The next day at work, Raelyn had a hard time concentrating on the show and not the handsome quarterback she had wound up spending most of the previous day with. Even as gorgeous as he was, Raelyn knew she'd be better off if she stayed as far away as possible from J.T. Young.
"Rae? Raelyn Ballard?"
Raelyn suddenly looked up from her microphone into the staring face of her partner of three years. Bradley was looking at her over bar that separated her mike from his area in the center of the bar. "What?' she murmured.
"Darlin'," he drawled, a slow smile crossing his face. "Where are you today?"
"No where," she said, shaking her head as she realized she had been daydreaming for the past five minutes. "I'm here," she said, a little guiltily.
"Bullshit!" he laughed, his hand covering his microphone. "I do believe you're still at Ranger stadium with J.T. Young."
"Uh . . ." Raelyn snorted, reaching for her cup of coffee. "That's the furtherest thing from my mind." She brought the cup to her lips, hoping that she was more convincing than she sounded. She hadn't been able to think of anything else but the day before and J.T.
Bradley laughed as he turned his microphone off during the commercial break. "Rae . . ." he began, reaching for one of the phone lines that were blinking. "The only person you're foolin' is yourself, because it's written all over your face. KISS fm . . ." he said, speaking into his microphone as the call came through his headphones.
And then the next minute, he was signaling over at Raelyn as he turned on her mike, a smile on his face. "It's for you."
Raelyn placed her headphones back onto her head as she gave Bradley the best 'eat shit' look she could muster. "This is Raelyn Ballard . . ."
"Raelyn, this is J.T." Despite herself, Raelyn couldn't help but smile, unconsciously cradling the headphones closer in to her ears. "I'm sorry to bother you at work."
"No, its okay," she said, shaking her head.
"I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed spending the afternoon with you and your daughter yesterday. I'm glad you decided to come to the game."
"Me too," she answered.
"Listen, I know its last minute and everything . . . but this Saturday is our Annual Kick-off Party at the stadium, hosted by our Player's Wives Association. If you don't have anything planned, I was hoping that maybe you could bring Summer and come. It's a lot of fun . . ."
"I don't know, J.T.," she said, not sure she could turn him down. It wasn't going to be easy to turn down another opportunity to see this handsome quarterback once more.
"I completely understand if you already have plans," he said, trying to hide the disappointment he felt.
"No, it's not that," she began, wondering exactly how to say what she needed to say.
"Then what?" he prompted.
"I just don't think I'm ready to start dating anyone right now."
"Don't think of it as a date," he said, desperate to say anything to convince her to come. He had already gotten the feeling that she wasn't too sure about seeing him again, but something kept drawing him to her. "Just come and have fun. Summer will love it!"
"Summer's spending the next couple of weeks with her grandparents," Raelyn explained.
"Oh," J.T. replied, realizing that excuse was blown away with the wind. "So, you'll love it. Besides," he added, grasping at one last straw. "Jewel would love to see you again. I think you made a real friend yesterday."
"Well," she began, wondering why she was suddenly wanting to go. "I would love to see Jewel again . . ."
"Then it's settled," he said, smiling to himself. "I'll come by and pick you up before the party starts and we'll go together."
Looking across the table at Bradley smiling at her, Raelyn knew she wouldn't turn him down. Something inside her told her to go, despite her reservations. "Only as friends?" she asked, needing that reassurance.
"Whatever you want," he said. There would be plenty of time to convince her otherwise. He just wanted her there.
Raelyn answered the door to find J.T. decked out in well-worn jeans and a cobalt blue shirt, a color that made his intriguing indigo eyes seem all the more mesmerizing. Despite herself, Raelyn had to admit that he was appealing, more appealing than she had wanted. Getting involved with anyone, especially another football player was the last thing she needed, yet here he stood with his shaggy blonde hair that simply begged her to run her fingers through it. This man was tempting beyond belief, and Raelyn knew that if she wasn't careful, she would be one step away from another possible disaster.
"Good morning!" J.T.'s pleasant greeting instantly put a smile on Raelyn's face. "You look great!" She was wearing blue jeans herself with a silk white tank top, belted with a brown roped belt. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, loosely caught up at her neck.
"I could say the same about you," she said, her eyes lingering on the way his jeans tightened across his thighs. Damn it! This was going to be harder than she had first thought.
