Still Loving You

She refocused her attention on the men in front of her and assured them she would be meeting with all of them as soon as she set up her schedule. Finally, they dispersed, except for one. He had to be at least six eight, and by his size, she guessed he might be a linebacker. He had dark skin and equally dark eyes.

He gave her a shy smile. “Ms. Emerson, I’m Darren Butler.” He stuck out his hand.

His large hand engulfed her small one. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Um... I know you’re still working on your schedule, but if possible, can you give me one of your earliest appointments?”

The sincerity in his eyes tugged at Lauren. “Is there something specific you want to discuss?”

Darren glanced around, seemingly uncomfortable. “Yeah, but not here.”

“I’ll probably start having meetings by the end of the week. Can it wait until then?”

He nodded.

“I’ll make sure to put you at the top of my list.”

Relief flooded his face. “Thank you. I’ll see you then.” He inclined his head and made his way to the exit.

She hoped it wasn’t anything serious, healthwise, and made a mental note to schedule Darren as one of her first appointments.

“You handled yourself well, Ms. Emerson.”

Lauren turned at the sound of the GM’s voice. “Thank you, Mr. Green.”

“Have you had a chance to see your office?”

“Not yet.” It had taken her a minute to find her way around the massive facility when she arrived earlier. By the time she’d somewhat figured out the layout, the meeting had been ready to start.

He smiled. “Then come on. Let me show you your new digs.”

She returned his smile. They walked down a series of hallways, their footsteps echoing on the highly polished marble floors. He pointed out the locker room, weight room, training room, hot and cold spas, a few other meeting rooms, and a door that led to the practice field.

Mr. Green stopped at the dining hall. “Training camp doesn’t start until next month, but the chef will be here later this week to meet with you. Nigel is a great guy to work with.”

“I’m looking forward to working with him.” She really wanted to ask what had happened to the previous nutritionist, since these positions weren’t readily available, but kept the question to herself. Lauren surveyed the room. It was far from the cafeteria-style area with long tables and hard, narrow benches she had envisioned. It resembled an upscale restaurant—dark wood tables for four and six with matching cushioned chairs and half a dozen buffet stations.

They continued the tour until he stopped and opened a door. “Wow,” she said softly when he gestured her into a spacious office easily three times the size of the one she’d had at the hospital. She walked across the plush carpeting to a huge mahogany desk on one side of the room that had an oversize chair tucked neatly behind it. Behind her, a half wall of windows overlooked a beautiful grassy area and walking trail. A small conference table took up space on the opposite side of the room.

“There should be information on all the players from last year in that file cabinet, and I’m sure you’ll find some on the computer, as well.”

Lauren glanced over to where he gestured.

“But, this is your show now, so you can set up a system that works best for you. It may take a few weeks for the players to get on board.” He smiled. “Or maybe not, judging from the way they cornered you earlier.”

She felt her cheeks warm.

“I’ll leave you to settle in. If you need anything, let my assistant know.”

“Thank you, I will.”

Mr. Green gave her one last smile and departed.

Alone, her thoughts went back to his previous comment. Lauren had never had that much male attention in her life, even from the last man she’d dated. That relationship had ended six months ago. Her ex had been all for them climbing the corporate ladder together—as long as he stayed a rung above hers. He hadn’t been happy when her salary topped his by a thousand dollars a year, and their easygoing, idyllic romance turned agitated and contentious. In the end, she tossed his ring and assurances of forever back and walked away, much like she’d done with the promise ring Malcolm had given her. She thought she had loved Jeffrey, but the moment she’d locked eyes with Malcolm, every memory and emotion she’d kept buried sprang to life. She realized she wasn’t over Malcolm. Not by a long shot.

* * *

As soon as Malcolm parked his motorcycle in the garage, his cell buzzed. Without looking, he knew he’d see Morgan’s name on the display. His stripped off his riding gloves, dug into his pocket for the phone and smiled. “What’s up, sis?” He pressed the button to lower the door and entered the house through the garage.

“That’s what I want to know, so I’ll be over in an hour.” Morgan hung up.

