Running into Coverage Ch. 02

"You're not in anybody's way. If anything, we took over your space." His mouth twitched at the corners, and Hadley found herself feeling more than comfortable around the wide receiver. Something she knew she shouldn't like, but was beginning to.

"That is true, I did come here to get away from my roommate."

It was the first real statement she'd made about herself, and Marcus took advantage of it. "What happened with your roommate?" She took a minute to answer, as she sipped more beer. "Something so bad that you needed a drink first?"

"It's nothing, really. I hardly know this girl, we've only been living together for a little over a week but I'm not used to living with someone so clingy." He laughed, the sound deep causing her eyes to widen. "You laugh, but you don't have roommates."

"I forgot that you just moved here. Why didn't you get your own place to start out with?"

Her shoulders shrugged, "Sam's the only person I know here. She's so wrapped up in Gabe and their wedding that I didn't want to always bother her. But I'm the kind of person that has to get out and do something, and coming home alone wasn't an option and I hoped to get a room with someone I could talk to. I'm kind of all over the place."

"And being in a bar with your head in a sheet of paper is going to do that?"

"I didn't say that. How did you know what I was doing?"

"I saw you first, remember? What were you doing?"

Hadley waved her hand. "Just a small sketch, it's nothing interesting."

"That's not very fair. You know what I do, what is it that you do?"

"Oh there are so many names to it. Some would say perpetual wanderer, others would just call it being creative." He gave her a look that told her she had not pleased him with her casualness. "I'm an artist."

"So is Madonna."

"Funny. Really, though. I paint; some of my work is starting to pick up. One of the bottles behind the bar caught my eye, and I started to draw it."

"Is your artwork being showcased here in town?"

"Not here, no. I have a few pieces in a small gallery in SoHo, but have mainly sold privately to clients."

Marcus raised his eyebrow. This woman was filled with wonder. "SoHo."

Nodding. "It's in Manhattan."

He shook his head and laughed. "I know where it is!"

They began talking with each other, disregarding the group surrounding them that seemed to be dispersing in search for other people. Or to seek privacy of their own as onlookers were seeking them out. Even as she spoke about her art and newest job at a coffee shop not far from where she lived, the way she was revealing information seemed guarded. Not that Marcus blamed her for blocking herself off. He was more than familiar with that notion. Far too many times he had gotten a little too close for comfort with ex-girlfriends and they'd slapped a paternity suit on him or never told him that they had dated teammates. He'd known all too well to keep things at the bare minimum. By the fourth round of drinks, he was tired and knew the early morning practice was going to chomp at his gut that was filled with beer.

Shifting in the seat, he saw in the corner of his eyes that Hadley began to cover her mouth to stifle a yawn. Leaning over to her, "I'm tired too. I've got class tomorrow."

A wicked smile broke across her pretty face. "Coffee awaits me. "

"And your roommate."

"Don't remind me." Reaching down for her bag, Marcus laid a hand on hers to stop the movement. The touch sent a shiver through her body. Looking into his eyes, she noticed that they had darkened to a deeper blue. All he did was shake his head and went about paying for the entire tab of his group and her drinks.

Knowing she was still getting used to the public transportation as she had professed her fear of getting lost, he offered to drive her home. Hadley had wanted to say no, but something deep within herself told her to shut up and go for it.

Her apartment complex was on the other side of town and as his SUV weaved through the late night traffic, both of them seemed content with keeping quiet. Just as Hadley's eyes started to flutter anticipating a deep slumber, Marcus pulled the car to a stop.

"Home sweet home, or I hope this is it. I can't see the numbers from here."

"Yes, this is it." Hadley grabbed her bag and started to reach for the door handle. "Thank you, Marcus. I...I had fun tonight."

"Me too, I guess there are perks for having a day off." Slowly, she got out of the SUV and walked around the front to get to the front door of the complex. Marcus realized that all evening while they talked, he had never asked for her number. They'd laughed and held conversations as if they had known each other for some time. Hadley had gotten along with all of the guys, and even pulled a few jokes on some. Quickly, he wrestled with the handle and bolted out of the vehicle. "Hadley, wait!"

