Rush (Eligible Receivers #3)

Chapter Four

Up and out of the house earlier than she’d been in weeks, Nora speedwalked in the brisk morning air to the car Oz had loaned her when she’d first arrived. Slipping behind the wheel of the midsize sedan that had belonged to Emerson before Oz had bought her an upgrade, she started the car, feeling both jazzed and nervous while waiting for it to warm up.

Jazzed because having a job meant she got to stay in Portland longer. While she hadn’t come penniless, after several weeks and way too many visits to Starbucks, her funds were starting to run low. But Nora would go home to Kansas before asking Oz for more than he’d already given her. A freeloader, she was not.

Her nervousness could all be laid at Linc’s feet. It was one thing to have a secret crush on a man she rarely saw, but working in his home on a regular basis was a whole other animal. The last thing she wanted was for Linc to find out he made her stomach flutter whenever he looked at her. She’d rather stick her entire body back in that oven than have Linc know how he affected her. God, that would be embarrassing. Especially as she knew, thanks to a Google search, that the women he was attracted to were tall, sexy, and all glamor—three things she was definitely not. The only time she could ever be considered tall was in a room full of young children. Far from sexy, she was cute in a girl-next-door kind of way. And she’d only be glamorous if jeans and t-shirts became haute couture.

In other words, Linc was out of her league. More sophisticated than her as well as more experienced.

In all ways .

Because at the ripe old age of twenty-one, she was still a virgin. It wasn’t like she was holding out for a ring or anything, but something her mother had said back when they’d had the talk had made a lasting impression.

“I'm not naive enough to think you'll wait until you're married to have sex, but you’ll only have one first time. Take it from someone who regretted hers and wished she could do it all over again. Wait for that person who makes your body sing and your toes curl when they kiss you. Trust me, honey, waiting for the right person is worth the wait. You have your whole adult life to have sex, but only once for it to be extra special.”

So, when others were making the leap by experimenting and having sex back in high school, Nora had held back, waiting for that special someone who could set her body on fire.

She had taken her mother’s words to heart, but she’d never felt that fire and had begun to think she never would. Until meeting Linc. She finally felt the burn, and while she didn’t know what kissing him would feel like, if holding his hand was any indication, she might not survive the experience.

Sighing, she turned off her unprofessional thoughts. It was fine to daydream on her time but her job was to watch Sophie. Besides, Lincoln Scott was never going to look at her twice.

Coming to the entrance of Linc’s community, she entered the code he’d given her, then nosed her car through the gate as the wrought iron slowly parted. She passed lavish house after lavish house until she reached his, pulling up to the curb. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and marched up the walkway. She only had to wait a few seconds after her knock for Linc to open the door.

Almost as if he’d been watching for her.

Snorting, she rolled her eyes. Which he probably had been since he needed to leave, and she was the freaking nanny. But she wasn’t going to kick herself over the fanciful thought—a girl could dream. It was his fault anyway when the subject of those thoughts answered the door looking like sex on a stick. Wearing basketball shorts, a loose tank that revealed just how muscular his arms were, and with sneakers on his feet, it was easy to deduce he was dressed for activity.

Her stomach did that little flutter again, so she plastered on a cheerful smile, stepped through the door, and promptly asked, “Is Sophie awake?”

“Yeah. She’s eating breakfast.”

She breezed by him and into the kitchen, spotting the little girl sitting at the corner-nook dining table. “Good morning, Sophie.”

She looked up at her name, smiled, then patted the cushion beside her.

“You want me to sit next to you?”

Nora slid onto the bench seat. “Looks like breakfast is nearly over.” The remains of what looked like peanut butter toast were on the little girl’s plate. A glass lay abandoned on the table at the seat next to Sophie, holding the dregs of the same yucky protein shake Oz downed before a workout. Wrinkling her nose, she held back a shudder. “Please tell me your Uncle Linc didn’t try to make you drink that goop?”

