Cora folded the tank top and put it on top of the stack in the open suitcase. As she brought the elastic bands together to secure that section of the case, she mentally went over the list, double checking that she had both pairs of tennis shoes packed.
Satisfied that she hadn’t forgotten anything, she closed the lid and fastened it shut, then set it outside her bedroom door. She walked through the bathroom, making sure she’d left nothing out or open. Closing that door behind her, she checked the bedroom, grabbing her phone charger and straightening the bedspread.
At the doorway, she paused and looked around the room. It used to make her sad to do this final check and pause at her bedroom door. As she’d aged and spent more time here alone, though, that sad feeling went away. She knew she would return, very soon, and already started looking forward to the next time she’d come home to this little beach house. Confident that she’d left all in order, she shut that door behind her and picked up the suitcase to carry it downstairs.
Setting it by the door, she did a walk-through of the rest of the house, including the basement workout room. As she glanced at the cozy and welcoming living room, she felt a pang of anticipation. She and Davis had an incredible week and spent every waking moment together, getting to know each other, growing in friendship. But, the seclusion of the Cape now ended, and it was time to enter the real world. What would that look like through the filter of this ruse of a romance?
Just as she stepped onto the front porch, she heard Davis’ car pull up into the driveway. Using the key fob, she popped the trunk of her own car open and set the suitcase inside.
“All set?” he asked as he got out of his still running car.
“Yes.” She looked behind her at the cottage with the gray siding and bright white trim. “I always hate leaving. I hope one day to just live here.” She smiled and looked at him. “Ready to head to the Big Apple?”
“I guess. I’m not really a city boy, but it should be an adventure. Well, that and I’m not used to sitting in the stands.”
She laughed and stopped at her car door. “Do you often have a special someone in the stands rooting for you?”
His face grew serious for just a fraction of a second. If she hadn’t been watching him, she would have missed it. “Not yet.” He looked at his watch. “I think we need to get on the road. The morning’s about gone.”
“I need to warn you that my mom won’t shake your hand. Please don’t think it’s rude. She’s not being rude.”
He tilted his head as if looking at her from another angle might provide an explanation. When she didn’t say anything else, he simply nodded. “Understood. Thanks for letting me know.”
“You have my parents’ address, right? In case we get separated.”
“I do. I’ll see you there.”
She paused before opening her car door, suddenly terrified to leave this sanctuary and return to the outside world. What would it look like now? “Davis….”
He’d turned to walk away but paused and turned around near the rear of her car. She looked at the face that had become the face of a familiar friend. When she didn’t speak, he turned his body to fully face her and gave her all his attention. “Yes?”
Leaving her keys on the top of the car, she walked toward him. “I just…” She leaned against the trunk of her car, propped her feet in front of her, and folded her arms over her chest. Where did this emotion come from? “I just have enjoyed this week and the chance to get to know you. I feel like we’re about to leave this little sanctuary and everything will suddenly be different.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “It will be different, but that doesn’t mean it will be bad. You need to not worry about that. You have a tournament this week that’s going to require your full attention.” He started to step back, but changed course and stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. It surprised her how easily her arms came around his waist. She lay her head on his chest while he hugged her. “I’m looking forward to some of the limelight,” he joked. She could feel his voice against her cheek.
After squeezing him, she released her arms and looked up at him. “Thanks. I needed the hug.”
He cupped her cheek with his hand, his eyes serious. “Cora, any time you need anything, I’m here.”
Before she could reply, he stepped away and she pushed away from the car, straightening to her full height. “Okay, let’s go.”
He backed out of the driveway and idled near the curb, letting her back out and take the lead. In no time, they sped along the highway headed toward Boston.
While Cora drove, she thought about the last week. They’d chosen the Cape for the sole purpose of establishing their social media relationship in a safe place. Somehow in the week there, they’d grown rather close. Pondering what he’d said about being there if she ever needed anything, she wondered what he meant by that. Just how far did that go? She’d grown to really enjoy time with him and had started to consider him a friend. Could he possibly feel something more than that?
Of course not. At the beginning of the week, she felt like he couldn’t stand her. He’d made that obvious. She’d pretty much felt the same way about him. Seven short days together wouldn’t change that.
She had admitted to rashly judging him and apologized for it. She knew that changed the course of the friendship; put it on a positive note.
They’d worked out together every day. Davis really impressed her with his knowledge in the gym. He reminded her of her father in that regard, too, and for some reason, she liked that. She had to teach him about specific workouts that helped her, and he taught her the workouts that helped him. Crying through lunges with a weighted barbell on her shoulders, they bonded in a way that they never could during the ice cream date the night before.
Pulling into her parents’ neighborhood, she brought herself out of her head and checked the rearview mirror, making sure he still followed close behind her. She pulled into the driveway of the large blue house and popped the trunk of the car as she turned off the engine. As she collected her suitcase, she heard Davis pull in behind her. He opened his own trunk as he got out of the car and relieved her of her suitcase, putting it in the trunk of the rental car next to his. Just as he shut the trunk, the front door to the house opened and she saw her father, Barry Anderson, step onto the porch.