Stopping just short of the front door, she turned and saw Marcus taking the steps two at a time. "Since you don't really know anybody in town, maybe you'd want to hang out some time. Might be fun to get shown around."

"Won't you be busy practicing throwing a ball around and getting caught up on daytime television?"

His voiced dropped low. "Smartass, I'm being serious. I have a life outside of football."

For a long moment, Hadley stared at Marcus trying to sort him out. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed the evening. He had been easy to talk with, and fun to be around. All it took was listening to him, in order to shut out his good looks. What harm could it be to know another person in the city? Since her roommate was slowly but surely turning into someone she definitely wouldn't be spending more than the minimum amount of time with. Giving in to the summer blues of his eyes, she told him her telephone number and started to walk into the complex.

Just as Marcus had reached his car, she shouted out to him. "Just because you know where I live and have my number doesn't mean you can stalk me now, Jennings."

Laughing, he shouted right back to her. "All is fair Ms. Wilkerson; you gave up the goods so it's time to pay the price." He sank into the soft leather seat of the SUV and took off while she gaped at him. It had been a while since he actually enjoyed himself around a woman. Hadley seemed to be filled with surprises. Mentally taking note of his practice schedule, he figured there could be one day that she could squeeze him in between brewing coffee and splattering paint.

****

Marcus started the following Saturday with a morning practice at the Mall of America Field in Minneapolis and was now lying on the hotel bed studying up on plays. Even during his time away from the field, there was always something he could be doing trying to perfect his game. The team had an away game and was facing the Vikings the following afternoon. A light rain had descended upon the Twin Cities and he was more than thankful to be indoors even though he was getting bored with looking over the same sheets of paper as if it were the bible.

As he punched the pillows for a little extra cushion a thought occurred to him and he wondered why it had taken so long to remember. Even in his busiest of weeks, he always remembered to call girlfriends just to give a friendly hello. Or to fill the time that was always so quiet when he was alone in a room. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he leaned over to the nightstand and grabbed his cell phone. Thumbing through the contact list until he found her number, Marcus quickly glanced at the clock and saw that it was still early that afternoon. Getting comfortable on the bed, he dialed Hadley and hoped she wasn't working.

"Hello?" Even though several days had passed, he remembered the sound of her voice as if it were yesterday.

"Hadley? It's Marcus Jennings."

"Oh...hi." To his own ears, she sounded winded and short. He wasn't deterred from the call, as she remained on the line.

"How is everything going?" A horn honked in the background and the screeching sounds of the EL muffled her words. "Or should I ask you where you are going?"

He was greeted with a breathy laugh, "Its going. I just got off from work, but have to be someplace in a few minutes. I'm surprised you called, Marcus."

Tightening his grip on the phone, he spoke. "Why would you be surprised, I'm your stalker remember?"

"That is so true! So, what's up?"

"Nothing, I'm bored and there's nobody else around that can entertain me."

Hadley scoffed, "So you call me...to distract you? That's typical."

Marcus was glad she couldn't see him smiling because he couldn't wipe the smirk from his face. "What else can I do before I head out for dinner?"

"Wait a minute, where are you?"

"Minneapolis, we have a game here tomorrow. I've been busy with practices all week otherwise I would have called you to distract me then, but it's been crazy."

This time, it was Hadley who paused. When she spoke she sounded unfocused on their call. "You don't have to call me for a distraction, Marcus."

"I can hang up right now."

"That's not what I meant. I know you are busy, I'd forget to call me if I was playing tomorrow."

"No you wouldn't." Encouraged that she had not hung up, he kept talking. "Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting up with a guy to look at a studio space. It's close to my apartment and cheap, how perfect is that?"

"I'm guessing pretty perfect. Why do you need a studio if you have an apartment to do your painting?"

"There are always fumes or fans going. I worry about my roommate and the people on the same floor. That, and I'm messy." Marcus sank deeper into the bed and laughed at her casual confession. "I'm being rude, but since you called me, I guess I shouldn't feel bad talking about myself. What is the typical day before a game like for you?"

