Between Sundays (18 page)

A
aron felt like a schoolboy. The sense of victory over convincing Megan to spend an evening with him rivaled the feeling he had after a playoff win. They drove out to Pier 39 and parked, with Cory chattering in the back about Monday’s game.

“I never for minute thought you’d lose.” He leaned forward and gripped the corner of Aaron’s seat. “Not for a minute.”

“I did.” Aaron rolled his eyes and cast a quick look at Megan.

She put her fingers to her lips, covering a light laugh. “It didn’t look good.”

“It didn’t feel good.” He kept his tone easygoing, but only to cover up how he’d really felt that day. How he’d felt every hour since, until now. Later, if the night worked out the way he hoped, he’d have a chance to talk to Megan about the changes happening inside him. He had a feeling she’d understand.

Pier 39 was busy, but that worked in Aaron’s favor. With so many people milling along the walkways, between the shops and restaurants and street performers, the crowd would help hide his identity. He wore a baseball cap and a jacket with a high collar. Most of the time he could get away with being in public if he dressed like this.

“You’ve been before, right?” Aaron walked beside Megan, with Cory on his other side.

“Not often.” Her smile held a distance again, the caution that had marked her conversations with him since the beginning. “But yeah, once in a while.”

“I’ve never been,” Cory piped in.

They were hungry, but on the way to the restaurant, as they walked along the soft worn slats of wood, they passed the carousel. Cory slowed to a stop and watched it go round a few times. People of all ages sat atop the painted animals and benches, most of them laughing, enjoying the ride. Cory looked at Megan. “I thought merry-go-rounds were for little kids.”

“Not this one.” She put her arm around his shoulders. “See that.” She pointed at the paintings that made up the perimeter of the attraction. “Look close. There’s Coit Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street and Alcatraz.” She turned her attention to Aaron. “I read somewhere that this is the only carousel in the country with paintings of its home city.”

“I didn’t know that.” Aaron had the sudden impulse to take her hand, but he resisted. She wasn’t ready, that’s what she’d said. She wanted a friend, and for now, that’s what he would be.

“Wow…” Cory took a step closer. “That’s cool!”

That was all Aaron needed to hear. He saw a ticket booth a few feet away and he motioned to Megan that he’d be right back. As crowded as the place was, the carousel had no line, probably because it was the dinner hour. He bought three tickets and returned to Megan and Cory. “Everyone should ride once.”

Cory wasn’t about to act too excited. Aaron understood that. At almost nine, he already had a sense of machismo, especially in a crowd. He was a kid who understood the streets and navigated the Mission District on his bike, like he’d told Aaron the first time they met. But there was no mistaking the thrill in his eyes as they got in line and then as they boarded. They chose a trio of painted horses, and Megan climbed on the outside one. Aaron helped Cory onto the inside horse, and he took the middle.

While the carousel made its rounds, Aaron had the strangest thought. What if this was really his life, here between this endearing child and the woman who took his breath away? They were coming to a stop when a teenage boy in the crowd pointed at him. “Aaron Hill!” He looked around and then back again. “Hey, that’s Aaron Hill!”

“Looks like we need a fast get-away.” Megan climbed off her horse first. She whispered the words to Aaron. “Got a plan?”

“Be my date.” He held his elbow out to her. Then as Cory jumped off his horse, Aaron took his hand. “Come on…let’s get out of here.”

Megan looped her hand around his bicep, and they hurried off. A little family, with no idea why some kid was yelling at them from the crowd. They slipped between a couple shops and walked out toward the water, toward a walkway that took them to the west end of the pier. The evening was beautiful, the way mid-September always was, but the weather and the fading blue sky had nothing to do with the way he felt. Megan was still holding onto his arm. Aaron released Cory’s hand and reached over to cover Megan’s fingers with his own. If he had his way, she would never let go. “Thanks.” He tried to smile at her, but he got lost in her eyes. “That doesn’t happen all that often.”

“I’m sure.” Her look said she didn’t believe him. But she didn’t mind, either. She seemed to notice that she was holding onto him longer than necessary, longer than she should. She withdrew her hand and allowed a little extra space between them. “Where are we eating?”