He released a deep sigh. He and Morgan always had that twin thing where they could sense when the other was bothered or upset. Based on his morning, he suspected she’d felt his emotional turmoil. He’d never expected to see Lauren again, especially since she moved to Arizona years ago for what she’d called a “better opportunity.” Now he would be forced to see her damn near every day. To make matters worse, she looked even better than he remembered. As he’d noted during the meeting, the beautiful girl he had been in love with had grown into an even more beautiful woman. The curves he used to enjoy caressing were fuller and...

Malcolm cursed under his breath and ran a hand over his head. He stilled, remembering that he’d cut his hair a week ago, replacing the locs he had sported for over a decade with a scalp-hugging style that would take time to get used to. He climbed the stairs, took the short hallway to his bedroom, dropped his duffel on a bench at the foot of his bed and stepped out onto the balcony overlooking his large backyard. The June temperatures had warmed, and in anticipation of the annual barbecue he held for his teammates before the new season started, he had pulled out the deck and lawn furniture. He would need to cut the grass, but otherwise, the yard was ready for entertaining.

His thoughts shifted back to Lauren. He had to figure out a way to get out of any consultation with her. Malcolm’s diet was just fine and his weight perfect, so he had no real need to see her. And that’s what he would tell her. He glanced down at his watch. Knowing that his sister would be arriving soon and that she’d most likely want to eat, he headed down to the kitchen to prepare a late lunch.

Morgan rang his doorbell just as he removed the chicken breasts from the stove-top grill. He placed them on a plate and went to let her in.

“Hey,” Morgan said. “Something smells good.”

Malcolm chuckled and kissed her temple. “Come on in. I knew you’d want to eat.”

She followed him to the kitchen and took a seat at the table. “Hey, you know I’ve never liked cooking. Nothing has changed. Lucky for me, my wonderful husband is an ace in the kitchen, and so is my favorite brother.” She gave him a bright smile.

“So I’m your favorite, huh?” They’d been joined at the hip since birth and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. She was his baby sister by five minutes, and he took his charge as big brother seriously. It had been hard relinquishing the reins to her husband, even if Omar was his friend and teammate. He pulled out a bowl of mixed greens, sliced the chicken into bite-size pieces and added them. “How’ve you been feeling?”

Morgan ran a gentle hand over her rounded belly. “Pretty good. The only thing is whenever I sit for more than five minutes, this kid starts moving around so much, I swear there’s a full-fledged game of tackle football going on.”

“Well, you only have two more months to go. Did you and Omar change your minds about finding out the baby’s sex?” Malcolm placed the bowl on the table, along with plates, utensils and a smaller bowl of salad dressing.

“Nope. We’re going to wait. Of course, Vonnie and Faith are trying to get me to change my mind, talking about they need to know what to shop for.” Siobhan, whom they affectionately called Vonnie, was the oldest of the five siblings. She and her husband, Justin, had a daughter who’d just celebrated her first birthday.

He smiled, got two glasses of iced mint tea and brought them to the table. “Faith isn’t expecting, is she?” Faith and their oldest brother, Brandon, were trying for a baby, and Malcolm hoped they had good news soon.

She shook her head as she filled her plate.

Their mother was beside herself with being a grandmother and with all of her children getting married. The only problem was that her attention had now shifted solely to Malcolm, the only single one. But he wasn’t biting. As he had told his family countless times, he planned to be a bachelor for life. He loved the freedom to come and go as he pleased, and the ability to decide when he wanted to date. No hassle, no fuss. He would gladly accept the role of uncle and spoil his nieces and nephews.

After reciting a short blessing, he and Morgan started in on the meal.

“What kind of dressing is this?” She sniffed. “Lemon what?”

“It’s lemon basil. Something I ran across at a restaurant where I had dinner. This is my attempt to recreate it. I used light sour cream to cut some of the calories, fresh basil, lemon juice and a little salt and garlic pepper. What do you think?”

Morgan ate a bite, angled her head thoughtfully and groaned. “It’s really good. And that’s why I come over here to eat when Omar isn’t home.”

Malcolm shook his head. “Did he go over to the center?”

