Reading the Defense Ch. 03

I must first apologize for the errors that troubled the first two chapters and hope some could get past them. At some point I will go back and revise them. I am happy to report that this chapter will hopefully meet expectations and not wound anyone's eyes.

Many thanks are in order to a one and only Estragon, who has stepped up and really helped this girl out in clearing more than a few nasty things and provided amazing amounts of insight to better this story. Thank you times a million for taking this bad boy on and for all of your cuts/edits--you have no idea! Well, you totally do 

It has been a slow build, but...fingers crossed...this one hits the spot.

As always, thoughts/suggestions/feedback is always welcomed!

****

Pendicon Field was already beginning to fill up with fans an hour before kickoff. The open stadium had been cause for a major debate when the NFL had introduced another team to Illinois. Fans were devoted to the Bears and the idea of having an additional team seemed unbearable. That was until, as the radio announcers called them, 'the dream team' had moved in and recruited enough winning power to start the Super Bowl hype. In the nearby parking lots, people from as far as Cincinnati had started to come out and start the festivities. With a beer and lawn chair in tow, the fans were in heaven even if heaven began in a Ford. Game days were usually hectic for everyone who worked for the club. From the front office staff to the players, there was always something going on. Like many of the players and other coaches, Gabe had specific routines for game days. When he was a player, he always laced up his cleats from the left side and tapped the toes of them four times before leaving the locker room. Ask any of his old teammates, and they'd say he was someone they chose to avoid before game time. As a coach he ate gummy worms on the field and still remained quiet for the most part until he was barking out orders to the players. He was a hard ass with them only because they had to stay focused otherwise the opposing team could read through their plays. It was a sign of weakness that he refused to allow.

In recent interviews with a local news reporter, several of the staff had been questioned on their intentions for the season. He hated giving interviews, hated having to face the media. Gabe knew it was part of the job, but always felt like he was walking the gauntlet every time he saw a microphone in front of him. The reporter had asked him what his game day routines were, and without thinking he answered automatically, forgetting that he ate the candy of a twelve year old. People around laughed and he merely shrugged them off, telling them he'd rather chew the gummies than grind his teeth. After he left the interview he was glad he was impulsive and could answer on the fly; inside his answer was completely different.

When he had been in the hospital after the first surgery on his knee, his sister had come to visit with her youngest son. Gabe's nephew had been five then. Just as his sister had left his bedside in search of coffee, his nephew Aiden jumped on the bed. In his hands was a large bag of gummy worms. Gabe could remember his words as if they were said yesterday and thinking of them just then, made him wish he were alone. Aiden had taken a single worm and offered it to Gabe, and with eyes as earnest as the sun he looked up and told Gabe words that would stick with him to the grave.

I can wrap this thing around my finger and it still doesn't break. It's like you Uncle Gabe, you wrapped around a ball and you're not broken.

The words were simple and meaningless to anyone else. Maybe he heard something else entirely in them. He had given his life to the game and he was still alive, still had the same passion since the first time he held a ball. He wasn't broken, he never would be.

Standing outside of the tunnel leading onto the field, Gabe held onto the clipboard with his notes and sheets of plays to run through and strangely found himself thinking about Samantha. For the first time in over twelve years in the league he'd never thought of anything except football on a game day, not even about his ex-wife when they were married. But as he stood against the cement post he found himself thinking about a woman who had turned him on. Everything about her made his pulse race, from the sexy curves of her hips to the wicked tilt of her eyes that dared him to make a move. And did he ever want to make a move on her, but he wanted to go slow. He knew she wasn't like the rest of the women he had dated before, but he was still cautious. They had talked the night before, and he would have loved nothing more than to have stopped by to see her, in between sessions with a few of the players, but time was limited right before a game.

On his drive home after their date a smile had been permanently fixed on his face, and his arousal hummed the entire distance. They had gotten along so well and fallen into comfortable conversations throughout the night, that he had an urge to follow Samantha inside her home and stay with her for the night. Just to be close to her.