“Yeah.” Cory ran a few steps ahead, turned around and walked backward. The way he had a habit of doing. Before either Aaron or Megan could say anything, he backed straight into a wooden post. But he only laughed at himself and gave his back a quick brush-off. “Like I was saying, I’m so hungry I’m dizzy.”

“We’re almost there.” Aaron’s heart felt light and free, better than it had felt for weeks. He had no idea where his feelings might lead, especially when he hadn’t dealt with his past. But he had to find a way to keep Megan from running out of his life. She was right about their differences. Still, other than his agent’s control tactics, there were no rules saying a pro quarterback had to date certain people and avoid others.

Unless that wasn’t the reason she was keeping her distance. Maybe she’d read about the teenager in the parking lot of the bar a month ago, or the ongoing tabloid talk that he was a serious bachelor, playing the field outside the stadium as much as he played it inside. The possibility was enough to bring the fog back around his mind and soul. He deserved his reputation. If she’d already made her mind up about him, then he wasn’t sure what he could do.

They were at the west end of the pier now, and a crowd gathered off to one side. Even from where they stood, they could hear the barking of dozens of sea lions, perched on an outcropping of rock halfway between the pier and Forbes Island. The farther they walked out onto the pier, the more nervous Megan looked. She checked over her shoulder and stared at the length of the pier. “Is the restaurant up there?”

“No.” He pointed out to a small island not far from the end of the pier. “It’s out in the water.”

“The island?” Megan turned her eyes to him. Her alarm showed in her eyes. “Aaron, I…I can’t.”

“There’s a restaurant out there? On that island?” Cory walked a little closer toward the crowd. “That’s so cool! How do we get across?”

“A shuttle boat.” Aaron had eaten there a number of times with his linemen. The restaurant had gourmet food, but more than that, it had an intimate atmosphere. He was much less likely to be recognized. “I know the owner.”

“Great!” Cory ran toward the edge of the pier and grabbed onto the wooden railing. He pointed at the sea lions, then looked back at Megan.

Only a slight nod came from Megan. She anchored her feet and stared at the wooden slats beneath them. Her face looked pale, and she shook her head a few quick times. “I can’t…do it.” She kept her voice low, as if she didn’t want anyone else to hear.

“Why?” Was she sick, was that the problem? “It’s the best food here.”

“No, it’s the…” she gulped, “the boat. I’m afraid, seriously.”

He considered laughing, but he had a strong sense she wasn’t teasing. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Really? You’re not kidding?”

“I’m not.” She shivered a few times and cast wide eyes back at the water. “I’m scared to death of boats.”

“How come?”

“I’m not sure.” She bit her lip. “I can’t swim, for one.” She was being painfully honest, because the walls from earlier were down now. “And I saw a show once when I was a little girl, about a boat lost at sea without a captain.”

He studied her, and he liked what he saw. In the strength that made up the woman before him, he’d found a chink, one small slight weakness. Cory was still over at the railing, whistling at the sea lions, mesmerized by them. Megan wanted Aaron to keep a certain distance, he was aware of that. But here, now, he only wanted to reassure her. He took a step closer, put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close. The hug was the same type he would give a sister, but it sent feelings through him so strong they made him dizzy.

“We’ll go somewhere else.” He swayed slightly with her. “I didn’t know, okay?”

She nodded her head against his chest, and after half a minute she stepped back. “Sorry. I guess I don’t think about it that often.” Her cheeks were redder than before. “I don’t understand it, to be honest. I can do a paper route in the dead of night, but I can’t step onto a boat.”

A paper route? In the city in the dark? Aaron felt a rush of adrenaline release through him. Megan was young and beautiful, hardly someone who should be out on the dark streets delivering papers. He hoped she was kidding, but he made a note to ask her about it over dinner. Again, he wanted to take her hand, but he only motioned toward Cory. “Let’s take a look.”

She followed him to the edge of the pier, but even there Megan seemed nervous. She gave Cory a thumbs-up when he said he’d like to dive off the pier and swim around with the sea lions all day. “Me too.” She made a seasick face at Aaron. “Can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.”

Aaron laughed. “Come on, let’s go eat.” He touched the small of Megan’s back and directed her and Cory toward a flight of stairs. “There’s a place up here that’s all windows.” He looked at Cory. “You can watch the sea lions the whole time we eat.”