"I'm watching reality shows on the television." Hadley laughed, but Marcus didn't have the heart to tell her that sometimes he really did watch horrible shows while he sat in the hotel room. Other times he would make calls to his agent, work out contracts for endorsements, or wander the streets. Wandering the streets never went over well, no matter which town he had gone to. People recognized the players, depending on their size or where they walked around. Dining out, he was always with groups and could care less. Playing ball was his job. He owed as much as an autograph or a warm smile to the people who got him this far. "I'm actually meeting up with a bunch of guys and we're going for dinner in a little bit. You should catch the game tomorrow if you're not working."

"It depends on what time the game starts. I have to work until three and was hoping to work on a new canvas."

"That's too bad. Good that you'll be painting. Bad that the game starts at one, so you'll probably miss it."

In a voice that sounded apologetic yet playful, she cooed, "Sorry, Marcus. I'm sure there will be someone in the café that will have updates going all afternoon, so even though I won't see your pretty face, I will get to hear all of the highlights."

"Very funny, you'll get to see a game one day. Hey look, that's not why I was calling though. Do you have any days off next week?"

"I'm pretty sure I have Thursday off, but will have to check the schedule. Why?"

"Hadley, you forget the reason I even started this call."

"Stalkery?"

"Yes and no. There's a new restaurant off Hubbard that just opened up. My agent took his wife there and said it was one of the better places in the city. Do you want to go?"

"I don't know, Marcus. With my job and everything, money is kind of tight right now."

Marcus dropped his voice and spoke lightly with sympathy and yet still firm. "Who said anything about you paying? I asked you. Besides, this gives you a chance to blow a hole in my pocket."

Forgetting all reason, Hadley snickered into the phone. "With an offer like that, I certainly won't say no. I'll have to check my schedule to make sure though. Can I call you back tomorrow?"

"I have a game tomorrow."

"Oh God, that's right! What about Monday?"

"I'm off Monday, so you can call anytime."

"Even at three in the morning? Don't answer that. I'll check my schedule and let you know. Marcus, I hate to cut this short, but I just got to the studio and have to take a look around so I should probably let you go. Good luck tomorrow at the match."

Marcus laughed on the other end; the girl knew nothing about football if she was referring to the game as a match. "Thanks, Hadley. Let me know how the studio turns out and don't forget about Thursday."

They hung up, leaving Marcus in his room to take in the conversation with Hadley. Considering they spent a few hours at the bar together, and they really didn't know each other very well, they made easy conversation. She was funny where he was dry, and she certainly didn't take any of his bullshit. Something he gave out often, but he was noticing she gave out just as much as she took. Fluffing the pillow, he closed his eyes and for the first time in his professional life, he didn't think about football.

****

Her boots clacked on the pavement as she made her way toward Lynx, the restaurant where she was to meet Marcus. A dinner that Hadley was fifteen minutes late for. Work had been an absolute zoo; one of the presses blew a fuse and stopped working close to nine—perfect timing for the morning crowd. By two the place was dead and she was able to leave a little early. Rather than taking that time to go home and rest up, she had rushed to the studio and completely lost track of time as she started to sketch out the base for a foil coated piece a client had requested. Before she knew it, the alarm on her buzzer went off and she had to run out in order to meet up with Marcus.

Eyeing the names of each establishment that she passed, she straightened her hair with a hand until she caught the knowing pale blue eyes of a waiting man.

"You're fashionably late." Marcus leaned against the side of the building, even as she walked up to him he appeared to be attracting the glances of several people around him, but remained unbothered.

"I'd say that I got lost, but you'd still harass me."

His eyes crinkled at the corners, a set of pearly whites slowly shone through the smile forming at his mouth. "I would. Busy day?"

Holding the door open for her, she walked into the crowded restaurant. "It was terrible, but still good. I think I spent more time grinding beans than I did actually making cups of coffee." Twitching his nose, he noticed the faint scent of coffee that hovered around her. As she looked up into his face, Hadley saw the curiosity that lurked in his eyes. "It's the coffee; I stink. I would have showered but I went to the studio to start a new project, and kind of got lost in it. Sorry I'm late."

