The Ex Project by Nia Arthurs

Chapter Seven

Duane knewan opportunity when he saw one. It was, perhaps, his greatest skill. Why else would he, a nobody from a small Caribbean country, make it in a pro football league?

It wasn’t simply because he played well.

Everyone did.

It wasn’t because he worked hard. Everyone did that too. In fact, all his teammates would sweat like crazy, risk injuries and spend hours on the field to perfect their craft.

He wasn’t anything special.

Not really.

The true reason he made it out of Belize was because he knew when he was in front of the right person at the right time.

“Could you… say something instead of just smiling at me?” Yolanda asked nervously, tucking her plush bottom lip into her mouth.

Duane tried to wipe his grin, but he only managed to dim it a few degrees.

He still couldn’t believe this was happening. After Yolanda had drawn her line in the sand and told him to keep to his side of it, he’d been disappointed and confused.

Sure, he hadn’t planned to rush into anything with her, but he was interested. Very interested. And the fact that the door had closed before he’d been able to stick a toe in—that hurt way more than he’d admit.

Because of the rejection, he’d found himself becoming slightly obsessed with her. Not a crazy-stalker kind of obsessed, but the kind that comes when something you want is denied you. Like a hunger that demands satisfaction. His craving for Yolanda jumped beyond the point it had been before she shut him down.

Perhaps it was the hunter inside. The instinct to conquer. Or perhaps this interest had been there all along, and Yolanda’s little speech had brushed off the dust and revealed it too late.

Whatever it was, he’d been dismayed because he thought he’d lost his chance. By some miracle, he had a new opportunity to pursue her. There was no way he was letting her go this time.

Duane rubbed his upper lip to hide his smile. “I’m interested.”

“Good. That’s good.” She blinked rapidly, several emotions zipping across her stunning face. At last, she settled into a polite smile. “Thank you. I’ll text you the address and you can meet me there. Bye!” Yolanda started to turn away.

“Wait, wait, wait.” He grabbed her hand and tugged before she could run.

Unfortunately, he pulled a little too eagerly and she lost her footing. He saw her falling in slow motion and lunged forward. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he drew her into his body and cradled the small of her back to steady her.

“Are you okay?” He dipped his head close to hers, his eyes roving over her dark face before moving to her torso and then her legs.

She stared at him, her mouth parted in stunned surprise. His eyebrows hiked in response as he tried to understand if that expression meant she was in pain.

When she still said nothing, Duane held her a little tighter. Concerned, he brushed his hand over her cheek. “Yolanda?”

“What?” She seemed to snap out of her daze and glanced around. When she saw his arms around her, she pushed him away and took a giant step back. “I’m okay.”

Duane’s body swayed forward without consciously meaning to, aching to close the distance between their bodies again. He folded his arms over his chest to distract himself from thinking of how soft she’d been against him.

“Was there something else?” Yolanda lifted her chin. The sun hit her cheekbones just so, making her entire face glow from the inside out.

His mind went blank for a moment.

How one woman could be that stunning was a mystery to him.

Everything about Yolanda was dark and svelte—from the twinkle in her black eyes to the luminescence in her ebony complexion to the curve of her plump brown lips.

The sleek dress she wore was vastly out of place on the football field. It was elaborate and short and fancy. Yet he couldn’t stop staring at her in it.

“Yes.” Duane cleared his throat and tried to focus. “There is. You’ve stated your problem and asked for my help, but you haven’t mentioned what I’ll get in return.”

Yolanda pursed her lips. “In return?”

“You think I’ll be your fake boyfriend for free?”

Her lips trembled. “Well…”

“Yolanda, if I agree to this, I intend to go all the way.”

Her eyes turned stricken. “A-all the way?”

“I’ll dedicate myself to the role.” He touched his chest. “And take it seriously. You won’t have to do anything but follow my lead.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What if I want you to follow my lead?”

“I’ll think about it.”

She scrunched her nose. “Fine. Name your price.”

He lifted three fingers.

She arched an eyebrow. “Thousand?”

He laughed. “Is that what my company is worth to you?”

“Three hundred thousand is a lot for one night.” She worried her bottom lip and gazed at the sky. Duane saw her wheels turning and felt a moment of shock. Was she seriously considering paying him that much?

He shook his head and spoke quickly. “Three dates.”

“What?”

He lifted his hand again. “I want three dates.”

“But it’s just for one night.” Yolanda’s voice was a weak whisper.

“If you count the night at the bar, I’ve already provided my services for two occasions.”

“You volunteered that first night,” she argued. “I didn’t even know you were there when Devon showed up.”

“But you accepted the service by not correcting me, so it counts.”

She huffed.

He pulled his lips in and tried not to laugh.

Yolanda’s eyes darted back and forth as she considered his words. He cocked his head to the side, letting the silence ramp up the tension.

Yolanda frowned. “One date.”

“Five dates.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s two more than the original number.”

“Seven dates,” he said.

Her jaw dropped.

Duane smiled because he couldn’t help himself. “It’ll keep going up the longer you stall.” He glanced over his shoulder at the boys. “Looks like Theo and Yanique are done with clean-up.”