“Yes. Rashad is finally going to talk to one of the psychologists, but he said he’d only go if Omar went with him. He’s gone to a few of the group sessions, but that’s it.” Omar and a group of organizers had opened a mental health center geared toward veterans two years ago. Omar’s older brother, Rashad, suffered from PTSD, and Omar wanted a place for Rashad and others like him to seek treatment that didn’t center wholly around medication.

“I’m glad. I know how much he’s been hoping Rashad would go.” They ate in silence for a few minutes.

“What’s going on?”

He glanced up from his plate. “Nothing. Why?”

Morgan stared at him a long moment. “So you’re okay with Lauren being the nutritionist? I assume it’s the same Lauren responsible for breaking your heart in college.”

Malcolm set the fork down and pushed the plate aside. He blew out a long breath. “Yeah, it’s her.” Just the mention of her name conjured up an image of her standing in the center of the room earlier.

“I still owe her for that, so I hope I don’t run into her while I’m at the practice facility.”

“Let it go, Morgan.” When Morgan found out what happened, she had stormed over to Lauren’s dorm room, and he’d had to carry Morgan out to keep her from kicking Lauren’s butt. In their family, the rule had always been mess with one, mess with all. It was even truer for him and Morgan. “She doesn’t matter. I’ve been over her a long time.” At least he thought so. Malcolm had been in several relationships since their breakup and hadn’t thought of her once after the sting had died down. But his reaction to Lauren today told him he still had some lingering feelings that he’d buried.

Morgan took a sip of her tea. “What are you going to do about having to consult with her?”

“Nothing. I eat clean eighty percent of the time, work out four or five times a week, sometimes more, and my weight is fine. I have no need to see her.” Malcolm knew Lauren would be sending out emails to all the players to schedule the preseason consultation—the same routine every year—but he intended to send her the same information he had just mentioned to his sister, with the numbers, and ignore her for as long as possible. He had to stay far away from her. His sanity depended on it.

Chapter 3

Thursday morning, Lauren made it to the Cobras’ training facility at seven thirty. After three days on the job, she considered it a major accomplishment that she went straight to her office without taking a wrong turn. She powered up her computer, checked her schedule and read through her emails. She had sent a message to all the players and had three scheduled for today, including one with linebacker Darren Butler. So far, a little over half had responded, but not Malcolm. Not that she expected him to. A knock sounded, and her head came up.

“Morning. May I come in?”

Though the man wore athletic pants and shirt, she didn’t remember seeing his face on the roster. He stood close to six feet with a trim, toned body, military-short dark hair and deep brown eyes set in a handsome olive-toned face. “Certainly.”

“I’m Nigel West, the chef.”

Lauren smiled and stood to shake his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nigel. I’m Lauren.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

“Please have a seat.” She gestured to the small table and joined him there. “How long have you been the team chef?”

“Going on six years. For the most part, it’s been a blast, but there have been a few hiccups along the way,” Nigel added with a chuckle.

“Tell me a little about the meal setup. I want to see what you already have before making any changes.”

“Sure.” He leaned back in the chair and crossed his ankle over his knee. “There used to be a variety of approved snacks available at all times and a good amount of fruits and vegetables. But over the last year, let’s just say things weren’t as tight.”

“There were fewer healthy options.”

“You got it.”

Lauren wondered if that was what had led to the former dietitian being let go.

As if reading her mind, Nigel said, “When a few players weighed in at fifteen or twenty pounds over what had been reported, it was bye-bye, Stan. To make matters worse, he had taken money from two players who’d bribed him to lie.”

“Are they still on the team?” If they were, she needed to know up front. In no uncertain terms would she be party to any of those schemes.

“Nope. They were sent packing with Stan.”

It must have been kept hush-hush, because she didn’t recall reading anything about a scandal or seeing it mentioned on the sports news. “Well, you won’t have to worry about any of that with me.”

He smiled. “I believe we’re going to work well together. Let’s talk menus.”

For the next forty-five minutes, Lauren shared her plans, including color-coding stations based on the category of food, having a fresh vegetable and fruit station at every meal, and going back to providing the healthy snack options. “During training camp and practices, did Stan ever have your team make recovery shakes for the players after they worked out?”

