Long Distance Lover. Donna Hill
and the imploring expression in her eyes twisted David’s stomach.
“That’s not something you’re going to have to worry about for a very long time. I promise you.”
Chapter 4
David sat at his desk in the office he shared with the assistant coach, poring over the brochure he’d received that morning in the mail from New York. The rehabilitation center at New York University Hospital was one of the best in the country. It was expensive, but worth it. If Kelly were to have any chance of a full recovery he would do whatever was necessary.
A knock on his door took his attention from the information in front of him. He looked up. “Come in.” He slid the brochure into his desk drawer.
“Hey, Coach,” Stephanie Daniels said, stepping inside. “Mind if I close the door?”
He looked at her with skepticism. The last thing he needed was a harassment suit.
“You can leave it cracked.”
She didn’t look pleased but did as he asked. She crossed the room a bit too seductively for David’s taste and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of his desk. She crossed her long, bare legs, the micro shorts not leaving much to the imagination. They hugged the apex of her sex defining clearly what she held between her toned thighs. David looked away.
“What can I do for you?”
Stephanie leaned forward revealing a hint of cleavage from her V-cut tank top.
“I was just wondering how Kelly is doing.”
“She’s doing great. She should be released at the end of the week.”
“Really?” She toyed with the heart-shaped locket around her neck. “Seems a little soon. She must not be too bad…” She let her statement hang in the air.
David leaned back in his chair. “Kelly will be just fine and back before you know it.”
Stephanie twisted her lips and forced a smile. “That’s good to hear. Everyone will be glad to have her back.”
Everyone but you. “I’m sure.”
She stood slowly. “Well, I guess I’d better be going. I have practice in an hour.”
“Good.”
She hesitated. “Uh, David, not that I’m saying Kelly won’t be back…but what if she isn’t?”
He knew what she was hedging at. She wanted Kelly’s spot on the team and by all rights it should be hers. But if he admitted that now, he’d have to accept the fact that Kelly may not return. And that he was unwilling to do.
“She will. End of story.”
She puffed out her chest. “See you on the track.”
“Yeah.”
He watched her saunter out. Stephanie Daniels had skill; there was no question about that. But she didn’t have star power. Kelly was the whole package, skill and charisma. David had worked with Kelly for the past six years, seeing a champion in her. He’d created her from nothing—turning a shy, insecure girl into a woman who understood the meaning of winning at all costs, who could charm the media and inspire a team. She was his. His career was riding on a championship and Kelly was the key. But if he was forced to deal a new deck of cards to ensure a championship, then he would. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Chapter 5
“Let me get the door,” David said. He stepped around Kelly and opened the door to her garden apartment.
She inched her way in, awkwardly balancing on crutches, and looked around in awe. The small, very Afro-centrically designed space was filled with flowers. Her living room resembled a tropical hot house, bursting in a kaleidoscope of color.
She turned clumsily toward David, her face beaming in delight. “This is incredible.”
“From all the folks who love you.”
She moved gingerly into the room and pressed her face to the blossoms, testing one after another. “This is so nice.”
“And I’ll personally drop by every day to take care of them and you,” he added.
“You’ve done too much already. You haven’t missed a day at the hospital; you brought me home, getting me into rehab. I can’t ask you to come over here every day.”
“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering. I want to and I will.” He picked up her small overnight bag. “I’ll put this in your bedroom. Why don’t you sit down?”
She did as he asked and plopped down on the couch with her leg stretched out in front of her. She propped the crutches against the couch. The delight that she felt only moments ago on coming home slowly slipped away when she considered what she was up against in her current condition. At least in the hospital pretty much everything was done for her. Now she would have to get in and out of bed alone, maneuver through the house—and what about bathing? She sighed and rested her head against the cushions, just as the phone rang.
She reached for the phone on the end table.
“Hello?”
“Kelly Maxwell?”
The voice was totally unfamiliar.
“Who’s calling?”
“I’m a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and I was hoping to speak to Ms. Maxwell.”
“She moved.” Kelly slammed down the phone just as David returned.
“Who was that?”
“Can you believe it? I haven’t been home five minutes and reporters are calling already!” She frowned. “How in the hell do they keep getting my number? I’ve changed it three times. Do you think they followed us from the hospital?”
David walked over to the window and peeked out. “I don’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. Which is more of a reason for you to get to New York and away from prying eyes.” He closed the blinds and joined her on the couch.
Kelly folded her hands on her lap. “You know what, David…”
“What?” He took a seat beside her and angled his body to the side.
“I’ve never done anything else but run.” She laughed lightly. “It seems as long as I can remember I was out in the air trying to slice through it. It paid my way through private high school, got me into college and the endorsements padded my bank account.” She turned and glanced at him for a moment. “I’m scared.”
“Why?” He reached out and stroked her hair.
“I’ve never even had a real meaningful relationship, never held a real job. If I’m not running it’s almost as if I’m not living. I have dreams of it all disappearing and me along with it. I never thought there would be a time when I’d even have to think about not flying through the wind, hearing the roar of the crowd. I know there is more to life than this. I’m just not sure what it is.”
“Kelly, you’re young, healthy and you have a long career in front of you.”
“Maybe. But I need to be realistic. I need to start thinking about alternatives.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If this therapy doesn’t work, I need to be prepared for that and I’ll need to prepare myself for the real world.”
“Hey, hey. What kind of talk is this? You’ve never been a pessimist. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll be back out there before you know it and coming into my office complaining that I work you too hard. Just like old times.” He chuckled and was relieved to see the slight smile