Sophie giggled and leaned into Nora’s side, mimicking Nora’s expression and shaking her head.

“Hey now, you two aren’t supposed to gang up on me,” Linc said with a mock frown. Looking Nora’s way, he added, “I’ve gotta head out. I should only be a few hours, but if you need anything, call. I’ll be training at the stadium gym so I’m close by.”

She threw Linc a sunny smile. “Okay, I’m sure there won’t be any problems. Sophie, you wanna hop down and tell your uncle goodbye?”

Nora finally dropped the smile that’d felt forced and unnatural. She’d need to work on that, but for now, she was grateful to scoot out of the way and let the two have their moment.

“Have a good day and don’t give Nora any trouble, and if you go feed the ducks, give them an extra slice of bread from me.”

Sophie smiled and hugged Linc’s leg, skipping off to the living room, leaving an awkward conversational lull behind.

Linc still hadn’t left, and he had an oddly intent look on his face as he stared at her. She thought maybe he wanted to say something else or give her some instructions, but he just kept staring.

Finally, after what felt like forever, his head dipped and he repeated, “I’ve gotta head out,” and abruptly walked away without even a goodbye. A few seconds later, she heard the door to the garage slam shut.

Welp, Nora guessed that was that. Boys were weird. She headed off after Sophie, content to leave all thoughts of the male species behind for the day.

***

Linc came home with lunch.

Walking into the kitchen, pizza box in hand, Nora hadn’t been expecting to be invited to stay. Especially not after she’d informed him Sophie had just gone down for a nap.

He’d thrown out the invitation while casually leaning with his butt against the kitchen counter, the soft material of his t-shirt pulled taut emphasizing the broad expanse of his chest and his long, denim-clad legs kicked out in front of him, the pizza sitting on the counter at his hip.

Looking at him now, Nora swallowed down her regret because while she’d very much like to get to know the man a little better, lunch with Linc would not only feed her, but also feed her crush. Staying without a Sophie buffer would be an extremely bad idea. “I should probably head home.”

“I thought all mid-westerners were taught to be polite. Seems kind of rude to make me eat all by myself.”

Nora knew from his tone he was teasing so was about to politely decline again but the aroma of the tomato sauce was getting to her and her stomach choosing that moment to growl like a grizzly, sealed her fate.

Chuckling, Linc stated, “That settles it, you’re staying. Can’t send you home hungry, Oz would never let me forget it.” He pushed off the counter and turned to grab a couple of plates from the cupboard.

“Anything I can do to help?”

“If you could grab me one of the sodas from the fridge door and whatever you’d like, that’d be great.”

“Pizza and soda? Seems Oz isn’t the only one who likes to cheat on his diet.” A drink in each hand, she bumped the fridge door with her hip to close it.

Linc threw open the lid of the pizza box and pulled up a slice. Seeing the stringing cheese had her mouth watering.

“Technically, it’s not cheating until training camp starts. That’s when the team’s dietician gets on our asses if we don’t watch what we eat. Oz pisses her off… a lot.” He shot her a wink and a mischievous grin.

Nora laughed along with his joke because she could picture her brother, shoulders hunched, while being lectured on his junk food habits. Setting the cans of soda on the table, she took the plate Linc handed her and slid into the seat.

“Damn, I didn’t think to ask. I hope you’re ok with pepperoni.” Linc took the seat across from her on the u-shaped bench.

“No worries there, it’s my favorite.” To prove she wasn’t lying, she took a big bite. Flavor burst over her tongue, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. Tangy sauce, gooey cheese, and chewy crust, she’d had good pizza before, but this was good pizza.

“Guess you weren’t lying about pepperoni being your favorite,” Linc commented, his voice sounding strained. He took his own bite and leaned over her way, reaching a long arm out to grab a napkin. “How was yours and Sophie’s day? Any upsets?”