“I mentioned it to him a couple of times after talking with a friend of mine who works with another team, but...” Nigel shrugged.

“Okay. I’m thinking a smoothie station might be something to add.” Lauren added it to her list. They talked awhile longer, and by the time he left, she felt more confident. Not that she couldn’t do the job, but working with elite athletes whose very livelihoods depended on them being in peak performance condition could be intimidating initially. And with her being a woman, she also had to endure the flirting, but she knew that would die down soon enough.

Her first two clients were team veterans and had a good handle on their dietary needs. They would only require check-ins unless something changed. Her third client, a rookie offensive lineman, was a different story. As she’d seen with most college students, athletes included, their diets consisted mainly of high-fat and processed foods—pizza, burgers, sodas and an array of sugary desserts. Trying to teach him to eat differently would be a challenge, and she had already made an appointment to go grocery shopping with him. She made a mental note to talk to Mr. Green’s assistant about holding a diet and nutrition session for the rookies.

She was still chuckling at the player’s disgruntled expression as he shuffled out of her office. Her cell rang, and she smiled upon seeing Valencia’s name on the display. “Hey, girl.”

“Hey, yourself. How’s LA?”

“So far, so good. For the first time, I didn’t get lost coming to my office this morning. It’s only taken me four days. That’s progress.”

Valencia laughed.

“It’s not funny,” Lauren said, fighting her own laughter. “This place is huge and could double as a maze.”

“I can’t wait to see it when I come down.” There was a pause on the line. “Have you talked to Malcolm yet?”

She’d known that would be the first thing her friend asked after hello. “No, but I saw him on Monday when I was introduced to the team. There wasn’t an opportunity for chatting—not like he’d say anything to me anyway.” A vision of the hostile glare he’d sent her way surfaced in her mind, and she involuntarily shuddered.

“You never know. Like you said, it’s been a long time and you’ve both moved on. Is he still fine as all get-out?”

She laughed. “He is. The only difference is that he cut his locs.”

“Really? I used to think they made him look so sexy.”

So did she, and she remembered holding on to them as he thrust... Lauren jerked upright in her chair and shook the vision off. “Hey, girl, can I call you when I get home? I need to get ready for my next appointment.”

“I should be home around seven, so any time after that is fine. Later, girlfriend.”

Lauren disconnected and rubbed her temples. “What have I gotten myself into?” she muttered.

“Ms. Emerson?”

Her head snapped up, and she rose swiftly from her chair. “Come in, Darren. And call me Lauren.” They took seats at the conference table and she turned the page on her notepad. “You mentioned needing to talk to me about something.” She had read that the young man was in his third year as a defensive lineman.

Darren expelled a long breath. “Yeah. I lost my starting position because I’m twenty pounds overweight. Coach said if I didn’t lose the weight by the time the season starts, I’d be benched.” He looked at Lauren with sad eyes. “Can you help me?”

“Absolutely. But you’ll have to commit to following the program.”

“I’ll do anything you ask,” he said emotionally. “I worked hard to get that position, and I don’t want to lose it.” He threw up his hands. “And my girlfriend told me yesterday that she wasn’t going to accept my marriage proposal unless I did something. Said she wasn’t going to marry somebody just to become a widow when I die early.”

Lauren didn’t know how to respond to such a blunt statement. “Obviously, she cares a lot about you and your health,” she said carefully. “And I’ll be happy to help you. Training camp starts in a little over three weeks.” She wrote down some notes.

“Right.”

“Then we have work to do.” For the next hour, they went over his current eating habits and the changes he needed to make. He grumbled and whined like a big kid at times, but in the end accepted her plan. “I want you to check in with me at least once a week.”

Darren nodded. “Thanks, Lauren.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll see you next week.”

“Call me if you have any questions.”

“Okay.” He left and closed the door softly behind him.

Lauren smiled as she shut down her computer and packed up to leave. All in all, it had been a good day. She slung her purse on her shoulder and made sure she had everything. Satisfied, she opened the door and hit a warm mass. She gasped sharply.

Mr. Green’s blue eyes widened and he grinned sheepishly, his face turning a deep shade of red. “Sorry.” He lifted a hand to steady her.

