“I like Ava fine. I’m just trying to be realistic. I live halfway across the country and will be a sophomore next year. There’s no way we could keep up a long-distance relationship that long. You, on the other hand, could be here next year and drive up on weekends until then.”
“I guess,” he said, pouting. “I’m just afraid you’re going to blow it for me.”
“Slow down there ... I’ll pull my weight tonight. I promise you Ava will have a good time. You should go see if they have an extra room in case you get lucky. I’m sure you don’t want to be doing it in front of me.”
“Seriously, you wouldn’t leave if I had a girl over?”
“I’m here to play football first and foremost. If you needed the room for an hour, I would get out. I won’t sleep in the hall, though. Just go check and see. Maybe they’d cut you a deal because a room wasn’t booked.”
He went and checked. They had several vacancies. He wanted to go ahead and check into one. I calmed him down and told him they would still be there later. There was no need to spend money before he had to. I was starting to believe him about being a virgin.
The girls showed up in sundresses, which looked great with their Californian tans. There were some restaurants within walking distance, so we walked to their favorite place. It wasn’t very busy. When I read the menu, I knew why. It was vegetarian and prided itself on only having the freshest of ingredients. The salad was priced higher than I was used to paying for a good steak. I wasn’t eating here. I knew Hunter would be pissed.
“I’m on a high-protein diet to build lean muscle mass. While I’m not opposed to vegetables, I need protein.”
“The black bean burger is full of protein,” Mia offered.
“Yes, black beans are an excellent source of protein, and I eat a lot of them. But I need the real thing. Let’s try somewhere else,” I offered.
“What do you think, Hunter?” Mia asked.
He looked like he was going to throw up. He desperately didn’t want to disappoint Mia, but I knew he couldn’t afford this place, so I intervened.
“Ava, would you do me a favor, and take me somewhere else? I know I’ve changed everyone’s plans, so I’ll buy Mia and Hunter dinner as a way of saying I’m sorry.”
“Of course I will. I know just where to take you,” Ava said.
I pulled out my wallet and handed Hunter two hundred-dollar bills. I could see him relax. He was going to need every dime of it. I got an uneasy feeling when Mia gave me a look. I think she now realized I had money. I probably should get out of there, and quickly.
We went outside, and it was the kind of night that reminded you why I should move to California. There was a nice breeze, and you could hear people out and about, having a good time. I took Ava’s hand and let her lead me to a barbecue place.
“I’m sorry about Mia. She likes to go to places like that. What’s funny is if she was being truthful, she’d rather be here. The food is terrific. Have you ever had bark?” Ava asked me.
“Sounds like something on the menu at the last place.”
“No, the bark is the crust which forms on the meat as it’s smoked. It has an intense flavor that’s created when the rub’s sugar caramelizes. Here they use apple juice on the brisket instead of sugar. Some people think the taste is too intense. You might want to get something else, and I’ll let you try mine.”
This was one of those places where the meat was brought out dry. They had several sauces you could put on it. Ava suggested I get the variety platter. They brought you a small sample of everything and then you chose what you liked best and they brought you a full serving. She recommended I get the baked beans with Andouille sausage and the mac and cheese as sides. I love mac and cheese, but it was a terrible choice for my diet. I decided I could splurge.
The more I was around Ava, the more I liked her. She had a dry sense of humor that caught me off guard. It would take me a moment to realize she was teasing me. What I liked best was she could take it as well as she dished it out.
The meal was great. I’d never tried Carolina Mustard barbecue sauce. I put it down as one of my favorites. I also liked the California Asian sauce. It had a soy-sauce base. The bark was good, but a little bit went a long way. The mac and cheese was creamy goodness. I wanted to lick the bowl when I was done.
We were stuffed, so Ava took me for a walk around campus. We ended up at the famous USC Rose Garden close to the football field. We weren’t the only couple walking through the garden tonight. We found a bench by the fountain.
“I’m really having a good time,” I told her.
“I know, I thought you’d just want to go back and have sex after dinner,” she teased.
“Dang it, I didn’t know what my options were,” I said as she leaned in and kissed me.
I love kissing. It was something so sensual and personal to do with someone else. My second favorite thing was holding hands. Combine the two and I think you have the basis for getting to know someone very well. She had me regretting setting up other dates earlier. Well, nothing was definite yet. I might be able to take her out again before I left.
On the way to the hotel, we acted like an old married couple and just held hands. There was never any discussion about her spending the night. I asked about what Mia had planned for Hunter because if he were coming back, I would get us a room. She showed me a text from Mia saying they were going back to the apartment. Ava then showed me how much she enjoyed the evening ... three times.
This was the best kind of surprise, the unexpected one.
Chapter 10 – Carry My Bags
Thursday June 26
I’D STARTED TO ADJUST to the time change, but I was still up by six and running by a quarter after. I wanted to see the Rose Garden in the daylight. I pulled my phone out and took some pictures. I was to meet Bo Harrington for breakfast at seven forty-five. I made it back and showered.
“Morning,” Ava called out to me when I came out wrapped in a towel.
“Morning, I’m meeting my coach in a little bit,” I told her.
“Will I see you tonight?” she asked.
“I might have plans. I’ll know before noon. Can I text you, and let you know?”
“Sure, but don’t wait too long,” she teased me.
“Do me a favor, and call Mia and have her get Hunter up. He needs to be in the lobby in twenty minutes.”
I heard her make the call.
“Good thing I called, they were both asleep. She’ll have him here on time,” she told me.
She hit the shower and then we went downstairs. Bo was waiting and I introduced him to Ava. We chatted and Hunter and Mia hurried in.
“Sorry I’m late,” Hunter apologized while trying to catch his breath.
We said goodbye to the girls and Bo took us to breakfast at a cafeteria on the USC campus. We found an out-of-the-way table so Bo could tell us what to expect.
“Coach Sterns and I will be working with the quarterbacks. There are only eight of you, so there’ll be a lot of one-on-one coaching.”
Coach Sterns was the new USC football coach. The previous coach was young and brash. He’d rubbed people the wrong way. He was now the offensive coordinator for South Carolina. It would be interesting to see how the new head coach would do. USC was a pressure cooker of a job, produce or be gone.
“Coach Sterns has a lot of catching up to do, recruiting-wise. One of his biggest problems is the Southern California area is a great source for talent, and he has a lot of competition. The good news is the area has produced a bumper crop of top quarterbacks. Of the top ten I’ve rated for the next class, I have five located right here. Three are already committed to Notre Dame, UCLA and Arizona State. One of them was committed to Alabama and is now committed to USC.