The host stole Marcus' chance to get more out of her, and directed them to the booth that had been reserved for them. Hadley's eyes drifted from the other tables and booths to the bar at the front. The room was spacious and dimly lit by candelabras and soft bulbs in the wall sconces that were scattered throughout. The booths lined the restaurant while several tables were scattered in the middle. Rather than having proper chairs, the seats were wide, dark leather couches. Turning to look at Marcus, Hadley smiled at him. "You seem unfazed by all of this."

A busser placed a couple of glasses of iced water on the table before dashing off into the mass of people. "I go out a lot, but this is a nice place. Different."

"A good kind of different." Hadley took a sip of water before continuing. "What all did you do today?"

"Apart from waiting for you?" Beneath the table, she kicked him lightly with the tip of her boot. "I had a couple of practices, then met up with my agent."

Hadley dropped an elbow on the table and leaned her face into her palm. "And I'm sure your day was more interesting than you let on. Its okay, Marcus. You can talk to me."

Her eyes widened as he laughed at her authority. "Sorry, I'm not used to talking about everything." Seeing her lean into the table, he was pleased that she wanted to know more. "We had two practices today, they were brutal. Tealman took me down early in the first one when I lost my footing, but the second practice was better. I worked with Gabe on a few drills."

Hadley saw the very noticeable relaxing of his shoulder muscles, and heard the softening of his voice as he spoke. "See, doesn't that feel better?"

Marcus laughed so hard that Hadley reached forward and tried to cover up his mouth with her hands. While he was pushing them away, the waiter came by to take their orders for drinks. Normally, she would have asked for wine, but there was something about the ambiance that had her blurting out "Sparkling wine". On their way in, she had seen a woman sipping it at the bar and was intrigued. Marcus looked at her, and all she could do was tell him that the wine was a drink he wasn't allowed to steal a sip from. The unvarnished table was clear of any menus, which didn't stop Hadley from staring out the side of the booth looking for the waiter.

"You don't have to worry about the menus. Everything is taken care of for tonight." Marcus had been watching her anxious movements with open curiosity.

"If you're going to say that you ordered for me, I'm walking right out of here."

Laughing, "I wouldn't do that to you. The chef is putting together a sampling of the entire menu. Think of it as prix fixe."

"You can't be serious?" Marcus shrugged his shoulders and feigned ignorance. "It sure must be nice to be famous."

"It has its perks. When I called, the girl on the phone set everything up."

Within minutes the drinks arrived and Marcus stared at Hadley as she took a slow sip of the sparkling wine. She closed her eyes as she took the sip and took a deep breath, savoring the faint raspberry flavor. Never a woman to turn down an offer to go out for an evening, especially in a city she was still figuring out, it couldn't have been avoided. A small tinge of guilt tugged at the back of her mind for not calling Sam and letting her know what was going on, but she shushed it away. Knowing her friend, and herself, this outing was merely a chance happening. There were no expectations involved, especially knowing that a good portion of the patrons were well aware of Marcus' presence and wanted a piece of him. Amazingly, he held his own, and smiled at other patrons but made it very clear, without words, that his time was devoted to Hadley.

Marcus didn't say much until the first platter of antipasto arrived on the table. He was distracted by the way Hadley was mentally taking note of the textured walls. Her fingers trailed the seat beside her, feeling the soft leather. As he was extending a smaller plate filled with an endive, Granny Smith apple and goat cheese salad to her, he asked her a question.

"When you're working, do you use familiar objects as inspiration?"

"Usually. I try and make every single piece personal, which is why I much rather paint for clients. In getting to know them, I get to make something that they may never really think about, but is very significant." She took a bite and savored the sour of the apple being toned down from the cheese. "I've tried painting just to paint, but it just doesn't work with me."

"If I was to ask you to paint for me, what object would you use?"

"A fork." Hadley laughed at his dumbfounded stare. "I'm eating all of this salad, you have to at least try a little bit of it." Without thinking, she forked up some of the salad with her own utensil and brought it up to his lips. Marcus' eyes followed her movements, and as he was getting ready to protest, she shoved the contents in. The glow of the candlelight caught the glitter shimmering in her eyes, and a small laugh escaped her plump lips. Heat shot straight to his groin as the candle light flickered in her watchful eyes.