Heart beating rapidly, she could’ve sworn his fingers had brushed her arm, but that had to be her overactive imagination. Nora swallowed, grabbed a napkin for herself, and wiped her mouth. “We had a great day—she was a perfect angel.” He did that one eyebrow raise that she loved so much, and she chuckled, amending, “Okay, so perfect is a stretch for any child. She got a little fussy before finally falling asleep for a nap, but I stand by the angel part.”

“Did she try to coax you into taking her swimming? I think I forgot to mention it’s one of her favorite things.”

“She did. She dragged me to the fence three times. I explained I didn’t have a bathing suit with me and promised I’d bring one tomorrow. That got me a side-eye, which was adorable, but a trip to the lake worked in distracting her. Though I have no doubt I’d better show up tomorrow with a bikini and towel in hand or there’ll be hell to pay.”

Linc made a choked sound then took a quick drink of his soda.

Nora frowned. “Are you okay?”

He cleared his throat, eyes averted. “Yeah, just swallowed wrong.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sophie’s a good swimmer,” he said, getting back to the pool discussion. “Nat had a huge fear of drowning thanks to an accident when she was little. It was nothing too serious, but it left a lasting impression. She enrolled Sophie in swimming lessons, starting with the baby and me classes before she could walk.”

Linc’s soft smile fell as shadows filled his eyes, and Nora knew firsthand what that look meant. When she’d lost her dad, she’d been numb until the funeral, and then the grief had hit her like a tsunami—wave after wave had washed over her until she’d thought she’d drown from the pain of it. Then she’d found those papers and anger joined her grief, followed by feelings of guilt for being angry. Now, most days, she could think about her dad without feeling suffocated in her own emotions. But other times, a song would rotate on her playlist that would remind her of driving in the car, windows rolled down and him belting out the lyrics not caring about the stares he got from fellow drivers, and it was like hearing the news all over again. People always parroted the old saying, “Time heals all wounds,” but that was a lie. You never get over losing someone—time helps give you the distance needed to live your life, but love doesn’t die just because that person is no longer here.

Something must’ve shown in her expression because Linc placed his hand over hers in the barest of touches while they both took a moment to get their respective emotions under control. After a moment, Nora eased her hand from under his light hold and squeezed his fingers before letting him go. He’d shared a bit of himself, and Nora felt it was her turn to do the same.

Swallowing, she started hesitantly. “I don’t know how much Oz has shared with you about our father and what happened between our parents.”

“Oz hasn’t spoken about it much at all. He’s always talking about his mom but rarely his dad or why he wasn’t around.” Nora couldn’t hide a wince, and she knew Linc caught it when he quickly assured her, “I think you've been around Oz enough to know that he’s not exactly a big talker, but since he’d connected with you, I’ve heard about his little sister.”

She picked at a piece of pepperoni, peeling it back from the cheese. Her heart eased knowing that. “Oz and I have a mutual agreement not to bring our parent’s drama into our relationship. It's especially important for me because I’d never want to hurt Oz in any way. The indifferent man who walked away from his son is not the loving father I knew.” Nora looked up and met Linc’s eyes. “We weren’t the perfect sitcom family, but he didn't desert us. I didn’t even know about Oz until after he died. I'm quite certain that both of my parents would’ve continued lying to me for the rest of their lives if I hadn’t found that paperwork. It’s hard to accept that the man I knew could abandon his child and continue his life as though it never happened. Realizing one’s parents are human and make mistakes is hard enough, but to be hit with a surprise brother he’d cheated me out of knowing? That’ll take a long time to get over, if I ever do.”

She glanced away, dropping the last bit of the pepperoni she’d been shredding, and wiped the grease from her fingers. “I want answers. I want to know why he did it and what he was thinking, but now I’ll never get them. My mother isn’t going to open up, and even if she did…” She shrugged. “Everyone’s story is different, and Dad isn’t here to give his side of it, not anymore. If I only knew why, maybe it would be easier to forgive him.”