"Is that a compliment I just heard come out of your mouth?" he teased her.
"Why?" she laughed. "You act shocked that I would say something nice."
"Well, after we met the first time, I thought I would never hear anything nice come out of you," he reminded her.
She laughed for a moment and then admitted, "Well, I wasn't too sure about you at first." And then realizing he was still standing at the door, "Come on in."
He followed her into her apartment, saying, "Why's that? I still don't know what I ever did to piss you off that first day."
She led him into the kitchen as she grabbed her purse and then turned to face him. "It wasn't anything you did," she admitted. "It was me."
"Are you going to tell me about it or what?" he prodded her, a smile on his handsome face.
"Maybe some time," she said. "Not now."
"Okay," he answered, looking around the pretty kitchen. It was light and airy and decorated in sunflowers. "Your kitchen makes mine look like a dark closet," he commented.
"Do you ever go into your kitchen?" she asked.
"No, not really," he laughed. "I'm never home long enough to do anything in my kitchen."
"Are you trying to tell me you actually know how to do something in your kitchen?"
"Sure," he said, smiling at her. "You act surprised."
"I am," she said. "Most guys . . . and I don't mean to stereotype here, but . . . most jocks don't know how to find the kitchen, much less do anything but eat once they get there."
J.T. laughed at the portrait she had painted for him and then knew she was right. "You pretty much hit the nail on the head," he said, shaking his head at her as he gently laughed. "I'll tell you what. One night I'll show you just what I can do in one of these. How does that sound?"
"It sounds like an offer I can't refuse!" she replied as she led him outside.
Raelyn was surprised when they reached Ranger Stadium. The player's wives association had really transformed the huge dome into a huge party, geared mostly for their youngest fans. The football team, of course, was there, along with some live music, games, lots of fans, local radio personalities, and autograph sessions. Some of the games included a Velcro wall, the bungee run, the human gyroscope, and a bounce house.
The Player's Wives Association was geared more towards charity so even though the Annual Kick-off Party itself was free, the tickets for the autograph sessions were for sale. The proceeds from the ticket sales went to the charity of the association's choice.
"This is amazing," Raelyn commented, as she and J.T. strolled through the set-up. The party didn't start for another half hour and each player was getting their assignment for the autograph sessions.
"Yeah," he agreed, steering her over towards the information booth. "The girls really go all out for this event. It's our first one of the session. The plan is for it to come at the end of August, after our first game."
They stopped at the information booth so J.T. could pick up his assignment for the day. "Good morning Shannon," he replied, smiling at the pretty blonde sitting at the booth. "Where's Chad?"
"He's already at his station," she said, handing J.T. a slip of paper and a laminated name tag. "You're at station sixteen this year," she said, smiling up at him. Then catching Raelyn's eyes on her, she smiled, offering a perfectly manicured hand. "Hi, I'm Shannon Coakley. My husband is Chad Coakley, offensive guard for the Rangers."
"It's nice to meet you," Raelyn answered, taking the outstretched hand.
"God, I'm sorry," J.T. offered, smiling weakly over at Raelyn. "I've forgotten my manners."
"It's just nice to see that you've got some," Raelyn said, smiling to herself. She couldn't help it ~ he just begged to be teased unmercifully.
Shannon laughed; covering her mouth at Raelyn's teasing remark. "Oh girl, if you only knew . . ."
"Let's keep some of my secrets for just a little longer," he said to Shannon. "We don't want to overwhelm Raelyn on our first date."
"It's not a date . . . remember?" she was quick to point out.
Shannon watched the two of them bicker back and forth for a while before interrupting them, a smile on her face. "J.T., put a sock in it and get over to your station. They'll be opening the flood gates pretty soon."
"Okay, okay," he said, turning to Raelyn. "You coming?"
"No, not yet," she replied. "I'd like to find Jewel."
"Oh, she's working at the concession stand set up on the north goal," Shannon offered. "She could use some help, if you're interested?"
"Oh sure," Raelyn said, looking over at J.T. "Come find me when you're done."
"Oh, he's not going anywhere," Shannon laughed. "J.T.'s session has been sold out from the first day tickets went on sale. He'll be signing autographs until we shut the doors this evening." At J.T.'s despairing look, she added, "Sorry."
