eli's a lovely young man, especially given what he's been through. He doesn't seem bitter at all. And if I were him, honestly, the last person I'd want to hang out with would be you.""Gee, thanks, Mom. You know how to make a guy feel loved." I winced a little at the sound of my own voice and reached for the coffee."No, you know what I mean. You're living Eli's dream. Playing pro ball and all that. The fact that he doesn't seem to resent you is pretty amazing." She sipped her own mug. "Do I even want to know how you got home? I know you didn't drive in t
Keeping Score Chapter 104: The last straw
QUINN"Honey, do you have a minute?" My mother spoke at the same time as she rapped softly on my half-open door, her anxious eyes seeking me.I rolled over on my bed, fighting the temptation to answer her sarcastically. Sure, I have a minute, as long as it doesn't interrupt my rigorous napping schedule. Over the past two weeks, since I'd moved back home, napping made up the majority of my days. I slept late, went to bed early, and in between those two brackets, I drifted off into oblivion as often as I could. My mom made me leave the house every now and again, taking me out to lunch or dinner or even just to the grocery store. I could see the worry on her face whenever she looked at me, and I hated that I put it there. But I couldn't seem to force myself to do anything to alleviate it. Mark and Sheri had left town almost right after Nate's funeral. On the advice of several grief counselors and friends, they had taken an extended trip to Hawaii. "We need to get away from it all.
Keeping Score Chapter 105: Taking a flying leap
QUINNI'd taken the train back and forth pretty often while Leo was at Carolina. It was cheaper than flying, and the station was more convenient than the airport, on both ends. Plus, the ride down gave me time to do homework and catch up on reading, freeing me up for fun while I was with Leo. I was familiar with both the routine of the rails and the route south.Still, when I swung off the train in Richmond on that Thursday night, I was more than a little nervous ...not just because I'd never been to this city. I'd taken a big gamble coming down here, and riding on the train, I'd had six hours to consider all the ways it could go wrong. For instance, what if Leo was with someone? I hadn't exactly asked him if he was involved with a woman now. When I'd run into him at the grocery store last July, it had shocked me to see him with Sarah Jenkins, but I hadn't heard anything more about her since then. And Leo had assured me that they were just friends. Of course, that had been back in
Keeping Score Chapter 106: To friends
QUINNThe taxi rolled to a stop in front of a grouping of three different townhouses. Each porch shone with a soft light, and the minute the cab driver stepped out of the car, the front door of the center house opened. I knew it was Leo the minute he jogged down the steps, even though I couldn't see his face. He wore sweat pants that hung low on his hips, a T-shirt that stretched tight over his broad shoulders and thick wool socks. I knew it was freezing cold outside, and I shivered in empathy before I even pushed open my door. Leo didn't look at me, not at first. He smiled at the driver, extending his hand. "Hey, there. What do I owe you?"I struggled to climb out of the backseat, yanking my bag with me. "Leo, I've got it. You don't have to pay my cab fare." As though I hadn't spoken, the driver answered him. "Uh, it's twenty-four sixty, but hey, you're Leo Taylor. You don't have to-I mean, shit. It's such an honor to meet you. You play some damn good ball."Leo smiled as he
Keeping Score Chapter 107: The hardest no
QUINNLeo's brows knit together, but before he could say anything else, I went on speaking, blurting out the words that had been sitting heavy on me for the last day. "My mother is having an affair with the dry cleaner. Or maybe not an affair, but a relationship. And she's selling our house, and they're going to travel.""Um, what?" He shook his head. "Your mother? And the dry cleaner-wait, is that Shane?""Apparently." I crossed my arms over my chest, sinking back into the chair."Huh, really? Well, he's a nice guy."I rolled my eyes. "I've already been well acquainted with the finer points of Saint Shane, thanks very much."Leo nodded his head slowly. "Ah. Okay.""What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned."Just that now I understand why you're here. You got upset at your mother, and so you came down here, looking for a place where you could run away."Leo's words, spoken so matter-of-factly, struck so close to home that I flinched. "No. That's not why I'm here."One side
Keeping Score Chapter 108: Well, this is awkward.
LEOMy parents' house was filled with people, food and noise. I eased my way out of the kitchen and into the hall, looking for a little break from all the family members who wanted to hear the details about my first season as a pro football player, as if they didn't know. I'd lost count of how many times I'd agreed that this had been a growing year, that we were a young team, that Coach Harris was a wonderful man and that our quarterback Gideon Maynard was due to have an amazing season. I'd promised tickets to my uncle and two cousins, and I'd told my other teenaged cousin-female variety-that I'd do my damnedest to get her a signed picture of Gideon. "I'd take Corey Iverson, too," she'd added, wagging her eyebrows. "He's hot.""He's also married." I tapped her on the nose. "And way too old for you." She stuck out her tongue at me. "You're no fun."I wanted to laugh. Yeah, that seems to be the general opinion of the world at large.The hallway was a little quieter. I could hea
Keeping Score Chapter 109: I didn't mean that far
LEO"Whoa." She teetered for a minute and instinctively grasped my arm. "Sorry about that. I was taking a short cut to the desserts."It had been just about a month since I'd seen her. The first thing I noted was that she wasn't quite as thin as she'd been then, and I was glad about that. There was a little more color in her face, too, and it looked as though she'd had her hair trimmed. It wasn't short, but the curls that bounced around her shoulders seemed a little more tamed. More styled, or whatever it was the girls called it. It was different in a good way.She wore dark blue jeans that clung to her legs and heels that brought her eyes closer to my level. Her loose black top should have seemed formless, but it somehow clung to her boobs, accenting their curves and cleavage, making my mouth water and my hands itch to touch her. Quinn's fingers released my arm as she realized it was me she'd run into, and she took one step backward, bumping into the wall behind her. When her eye
Keeping Score Chapter 110: Thank God for texts
QUINNQuinn: Hey-just wanted to let you know I arrived safely in California. The apartment is beautiful. Allan and his wife are really nice. Hope all is good with you. I stared at the text for a solid minute, hating every word. It sounded stilted and formal, the kind of thing I might send a work acquaintance or an aunt I hadn't spoken with in a long time instead of the person who was closer to me than anyone else in the world. Or who used to be, and maybe that was the problem.Finally, I hit send and tossed the telephone down on the couch, sighing. When it came to Leo, everything felt uncertain and murky. I couldn't quite find my footing. I'd been proud of how well I'd handled our meeting at his brother's engagement party; I knew I'd taken him by surprise with my announcement. He'd seemed almost unhappy that I was moving across the country. I'd expected him to be relieved that I was leaving, after my disastrous visit to Virginia.Still, I'd managed to stay both aloof and calm wi
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