He could easily pass for a man in his mid-fifties despite the fact that his seventieth birthday looked him in the eye. He stood six-nine, still worked out daily, and kept his once professional football body in perfect shape. A national men’s health magazine had recently put him on the cover of their magazine, shirtless, showing off his defined muscles and smooth skin.
“Hi Daddy,” she greeted, smiling as he approached them. She took Davis’ hand in hers and walked toward her father. “I’d like you to meet Davis Elliot.”
Barry looked Davis up and down with his light blue eyes, a stern look on his face, before he relaxed and smiled, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Spent the last week watching your college matches.”
She could see that surprised Davis because his eyes widened. “I, uh, don’t know what to say about that, sir.”
Barry laughed and slapped Davis on the back of the shoulder. Hard. Davis stepped forward slightly in response. “Sometimes, no reply is required. Had nothing much better to do this week other than bugging this one’s mom. This semi-retirement lifestyle doesn’t much suit me.” He gestured at the house. “Come in. Welcome.” He looked at Cora. “Your mom made lunch. I told her you had mere minutes, but she insisted.”
Davis looked at his watch. “We need to be through airport security in two hours.”
“You should be okay to make a plate.” He led the way into the house through the front door. They walked past the small entryway and into the large main room. Dark leather furniture sat on polished maple floors. Colorful rugs scattered around the room, bright paintings done by her mother, Maxine, hung on the walls, and colorful pillows adorned the couches and chairs, giving the room warmth and life.
On one wall, her mother had black and white photos framed in black frames. In one of them, her much younger father stood, intensely staring off into the distance, black streaks below his eyes, his shoulders wide with football padding. Maxine had colored in his eyes in an ice-blue that matched his eye color perfectly.
She noticed her mother had replaced the prior photo of her and used one from one of the Olympic matches. In this one, she was at least a foot off the ground, a furious look on her face as her hand made contact with the volleyball. The only color in the photo were her jade eyes that popped against the gray background in an extreme way.
Another photo captured her quarterback twin-brother, Chase, poised about to throw a football, bright lights of the field shining behind him. His eyes, the same color as their father’s, shone from the photo.
An older photo showed her two foster sisters, arm in arm, on the stage at church, dressed as shepherdesses for the Christmas play. They’d turned eighteen right before her fourth birthday. They both lived in Texas now with their own families. She hadn’t seen them since her high school graduation, but her parents always spent a week during Easter to travel and visit them. Their caramel colored eyes lit up the otherwise gray and white photo.
Her mom’s wall of pride, she thought with a smile on her face, turning as she heard footsteps on the wood floor. Maxine, dressed in a black sleeveless top and a long olive green skirt, had recently cut her straight black hair so that it brushed against her jaw. A wisp of bangs made her look like a thirty-year-old. She limped slightly as she came into the room. “Mama,” she said, rushing to her and hugging her.
“Hello, Jade darling,” Maxine said, hugging her tight. She released her and turned to Davis. “And you must be Davis.” She kept her arm around Cora. “Very nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, ma’am. Your daughter has shared a great deal about you.”
“Ma’am, even? Oh, I like you.” As she released Cora, she gestured toward the kitchen. “I know you have to rush. But take a sandwich with you. Save you from eating airport food.”
Cora walked next to Davis and they entered the large kitchen and dining room combo together. A marble-topped island separated the two rooms, and on it, Maxine had lain out cold cuts, breads, vegetables, and condiments. Davis picked up a paper plate and started to fill it. Cora looked at her dad. “We should be good to stay and eat, right?”
He gave a small shake of his head. “Better to get through security. You still have to drive through traffic to Logan and then return the rental, too.”
She sighed, really wishing they could stay. She wanted to tell him about Davis’ workout plans and let the two men interact on mutual ground. “You’re right.”
“We’ll be in New York Saturday, though.” Cora put roast beef and Swiss cheese on a homemade wheat bread slice and Barry slid into a bar stool. “I have court tomorrow and Friday, so we’ll miss the beginning of the tournament, but we’ll be there Saturday.”
She smiled at him as she slathered brown mustard on her bread. “I didn’t know you were coming at all, so that’s cool.” She took a sandwich bag from her mom and looked at Davis, who sealed his own turkey and Muenster on rye. “Ready?”
“I am.” He dusted crumbs off his fingertips and shook Barry’s hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you both, ma’am, sir. I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“I could get used to that.” Maxine smiled and waved at them as they left the room. “See you Saturday.”
Davis sat next to Cora in the first-class cabin. He’d never flown first class and if VelTech hadn’t footed the bill, he wouldn’t even now. It felt rather extravagant for a one-hour flight. He glanced at Cora’s profile as she looked out the window.
After she apologized Sunday before church, he’d allowed himself to warm up to her. His initial excitement at the assignment to be her fake public boyfriend returned, and he found that with every minute they spent together, he grew more and more attracted to her. Spending most of the week working out with her, teaching her, letting her teach him, had released their earlier tension more than anything else probably could. He felt like they had become good friends in a short amount of time. He couldn’t wait to see what this next phase would bring.