The boys walked in their direction.

“They’re almost here…”

“I can see that.”

“My offer ends when they get here.”

“You’re evil.”

“Ten dates.”

“Okay! Okay! I agree to the three extra dates.”

“Perfect.”

Theo approached them. The boy stepped close to his mother’s side, his duffel swinging beside him. Sweat clung to his brown skin and his jersey had dirt and grass stains from the practice match.

“Mom.”

“You’re done?” Yolanda nervously patted her son’s head.

“I’m done.” Theo turned to him with eyes bright. “Everything’s locked up, coach.”

“Thank you, Theo.”

“Let’s go home.” Yolanda cleared her throat and steered clear of his gaze. “We’ll be in touch.”

“I’m looking forward to our partnership, Ms. Walsh.”

Her eyes darted up and she gave him a skittish look.

Duane’s chuckle escaped without his permission. Yolanda was adorable. How could a woman who looked so elegant and unapproachable be so cute in real life?

“Bye, coach!” Theo waved enthusiastically.

He waved back.

Yanique stopped beside him. “See yah, Coach.”

“Where’s your dad?”

“Coach, I’m walking today.”

“You need a ride?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I have things to do.”

Duane narrowed his eyes at the kid. “You mean you’ll be at the arcade until your mother calls for you again?”

“Nooo.” Guilt crept into his tone and he looked away. Busted.

“Come on. I’ll drive you. It’s on my way.” He escorted Yanique to the car.

“Are you going to the hospital again?” the little boy asked once he’d buckled in.

“How do you know that?”

“My cousin’s girlfriend saw you. He said you were there with some girl.” Yanique wiggled his eyebrows. “Is the sick girl your girlfriend?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“It must be,” Yanique teased.

Kids these days. “Why don’t you tell me how you’re doing in school since you’re so eager to talk?”

Yanique snapped his lips shut.

“Oh? Now you’ve gone silent?” He tapped the steering wheel. “Ask your mom to send me a copy of your report card.”

“Coach!”

“You have a problem?”

“I’m going to be a football player like you. I don’t need to go to school.” Yanique hunkered low in his seat.

Duane sighed. He was proud to be the first and only Belizean to join a pro football team, but he didn’t like the way other aspiring players used him as an excuse to not pursue their education.

“Yanique, playing football professionally is a tough job and it takes more than raw skill on the field. You need to be able to think.” He pointed to his forehead. “If you want to be good at it.”

“But school doesn’t teach me anything,” Yanique mumbled.

Duane sighed. The kid was far too young to be thinking that way. “Maybe you don’t see the benefits of the lessons now, but school can teach you how to strategize, multi-task and, especially, how to network. Do you know how easily athletes get ripped off by agents because they don’t know what they’re doing and they don’t know anyone who’ll have their back?”

“I don’t care,” Yanique said, still too young to see the bigger picture.

Duane slowed the vehicle in front of Yanique’s house. “Whether you care or not, your report card better be in my inbox by the end of the night.”

Yanique pushed out his lips so far it almost slammed into the windshield.

He ignored the boy’s pouting and insisted. “Right?”

“Yes, coach,” he mumbled.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Yes, coach!”

“Good.”

Yanique popped the door open and scrambled into his yard. Duane made sure the boy got inside safely and then drove to the hospital.

On the way, he got a call from Billy’s mom.

“I didn’t get a chance to thank you,” the tired woman croaked. “When I lost Billy, it felt like my heart was breaking all over again.”

“He seemed to care about his grandmother a lot,” Duane responded gently.

“They were like best friends.” She sighed. “To be honest, I wasn’t… always the best mother to Billy. I got mixed up with a bad boyfriend and made a lot of mistakes. Social services took him away from me when he was young. Because of that, he grew up with his grandmother.”

Duane nodded somberly.

“Even after I kicked that boyfriend to the curb and got Billy back, my mother was involved in his life. She went fishing with him and helped him film all his little online videos. She pushed him to join the football team…” The woman broke down into tears.

“Billy’s going to be okay. He’s a good kid.”

“I know. And a lot of that is because of you, Coach Marden.”

“It’s not.” He shook his head.

“No, it is. Billy blossomed when he started attending your football practices. He has more confidence and more friends. You’re doing a good thing.”

Duane was glad for the red light because it allowed him to slow the car down and figure out why something was suddenly stinging his eyes.

“It’s an honor for me, ma’am. Those kids remind me why I started playing football in the first place.”

She sniffed. “You’re good with them. You’ll make an amazing father.” Slowly, her voice turned more upbeat. “On that note, Coach Marden, would you happen to be free next weekend? I have a cousin who just came back from studying in the States and she—”

“I’m sure your cousin is lovely,” Duane cut in, “but my girlfriend might have a problem with me going out with someone else.”

“Your girlfriend? Oh, I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”

Duane thought of Yolanda and grinned. “It’s new, but I’m going to push for something serious.”

“I hope she knows what a good man she snagged.”

Duane chuckled and stepped on the gas. “I hope so too.”