Cory’s eyes opened wide. “Wow! This is the best day ever.”

They were the same words the boy had said after the Raiders game, and again Aaron knew without a doubt, the boy was telling the truth. Megan didn’t say so, but the reason she hadn’t been here often—the reason Cory had never been here—was because of money. It had to be. Something Aaron hadn’t thought about since long before he signed his pro contract. But if his agent was right, if Megan worked three jobs, then certainly every dollar mattered.

They walked up the stairs and into the Sea Lion Café. The food wouldn’t be what it would’ve been on Forbes Island, but that didn’t matter. He was here with Megan and Cory. They could eat leather burgers and he’d have a good time. As they entered the restaurant, he leaned close to Megan. He needed her to help hide his identity. “Do the talking, okay?”

She seemed to understand and she took the lead. The hostess sat them next to the window, and Cory took the seat closest to the glass. “Wow, you can see forever from here.”

Aaron looked at Megan across from him. Cory’s statement suddenly took on a different meaning, and Aaron wanted to tell Megan he felt the same way. Just maybe he could see forever from here too. But he couldn’t say so, not now.

They ordered fish and chips, and during dinner, with Cory distracted by the view, Aaron told Megan about his visit to Derrick’s house. “He has it all.” There was no mistaking the wistfulness in his voice. “His family is amazing.”

“I’ve always liked him.” She pulled her iced tea closer and fiddled with the straw. “He has a strong faith, from what I’ve read.”

“He does. I wanna be just like him when I grow up.” Aaron grinned and rested his forearms on the table. The noise in the restaurant was less than it had been, so he kept his voice low. “He doesn’t make a big show of it, but it’s there…in everything he does.”

“I like that.” She grinned at him. “I don’t believe in church. But I talk to God all the time.”

Aaron mulled over the strength of Megan’s opinions. She didn’t want a relationship and she didn’t believe in church. Clearly, she struggled with trusting people, and that raised his sensitivity level. He drew an even breath. “Derrick says church isn’t so bad. Sort of where it all happens—the teaching, the worship…the growth. But he calls it ‘talking to God’ too.”

She stirred her straw through the ice cubes in her drink. “That’s all it is. Just like you and I are talking right now.”

“Hmmm.” The idea of talking to God still felt intimidating, but it seemed less foreign all the time. “Derrick’s talking to God about me a lot.” He gave her a guilty look, one that made her laugh. “No question I need it.”

Megan looked out the window for a few seconds and her eyes grew distant. “I saw a TV special on him once, how he’s been through every set of emotions possible. The highest highs, and the lowest lows.”

Aaron pictured the little boy in Derrick’s family photo. “He lost a child six years ago.”

Sadness colored her expression. “A car accident, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Aaron took a deep breath and he recounted the gist of Derrick’s story. Then he told her about Derrick’s promise to little Lee.

Megan looked worried. “You can promise a child a lot of things, but winning the Super Bowl?”

“It’s a big order.” Aaron leaned back in his chair. “He’s pretty serious about it. He’s committed to doing everything he needs to do.” Aaron looked at his empty plate. “It’s his last season.”

She sipped her tea and lowered her eyebrows. “I didn’t know that.”

“He doesn’t want a lot of fanfare.”

A smile pulled at her lips. “That’s fitting. For the sort of guy he seems to be.”

They finished eating, and Cory wanted to go back to the edge of the pier, so he could get closer to the sea lions. They headed back down the stairs and closer to the water.

Aaron spotted a bench, one in a much less crowded area. He nodded toward it. “Want to sit there?”

“Sure.” The shy look was back in her eyes. Which was better than the walls she’d had earlier.

The sun had set, and now in the dusk it was harder to make out the sea lions on the rocks off the pier. Cory didn’t seem to mind. He took his place next to a boy his age, and they appeared to start up a conversation. Aaron sat down on the bench, leaving plenty of room for her. She joined him and gazed out at the water, toward the lighthouse on Forbes Island. She seemed intent about something, so he waited for her to talk first.

“Sorry about the boat thing.” She gave him a side glance and then looked back out at the water. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Don’t worry about it. Fear has a mind of its own.”