Second Chance: A Military Football Romance

"And, after that?" I took a glass of wine and took a quick sip, hating how tart the dark liquid was. I was a beer drinker, but the smell turned my friends off completely, so I would abstain for our first night.

"After that, we're going to bike, hike, and boat the hell out of this place." Dedra picked up a piece of bread from the center of the table. "Don't overeat. I don't want you to have any excuses when I whoop your ass on the courts later tonight."

"Excuses? You're going to whoop me, regardless. I'm soon to be in law school, and you're a basketball star. Is this a joke? Am I being punked?" I glanced around as she chuckled.

"You're good enough to be on the team, and you know it. You just don't want to deal with your folks over it." She dipped her bread in her salad dressing and shrugged. "I get it. My parents expected me to play, and yours would have died had you brought it up."

"Why is your dad so strict? I never have figured out the reason behind it all." Emily glanced over at me. "Was your grandfather strict?"

"He lost his parents when he was little." I took a big bite of my salad. I rarely talked about my parents. It wasn't a conversation that created warm fuzzy feelings inside of me, so I usually avoided it.

"And?" Dedra leaned back in her chair.

"And, it made him callous and overbearing. He sees how finite life really is and wants to make sure I get the most out of it." I glanced up as Cindy walked back in and sat down.

She pulled her salad toward her and stirred it around. "But whose right is it to define what 'most' looks like? Maybe you getting the most out of life is dancing on Broadway or cooking for the president."

"Has he seen you dance or cook?" Emily laughed, causing all of us to join in.

"You're right, but he is who he is. I love him either way, though I wish I could come up with a solid argument to fight him with. I don't want to be a lawyer. Not in the slightest." I took another bite of my salad. The summer with my friends was set up to be a great time, but the four of us had been friends for ages. It was hard not to dive deep into each other's lives. I expected tears, but not on the first night.

"You'll figure it out." Emily reached over and squeezed my arm. "When you get to the point where their disapproval doesn't outweigh your desire, you'll fight back."

"Very true." I leaned back as the image of the sexy guy against my car rolled through my mind. I snorted and shook my head.

"What?" Dedra lifted her eyebrow at me.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about that guy outside. He had some nerve telling that poor girl that my new Beamer was his. What if she asked for a ride?" I sat back and licked at my fork.

"Then he probably would have given her one. The ride of a lifetime." Dedra bit her lip seductively as we all laughed at her.

"How much longer until the lasagna is ready?" I pushed my bowl away and fought against the desire to get outside. I'd been cramped up all year. I wanted the freedom being out in nature would provide.

"About an hour and a half, maybe?" Cindy took a sip of her wine.

"Let's go shoot hoops for an hour and get back to clean up and eat?" I stood up, turning my attention back to Dedra.

"Sounds good to me." She bolted up. "I'd never give up the opportunity to play."

"You guys wanna come?" I turned my attention to Emily and Cindy.

"No." They answered in tandem.

"Let me change into some shorts." I moved out of the dining room and grabbed my suitcase, walking down the hall and taking the last bedroom available. They were all about the same size—not that I cared. I lugged my suitcase onto the bed and grabbed a pair of shorts, a tank top, and some thicker socks.

After changing as quickly as I could, I pulled my hair into a ponytail and walked back into the kitchen, finding Dedra already bouncing the basketball.

"Where is the court? Do we need to drive?" I reached for my keys.

"No. We can walk. They're about half a mile, but it's nice out. No more than a 10-minute drive at most?" Dedra cupped the basketball against her chest and moved to the door. "You bums sure you don't want to join us?"

"Not only no, but hell no." Emily glanced over her shoulder as she slouched in her chair and yawned again.

"Suit yourself." I plucked a crouton from the large salad bowl on the table and walked out to the patio where Dedra waited for me.

"Thanks for this. I love Cindy, but I'm at my limit on shopping and ogling at men for the week. The month. The year?" She chuckled as she looked over at me.

"I'm just going to enjoy myself this summer." I reached over and took the ball from her. "If I want to shop, I'll shop. Sleep in? I'll do that, too."