Hard & Deep: A Football Romance

“I knew this day was coming, but I guess didn't expect it to be this hard,” she said, looking away. “It suddenly feels real.”

A tear streamed down her cheek as she spoke and Ollie gently wiped it away with his thumb.

“I know. This is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be,” he said, keeping his hand on her cheek. “Who would have thought that I'd grow to love this town and the people in it?”

Elsie smiled, but it wasn't genuine. He could tell she was trying to force herself not to cry. But he could see through it. He knew her well enough to know what her real smile looked like and this wasn't it. Not even close.

“It's going to feel weird without you here.” Elsie gazed at him, making Ollie's heart sink even further. He was going to miss those beautiful eyes of hers.

“I'm really going to miss you,” he said.

As the words tumbled out of his mouth, a tear welled up in his eye and slid down his cheek. He wiped it away with his sleeve, surprised by how much emotion the moment was bringing out of him. It wasn't like him to feel this way. The only other thing in the world that had ever caused him to shed a tear was his brother's cancer.

“Do you think we'll be able to stay in touch?” Elsie asked, her voice just a little to chipper to be real. “I know you'll be busier than I will be, but I'd like to check in at some point and see how you're doing.”

“Yes, we can stay in touch,” he said, then let out a defeated sigh. “But I don't see it bringing anything but heartache. If we keep talking then it'll only make me wish I didn't have to be in California. And it'll only make you wish you didn't have to be in Iowa. Maybe it'll hurt less if we just move forward from here.”

Saying the words stung his heart. It had crossed Oliver's mind several times to suggest the idea of a long distance relationship with Elsie. He had money, so flying out to see her wouldn't have been that big of a deal. But after much consideration, he realized that it would only end up hurting her.

She needed someone who could really be with her, not just someone who could see her every other month in person and talk with her on the phone every few days. She deserved better than that. As much as he didn't want to let her go, he knew that he had to. In the long run, it was the right thing, for her.

Elsie nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess you're right. It's probably for the best.”

“I have something for you, though,” Oliver said, hoping that he could shed a little optimism on the situation.

Her eyes widened a bit, but he could still see the sadness in them. Ollie reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a single silver key, pressing into Elsie's palm.

“What's this for?” she asked.

“It's the key to the farmhouse,” he said. “I'm on the lease for another three weeks, but wanted to give you access. Your real gift is inside the house.”

Elsie cocked her head to the side. “What is it?”

“I want you to have all of the medical and workout equipment,” he said, unable to keep himself from smiling. “Every piece of it is yours now.”

Her jaw dropped. “Ollie, that's over a million dollars worth of equipment. I can't accept that.”

“Yes, you can.” He grinned as he cradled her chin in his hand. “I want you to have it. You deserve every bit of it and more. I've hired movers to bring it from the farmhouse to here. They'll come tomorrow, but you'll have to let them in the house. That's why I gave you the key.”

Elsie looked like she was about to fall over from surprise, so Oliver wrapped his arms around her to hold her up.

“Oliver, that equipment is going to turn this physical therapy office into the most advanced clinic in the county,” she said, shaking her head in awe as she looked at the key in her hand. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I can't believe how generous you are.”

“It's the least I can do,” he said, kissing her cheek. “If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be walking right now. And I sure as hell wouldn't be about to jump into training again. If not for you, Elsie, my life would be over. There's one more thing, though.”

She lifted her gaze, seeming surprised that there could possibly be something else he could give her. “What's that?”

“I know that when I got here, it was kind of a secret,” Ollie said. “We didn't want people to know the severity of my injury and all that. But since I'm up and running again, I want you to use my name to help grow your business. As long as it's never known just how bad of shape I was in when I first came here. Feel free to advertise your business as 'the clinic that has served Oliver Lance' or something along those lines. Keep it vague and it'll be fine.”

“You're serious?” she asked. “You really wouldn't mind?”

“Not at all,” he said, watching as Elsie finally began to smile for real. “It should help drum up some business. I'd imagine that people will start coming from all over once they hear how you helped me out. I already asked my publicist to make you up some posters.”

“You're amazing, you know that?” Elsie said, as she brought her hands to Oliver's chest. “What you've just given me has the capacity to turn my Uncle's business completely around.”

“I hope you make millions,” Ollie said, with a soft smile.

Outside, the taxi cab honked his horn. Oliver spun around and waved at the driver. It was clear the man behind the wheel was getting impatient. Ollie wasn't too concerned about that, but he did need to hurry if he wanted to catch his flight.