“What will it look like there?”
She turned to him, her eyes clearing as she smiled. “Sorry. Was a million miles away.”
“Oh?” He leaned his head toward her. “Anything I can help with?”
She smiled. “I was trying to figure out how to incorporate my tournament with your upcoming games in social media.”
“If I make the team, you mean.”
“You’re going to make the team, Davis.” She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I was also thinking that next week, you’ll be training. It’s going to be interesting to figure out how to keep up with the online presence then.”
“I won’t be present.” He had a good idea what the training looked like. He knew that he would practice ten to twelve hours a day, and downtime would be spent learning plays and studying the other teams. “I’ll be exhausted and uninterested. We’ll just have to take advantage of the holidays.”
“Maybe I can come to Florida when you get down there.” She grinned in a way that made his heart pause then race. “I’m sure I could incorporate beach volleyball into a trip to Florida.”
His mouth suddenly very dry, he took a long drink of his water. “I think that would be great.”
“Did you see the email from VelTech? They secured me a hotel suite in one of the new hotels in PyeongChang.”
“Tang,” he said, correcting her pronunciation. “The ch is said so harshly that it almost makes a T sound.” She laughed and said it again, properly this time. “Perfect!” He wished she wanted to be here just to be with him and not to fulfill a contract. He smiled. “Assuming I make the team, because nothing in this life is certain, I have family you could stay with.”
“No reason to.” She dug through her bag and pulled out her phone. “Ready?”
“Always.” He leaned close to her. Instead of smiling at the camera, he turned his head toward her and kissed her cheek. She brought her hand up to his cheek, sandwiching him, and the resulting picture looked very sweet and loving.
As she brought the phone down, she turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise. “I, uh, wasn’t expecting that.”
Keeping his voice low, he leaned close to her. “Cora, it’s been a week. People are going to be ready for something more than a couple of smiling faces.”
“I should kiss your cheek,” she offered. “These are your games coming up. The focus should shift from me to you.”
He shrugged. “You’re more popular. Everybody wants to kiss your cheek. I’m only popular in a few niche circles. Kiss my cheek next time.” When you really want to, he thought.
She stared at him for several seconds before blinking and smiling. “Of course. Very smart.”
He watched as she typed the caption.
His throat tightened, and he cleared it. “I still am objecting to hottie.”
“Objection noted.” She grinned. “I can’t help the truth, Davis. Accept it. Read the comments on my posts. It’s a consensus.” Heat flooded his cheeks, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat while she laughed. “You’re embarrassed. Don’t be! I think it’s great.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t like being objectified like that.”
The grin faded from her face. “You don’t think a fake romance with an Olympic athlete isn’t objectifying? I’m just embracing it and having fun with it. What’s going to happen when this very public and much-loved romance is over? Huh? The world is going to think there’s something wrong with me, or you. They will even pick sides, because that’s how people think.”
He considered her words and his lips thinned. “I don’t know if that will be what people think. Besides,” he said taking her hand, “who could possibly think there was anything wrong with you? I think everyone in the world knows I’m a bit outclassed. I do, anyway.”
“Right. Says the second man in my life to take me out. The first one died driving impaired, and you get paid to take me out.”
Her words shocked him. He couldn’t imagine men not beating down her door and wondered what stopped them. “You said our date was the first you’d ever been on.”
“That’s right. I snuck out to meet a boy at a party. It ended really badly, but you couldn’t call it a date.”
He didn’t say anything for at least ten heartbeats. “That must have been terrible for you.”
She stared at him with her bright green eyes and pulled her hand free. “I’ll tone down the hottie. I truly only meant it in fun.”
“I know.” He released a breath and tried to lighten the mood. He leaned forward and retrieved the airline magazine the first-class flight attendant had delivered earlier. “I doubt you toning down on it will do any good. I can see my team jersey now. ‘Hottie Elliott’. I almost guarantee someone has already made one and has it hanging in my locker as we speak.”
Cora laughed. “Oh, you should wear it! Any publicity is good publicity, right?”
He glanced at her over the magazine and tried to contain his laughter. “If you say so.”
She pulled her sketchbook out of her bag. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she pulled the tray table out from the arm of her seat and spread the book open. He saw the beauty she’d formed out of Psalms 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” She’d made each word into a work of art, with scrolls, vines, flowers, birds, and butterflies. She selected a pencil from her pencil box, and with a bright purple color, filled in part of a letter ‘L’.
“That’s incredible,” he said, putting the magazine down and looking at the work more closely.
“My mom taught me pencil techniques. This is how I pray, meditate, and relax, depending on what I need at the time.” She turned her head to look at him. “When I start filling it in, my mind relaxes and I feel like that’s when I can really talk to God without me getting in the way.”
He met her eyes and felt his heart rate accelerate as he stared at her relaxed, happy face. “What a beautiful way to express yourself,” he said in a low tone, nearly a whisper.
She smiled softly. “Thank you.” For another moment, they kept eye contact. Then, she looked back at her paper, and he took an opportunity to take a picture of her, making sure her drawing could be clearly seen.