Linc pushed his empty plate away. “It’s never easy losing a parent. I know that from experience. Nat and I lost our parents a few years back. It was rough, but I can’t imagine finding out one of them had a whole other life, let alone hidden a sibling from us.”

Nora was about to reply when she heard shuffling feet, and a still sleepy looking Sophie appeared from around the corner. She climbed into Linc’s lap and curled around him as he murmured to her, “Hey, Peanut, have a good nap?”

Picking up her plate and Linc’s while he was preoccupied, Nora quietly cleaned up around them. When she'd been at Oz's house, Sophie had fallen asleep for a while, so Nora knew firsthand she woke up vulnerable and needed a little snuggle time.

After rinsing their plates and throwing away their trash, Nora slipped into the other room to gather her things. Keys in hand, she poked her head back into the kitchen to say goodbye.

“I’m going to head on out now,” she said softly, getting Sophie’s eyes at her comment. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with your Uncle Linc this afternoon.”

The little girl narrowed her eyes, looking a hell of a lot like her uncle in that moment and pointed in the direction of the pool.

Her determination made Nora chuckle. “I haven’t forgotten, pool day is officially on the agenda for tomorrow.”

Linc looked at her, a line forming between his brows. “You can stay, you know. There’s no need to rush off. The three of us can hang out.”

There would be no hanging out . The last thing Nora needed was to get more attached to these two than she already was. Hating to do it, but knowing she had to protect her heart, she lied. “Oz should be home soon, and Emerson is off tonight, so I think he has something planned for us.”

Linc looked at her like she was a puzzle that needed solving, but thankfully didn’t argue further. Instead, he went to shift Sophie off his lap. “Let me see you out.”

She quickly waved a hand. “It’s okay, I can see myself out. Stay with Sophie.”

He plopped back into his seat with a short nod.

“See you tomorrow, munchkin.”

Sophie smiled a cute little girl grin, and Nora headed for the door.

She’d made her escape, but now she had to come up with something to do with her brother and his wife, so her lie became truth.

***

“Are you having a good time? You’re not overstaying your welcome, are you?”

“No, Mom. Oz and Emerson are great.” She rolled her eyes, worried her mom would hear the sarcasm in her tone but things like that usually flew over her head, only ever hearing what she wanted to hear.

“I, um, got a job.”

“Really? I didn’t realize you were looking for one.” Nora knew that tone. She’d heard it every time she’d ever disappointed her mother.

“I wasn’t. It kind of just fell into my lap. One of Oz’s friends needed help babysitting a few days a week. Just a part-time thing,” she stressed, being sure to impart the job wasn’t a major career choice.

“Oh, is he a football player too?”

“Yes.”

“And the wife works? That seems odd.”

Nora cringed at her mother’s inference that a woman should stay at home with the kids if the man made good money.

Nice way to set women back into the stone age, Mother.

Her mom kept right on talking, switching topics like a pro tangential thinker. “Have you thought any more about school? I got some paperwork in the mail from the college yesterday. I still have some money left from Dad’s insurance. I can afford to pay for it.”

Just when she reached the end of the rope with her mom, she would always go and say something sweet, pulling her back. “Thank you, but you know I won’t accept that money. You need to save it for an emergency or retirement.”

Nora heard a scoff over the line as though what she’d said was the most ridiculous thing her mom had ever heard and not the absolute truth. “Now don’t you go worrying about stuff like that.”

Nora rolled her eyes again. She found she did that a lot during most conversations with her mom. “I’m not worrying,” she reassured, so it wouldn’t again be the topic of next week’s phone call. “Just being practical.”

The conversation veered again—thankfully off of her—to the cooking class her mother started taking on Wednesday nights with her best friend Betty and then on to the new show she discovered on Netflix that Nora just had to watch.

Nora hung up a half hour later echoing I love you and sporting a sore ear.