Gabe leaned his head back against the cool cement, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He needed to get his head back into the game, needed to get focused. He needed to, but it was getting increasingly difficult as flashing images of Samantha appeared in his head. Images of her half lidded eyes after they broke apart from a kiss and the scent of her hair seemed to be all around him just then. All of the noise from the stadium disappeared and all he could hear was the soft infectious sound of Samantha's laugh. As he thought about the sound of her laughter, his bundled nerves started to calm. One minute turned to two and soon enough the players were shuffling out of the locker room getting ready to take the field.

"You got your sugar gums Russ?" Ernie called out from down the tunnel. Gabe kept his eyes closed but nodded at the man, remaining silent.

"What's up man? You okay?"

"Fine." Gabe shook his head and followed Ernie as they made their way out onto the field after the players. "We got this."

As he stood behind the benches, he jammed the headset tightly on his head and twisted his neck. The bag of gummy worms that had been on his clipboard was tossed onto the bench at the very end where it was empty. Gabe grabbed a string of the sugar gums and shoved them into his mouth, chewing slowly as he narrowed his eyes and got back into the zone.

****

If anyone would have asked Samantha what she would be doing on a Saturday afternoon, she never would have said watching a football game. But that was exactly what she was doing, and found herself uncomfortably perched on Liz and Dave's couch with a glass of water and a piece of gum in her mouth.

She had gone to her classroom earlier in the morning and finished the final touches to the walls. With her students starting school the following week she would be ready for them. A few of the other teachers had been at the school trying to tidy up their own rooms. As Samantha dashed out by two without a word of goodbye, she knew she wasn't quite herself. And she liked it.

If she was going to be losing her mind over a man, she at least wanted someone around to toss some cold water on her face if she got out of hand. The people who would toss the water could only be Liz and Dave. On her way home she had called Liz to see if they wanted to watch the football game, knowing they would be home. Liz had told her to come straight over and they could make something for a late lunch and then watch the game together.

"So which one is he, Sam?" Dave asked from his chair near the sliding glass door of their toy cluttered front room.

"They haven't shown him yet." Samantha had her eyes glued to the television screen trying to spot Gabe but turned the second Liz and Dave started laughing at her.

"It's a game Sam, they'll show him more than once as soon as it starts." Liz was bouncing Trent on the floor in front of the couch. The baby squealed with delight as she dipped him backward.

"This is so weird; I'm looking at a television trying to spot a man I went out with." She shuddered at the way that sounded.

"It's not weird, it's crazy." Liz laughed at her husband who immediately corrected himself. "Crazy good, Sam."

"It's weird Dave, don't deny it."

"It's a little weird, but exciting as H-E-L-L." Liz couldn't help herself and chimed in; she was more than excited for Sam and knew she deserved a little crazy in her life."Did you call him before the game to wish him luck or anything?"

"No."

Samantha had thought about it but didn't want to bother him. They had talked Friday night and he seemed strapped for time but was hesitant to hang up with her. He told her that today he would be all over the place from the pre-game prep to probably having a late night meeting with the coaching staff to go over plays that worked and those that didn't. She got the impression that he was the type of person that didn't want to be bothered when he got focused on something by the way he talked about going from one meeting to the next practice session.

"Oh! There he is!" Samantha's eyes were riveted to the screen for the seconds it showed Gabe, he looked fierce with his headset and was already red in the neck from yelling. Samantha wondered if something had gotten lost in translation, from football to time off. Standing on the sidelines, he was a completely different person than the man she had dined with the other night. Looking at him just then she wondered where his on and off switch was, but even through his fierceness she found him more attractive than ever.

"Whoa. That's really him?" Liz was speechless for a minute.

"That's really him."

"When you said he was sexy I didn't think anything of it. He's kind of..." Liz trailed off.

"Hot."

Both women fell into hysterics at Dave's declaration. They eventually started to watch the game as best as they could in between Samantha's in drawn breaths every time Gabe appeared on the screen and playtime with Trent.

