Logan caught the ball and barreled toward the goal line, Tim hot on his heels. He kicked it in harder, just as he felt Tim’s hands trying to grab him, and then dove into the end zone for a perfect touchdown. Laughing, he rolled onto his back and looked at the gray New York sky. Tim loomed over him, grinning from ear to ear as he extended his hand. Logan grasped it and let Tim pull him up.
Tim slapped Logan on the back. “Damn, that was fucking awesome!”
“Getting slow in your old age.” He chuckled.
“Nah, you fucking hit jet pack with that move. You do that in the game, and we’re going to have it in the bag.”
“You two going to stand there grinning like fools, or are we going to get the fuck back to practice?” Coach growled.
Logan glanced over and saw the shit-eating grin spread over coach’s mouth and knew he’d done well. Giving him a thumb up, Logan tossed the ball to the quarterback and moved into position to practice the play once again. He knew this time that he’d have to kick it from the start because Tim would be ready for it.
Ninety minutes later, exhausted but feeling great, the team walked off the field to the locker room. Logan was elated with how well the practice had gone. He’d managed to outrun every damn one of the players on his team. All the time he spent living clean, working out, and practicing had paid off in more ways than one. He’d skip the club tonight and fix himself an early dinner. Coach wanted an early practice tomorrow, and he wanted to prove what he was doing wasn’t just a fluke.
After showering, he changed then grabbed his bag and shoes to head home. Tim rounded the corner of the lockers with the quarterback.
“Hey, Andy and I are going to hit the Diamond Club for dinner. You coming?”
“No, I’m going to head home and turn in early. I have a steak in the fridge calling my name. You guys have fun.”
“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow.” As they headed out the door, Tim yelled at a couple of the other guys. “Anyone want to head over the Diamond Club?”
Logan shook his head at his buddy, pulled his phone out, and dialed the cab company, giving them the address for pick up. “Hey, if Gus is close by, I’d like to request him.” One night he was going to see if Gus wanted to grab a bite to eat with him. Logan chuckled at the thought of the stories he might hear.
Zipping up his jacket, he stepped out the door and headed for the gate to wait for the cab. He glanced at the sky and shook his head. They were in for a snowstorm from the looks of it. Leaning against the fence, he pulled his cap over his ears and put his hands in his pockets, searching for his gloves.
Fifteen minutes later, the cab pulled up. Sure enough, he was greeted by Gus’s big smile and a friendly wave. When he opened the door and climbed in, Gus turned around.
“Evening, Logan. How was practice?”
“Great. I left all of them in my dust. Got a couple of really great touchdowns. All the workouts are paying off.” Logan snapped his seatbelt and sat back in the warm cab, blowing breath over his hands. “It got cold quick.”
“Yeah, it did. Looks like snow too.” Gus pulled out into the traffic. “Where to?”
“Home.” Logan chuckled when he saw Gus’s brow raised in the rearview. “I’m tired, got a steak waiting on me, and an early night in bed. Coach called a morning practice tomorrow.”
“So will I be seeing some of these new, fancy plays you all are working on in the next game?”
“I think so. Coach has us running them over and over. The other teams we’re going to play won’t know what hit them. We won’t use all of them in any one game.” He watched Gus’s eyes crinkle and knew he was grinning again. “So, I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.” Gus rolled to a stop at the red light.
“You want to grab dinner one night with me? You know, just to hang out.”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
“You know any good burger places? I haven’t had a good burger in a while.”
“I know the perfect burger joint. Just let me know when, and I’ll pick you up.”
“Sounds great. Only other thing is they have to have the best fries too.” Logan winked.
Gus laughed a big, booming laugh. “They do.”
They chatted some more, and before he knew it, they were pulling onto his street. The ride seemed much too short for Logan. He dreaded walking into the quiet house for some reason tonight. Shit, I guess I look forward to talking and eating with Drew more than I realized. He pulled his wallet out and gave Gus the money before opening the door to face the cold. “Have a great night Gus, be careful out there.”
“Thanks, Logan. You have a good one too.” He waved before pulling away from the curb and driving off.
Logan locked up, took a shower, and put on a T-shirt and long pajama pants before making his way back downstairs to start dinner. He wondered what Drew was doing tonight. He grabbed his phone to call her and thought better of it. He’d give her the space she asked for to finish whatever had her distracted. He’d invite her to dinner one night and cook for her. He whistled an old tune his grandma had taught him as he pulled out the olive oil and spices to make his marinade for the steak.
Once he had everything mixed together, he set it aside to let the spices meld together before he picked out a nice big potato to bake. No microwaving for him. Setting the oven temperature, he scrubbed two potatoes before drying them and coating the outsides with just a bit of the olive oil mixture. Glancing at the clock over the stove, he figured he had time to watch some news while he waited for the potatoes to bake enough before he started his grill for the steaks.
He shivered for a minute, thinking about grilling in the cold evening air. But damn, steaks just tasted better that way. He pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge after he set the timer, headed into the den, and turned on the news as he plopped down in his recliner. The weather was going to be brisk early tomorrow morning, so practice would suck until the sun got higher in the sky. He was just getting into the sports news when the buzzer went off. He pulled his sweatshirt on before opening the back door and was hit with a cold wind in his face.
Logan fired up the grill, congratulating himself for spending the extra money on a natural gas grill for his back porch, and then made his way back inside before his fingers turned into icicles.