“No problem,” she said, willing her heart rate back to normal.

“I just wanted to give you your invitation to the awards banquet I mentioned at the team meeting on Monday. It’ll give you a chance to meet more of the management team and the owner.”

His request sent her heart rate right back through the roof. She hadn’t planned to attend the event. He stared at her expectantly, and she took the invitation from his outstretched hand. “Thanks, I’ll be there.”

“Wonderful. Have a good evening.”

“You do the same.” It was bad enough having to see Malcolm. She wasn’t looking forward to being in the same room with the rest of siblings, especially Morgan. After her breakup with Malcolm, the woman had wanted to rip Lauren’s head off, and Lauren didn’t think time would have changed Morgan’s stance. So much for having a good evening.

* * *

Malcolm had avoided Lauren for over a week. He’d ignored the first two messages and then responded to her latest email yesterday informing her that he wouldn’t need her services. Now, as he sat waiting for his brother, he read a message from the running back coach indicating an appointment had been set up for Malcolm with Lauren this afternoon. This wasn’t how he wanted to start his week.

“What’s up, little brother?” Khalil rounded his desk, dropped a folder on top and sat. “You just returned from a three-week vacation in Brazil a little over a week ago, training camp doesn’t start for another couple of weeks and, while everyone else is working on a Monday, you’re off. I can’t imagine one reason why you have that frown on your face.”

“I was thinking about retiring at the end of the season, instead of having my agent ask for two more years.”

“Is that right?” He studied Malcolm, no doubt reading him like he did everybody else in the family. Khalil had lost his hearing last year in an explosion and had had a rough time adjusting. Thankfully, he had regained his hearing fully in one ear, but even after surgery, he still had to wear a hearing aid in the other. At third oldest, Khalil tended to be the most easygoing and perceptive of the bunch, and Malcolm was glad to see him back to his old self...just not at this moment.

“You know a running back’s lifespan is pretty short with all the punishment our bodies take. I’m just thinking it might be better to get out while I’m still healthy. Besides, with the second gym doing so well, it would be a good time to capitalize on the success.”

Khalil leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desk. “That was a great spiel. Now, are you ready to tell me the real reason you’re in my office with this nonsense?”

Malcolm muttered a curse. He’d known his brother would see right through him. He hesitated a beat. “Lauren.”

Khalil’s eyes widened and he slowly sat up straight. “Your old girlfriend from college?”

“Yeah. Her.”

Khalil frowned. “I’m not following. What does she have to do with your decision to retire early?”

“She’s been hired as the team’s new dietitian.”

There was silence for a full minute before Khalil burst out laughing. “I can’t believe it. I mean, the odds of that happening are, like, what...one in a million? Wow.”

“Right. Wow. Not funny.”

“I take it this is the first time you’ve talked to her or seen her in the eight years since the breakup.” When Malcolm nodded, he asked, “While it’s a shock, it shouldn’t be a problem. You’ve moved on and I assume she’s done the same, so...”

Of course he’d moved on. Malcolm had an active dating life and enjoyed women on his terms. Besides, Lauren hadn’t exactly given him a choice about moving on after she’d accused him of seeing another girl on campus and broken things off without bothering to listen to his explanation. He felt nothing for her now. That’s not what your body said the other day. Malcolm immediately dismissed the mocking voice in his head as not knowing what the hell it was talking about.

“Or maybe not. Look, Malcolm, you have a job to do. I’ve never seen you let anything, much less a woman, interfere with that job. You’re both professional enough to deal with whatever issues you have.”

He sighed wearily. “I know. I just didn’t expect to see her, that’s all. I’m fine.”

Khalil checked his watch. “I have a client in ten minutes, but if you want to talk more, you can come by the house later.”

A smile curled Malcolm’s lips. “Lexia won’t mind?”

At the mention of his wife’s name, Khalil’s face lit up. The two had gotten married nine months ago. “Nah. She’s gotten used to all the impromptu visits and phone calls at all hours of the night.” The siblings were all close, and it wasn’t unusual for one to show up at another’s home unannounced. However, now that all but Malcolm were married, the visits occurred less often.