"You said he used to play right?"

"Yes." Her response delayed by the action on the screen. Action she could not even follow. "He was a wide receiver. I guess it makes sense he coaches them right?"

"Definitely, I wonder what he used to play like," Dave asked, genuinely interested.

"My guess is that he played the same way as he is now, he's pretty involved." Samantha wanted to know too, she had wanted to know more about him. From his playing days to yesterday, she didn't care. Anything that got her closer to understanding the man he was and being near him was making her happy. When she started to ask him questions about his careers, she felt like she had been quizzing him. He answered earnestly and in turn interrogated her about the life of a third grader. The man saw through her but seemed to enjoy what he saw; she just hoped he enjoyed it for a long time.

Liz had left Dave and Samantha to finish watching the game, which ended near seven while she bathed and put her son to bed. The Cougars defeated The Saints in a grueling match. Samantha didn't understand what was going on with the other team but from the looks of the Cougars, they put the pressure on and threw enough passes to score a winning touchdown. During the post-game press conference, Liz made her way back to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee before slumping into the couch next to her husband. Deciding they all had their fix of football, Liz switched the channel so music could fill the room. For a few minutes, all three sat in the room winding down from the play of events that had filled Pendicon Field.

"I still can't get over you Sam--Gabe Russell. Who knew?" Dave was the first to break the silence. Samantha smiled at him and shook her head completely agreeing with him.

"Okay, can I be honest here?" Liz looked over at her closest friend who was nodding back at her.

"He was really intense out there. I mean I guess you kind of have to be, and I really would never have thought about this but being a coach has got to be hard."

Samantha had been thinking the same thing throughout the game as she caught glimpses of Gabe on the screen. The cords of tension were unmistakable on his neck as he shouted at players, he looked down right pissed off and didn't crack a smile once. Not even when the team had won and made their way off the field.

"Last night he barely talked about the game, not that I blame him. I didn't want to press him so I just listened to what he would throw out. He said that he wouldn't sleep that night because he had to think about every possible scenario and play he could give the players in the final minutes."

"Are you going to call him tonight?" Curiosity was killing Liz and Dave squeezed her tightly.

"What are you, the gatekeeper?" Dave laughed at his wife. Samantha was holding back her own laugh.

"Oh hell." They all started in with each other. "I think this is great Sam, cheap entertainment is so much fun."

"I know what you mean. I'll let you know tomorrow. What time do you want me to come over?"

Liz glanced over toward the kitchen and tilted her head from side to side, as if the motion was telling her what to do. "How about one?"

"Don't forget the salad!" Dave said quickly before they started talking about anything else.

Samantha grabbed her bag and started to head toward the front door, leaving her friends on the couch.

"I won't, Dave! See you tomorrow guys."

On the drive back to her house she decided to call Gabe. Knowing he would be busy this evening, she wasn't surprised when the call went straight to voicemail.

Hi Coach, I just wanted to congratulate you on the win today. Looks like hard work pays off. Anyways, I know you've got lots going on so I'll go but before I do...you looked good out there Gabe. And I'm not just saying this because you look...really...good...but well, jesus I can't even say this. I'm hanging up. Have a good night.

Samantha tossed her phone into her purse and didn't want to ever look at the thing again. Had she really just said he looked good out there? Blowing out a disgruntled breath, she headed off and made her way home.Smart Sam, real smart.

****

The next morning Gabe sat at his kitchen table attempting to read the newspaper but failing to comprehend any of the articles. Yesterday the game had gone right as planned and just when New Orleans' defense started to get strong he threw in Jennings and the kid took off. Ernie had clapped him on the back as the kid caught his first pass on the twenty nine yard line and took off like a bat out of hell to take the ball in for a touchdown. Gabe almost cheered his own excitement but merely nodded at the kid as he made his way back to the bench.

As the players washed up and made their way out of the stadium and the coaching and training staff took the night off from meetings, Gabe grabbed a tape from the camera operator as he always did after each game and settled up in the screening room. By the time midnight had rolled around his body felt drained and he made his way home. Pulling his cell from the back pocket before sitting he saw the number of missed calls and voicemails.

