“Hi, Trevor.”
“Hey, Sally. This is Haven. She’s working on an interview about me.”
“I’ve heard about the interview. Larry told me about it. Nice to meet you, Haven. Come on in, you two. Everyone else is already here.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. We were . . . delayed,” Trevor said. Haven felt herself blush.
“It’s no problem. We haven’t started dinner yet. Go make yourself at home. Larry’s in the living room with the guys. Haven, you can come in the kitchen with me if you’d like. All the women are in there. Or if you’d feel more comfortable hanging out with Trevor . . .”
“No, I’d love to come with you, Sally.”
With a lingering smile at Trevor, Haven followed Sally down the long hallway into a beautiful kitchen that was all turquoise and creams. It had a huge peninsula where several women were sitting, and a table off to the side where several more sat.
“Everyone, this is Haven. She’s here with Trevor.”
“Well, lucky you,” one of them said, then stood. “I’m Felicia, Brady McCall’s girlfriend.”
She recognized a few of the other women from the scavenger hunt, as well. She spotted Allison, Elvin’s girlfriend, and met Tania Ford, Rodney’s wife. Rodney was one of the offensive linesmen, and she’d interviewed him already.
She was introduced to the rest of them, and just hoped she’d remember all the names.
“What would you like to drink?” Sally asked. “We have wine, margaritas, iced tea, and water.”
“I’d love some wine.”
“Come choose which one,” Sally said, and Haven chose a sauvignon blanc.
Sally poured her a glass.
The kitchen also smelled great. She didn’t know what Sally was cooking, but she couldn’t imagine having to fix dinner for all these people.
“Is there something I can do to help with dinner?”
“No, thank you, Haven. We’ve got that under control. Steaks and chicken are already fixed and are warming, and the ladies here all brought sides. It’s an easy meal tonight.”
“Oh, Trevor didn’t tell me to bring a side. I’m so sorry.”
Sally laid her hand on Haven’s arm. “You weren’t required to bring anything. Just sit back and enjoy your wine.”
Haven took a seat at the table.
For a while, she sat and listened to the women chat. Being an outsider, she wanted to get a feel for the group. Many of these women had been together for a lot of years. It showed, too, as they talked kids and husbands and boyfriends and team wins and losses. They talked about the games and the guys traveling and what team they’d be playing next.
These women knew their football—and their players—an angle Haven hadn’t considered before. But it was in her head now, and it was something she wanted to explore.
“You haven’t said much, Haven,” Felicia said. “I hope we’re not boring you.”
“Quite the contrary, actually. I was listening to all of you talk about football. I don’t know how many of you know this about me, but I’m actually a sports reporter for a network. I’m working with Trevor doing an extensive interview about his life and career.”
Tania raised a brow. “Really? That should be interesting. And informative. And a ton of fun.”
Haven laughed. “It has been—all of those things. Anyway, as I’ve been listening to all of you, it occurred to me that there’s so much about the wives and girlfriends of the players that’s unknown—or possibly misrepresented. You really know your football. All the teams and all the players. I’d love to do a story about all of you.”
Sally frowned. “A story about us? Why?”
“I think you’re all fascinating. Kind of a behind-the-player—or the-woman-behind-the-player type of feature. Even the coaches’ wives as well. I don’t really have it all figured out yet, but you all know so much about football. Not just what your guy does, but you have an in-depth knowledge about the other players on the team, and the other teams Tampa plays. It’s impressive.”
Amanda laughed. “If you’re going to date or marry a football player—or in my case, a coach—you’d better know football. We don’t just go to the mall when our guys are playing football. I love football. I loved the sport before I met George. Having someone involved in football was just icing.”
“That’s true,” Tania said. “I love that Rodney plays football, but I was a sports nut before he and I ever met. My dad played college football, too. It was ingrained in me from childhood.”