A number of calls were from agents with congratulations on the game as part of their customary post game follow-ups, other calls were from his brother and Camille Devlin. And Samantha.

He listened to her message and didn't deny the huge burst of laughter that fell from his lips, the sound rusty from little use throughout the day. Gabe re-played the message just to hear the self mockery in her voice and felt his groin go from soft to hard in a matter of seconds.

It was too late to call her then and as he remembered that she was heading out to her friend's today he figured he wouldn't get a chance to call her until later.

One o'clock rolled around faster than he realized and Gabe found himself sat out in the backyard of the Devlin's nursing a bottle of beer and playing twenty questions with the lady of the house.

The Devlins lived on the north side of Chicago. He found it funny that most of the coaching staff and even the players tended to live closer to the city rather than the city of their team's namesake. The house, in a quiet subdivision, had a driveway wide enough drive to support four sports cars, something Ernie would never have if his wife had been asked a question regarding automobiles.

Camille Devlin, a gorgeous woman in her own right, dressed in bargain clothes with a real fashion sense. She wore a cream linen dress which accented her darker skin to perfection. Shocking the poor clerk at the local grocer who always carded her, come February she would be turning thirty four. The only expensive item on her body was the wide wedding band on her left hand that told the world she was strictly 'hands off.'

"So Ernie says you were off of your game yesterday," Camille Devlin said from her chair, gazing at Gabe over the rim of her wine glass.

"I wasn't off anything, Camille, we won didn't we." He shook his head and smiled at her question.

Camille wasn't playing the fool he wanted her to be. "You did and that's wonderful. He said you left a full pack of gummy worms on the bench."

"I ate some of them."

When she didn't answer him, he, for some strange reason felt the need to defend himself. "I guess I didn't want them."

"Didn't want them, or completely forgot about them?"

"Didn't want them? The Saints were up by three. How am I supposed to think about candy then?"

"Sounds to me like you were a little preoccupied."

Gabe knew exactly where she was going with this, he had two brothers but he also had been raised around women. "Damn Camille, you're worse than my sisters!" Gabe gave a low laugh at her probing.

"Well then spill it boy, something is going on. You keep checking your phone and you've had this stupid grin on your face that tells me you've either got a lady or you've got a lady."

Ernie ambled over taking a seat next to his wife. "When you're the only man around and the ladies bring up Mother Nature, you know it's time to go." He looked over at Gabe as his brow furrowed. "What?"

"You're wife is nosy."

"I'm not nosy, I'm curious. Come on Gabe, this can be your therapy session."

Gabe scoffed. "You're not a shrink."

"No but I watch a lot of Dr. Phil. And I'm a woman, that automatically qualifies me. Stop stalling."

"It's about a woman."

Ernie spoke before his wife could say a word. "Your bar lady?"

Gabe laughed at his description of her and had to explain how he'd met Samantha to Camille so she could understand. He went over their date and brought them up to speed.

"That explains it then." Camille nodded her head sharply and took another sip of her wine.

Both Gabe and Ernie looked over at her with curious eyes. "I for one have to say that this woman must be something else because I have never in the last four years I've known you, seen you like this."

"Like what? We just met and have only been out once Camille." Gabe tried to avoid the truth by his casual words because he didn't want either of them to see him twisted up over a new woman.

"Oh no, don't even go there. Gabe, look..." Ernie stopped his wife and shook his head at her.

Gabe leaned forward in the wicker chair. "Don't worry Ernie, I wouldn't miss this for the world, keep going Camille."

Nodding, she continued. "Gabe, how are you feeling? Right this very second what does your body feel like?"

He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I don't know, pretty relaxed I guess."

Camille clucked her tongue, her eyes widening as a smile spread across her face. "Exactly, when you sat down you looked kind of tense but just now as you started to talk about...what was her name again, sorry I forgot."