Extra Time (51 page)

He stared at her for a few more seconds, willing her to look at him, too, but she’d turned away from him. A clear message that the conversation had been shut down.

‘What’s happening here, Amber?’ Ronnie asked, his voice quiet, his tone confused.

‘I don’t know,’ she whispered, pulling her arms tighter against her chest as she focused on nothing in particular outside in the garden. ‘I really don’t know anymore.’

Chapter Twenty-Five

Amber took Debbie’s hand as she lowered herself down onto the sofa in the Players’ Lounge. Her baby bump seemed to be growing bigger by the day, and with just a few weeks left until baby put in an appearance, even Amber was starting to get just a little bit excited.

‘So how was your Christmas?’ she asked, smiling slightly as she watched Debbie grab a cushion and shove it behind her back, her hands resting on her rapidly growing bump.

‘Alcohol-free, unfortunately,’ Debbie replied. ‘And I could do without having to come here today. I don’t know why Gary suddenly feels the need to have me around as support when it didn’t seem to bother him before.’

‘He was never this close to becoming a daddy before, was he?’ Amber smiled. ‘All of this has really changed him, don’t you think?’

Debbie looked at Amber out of the corner of her eye, smiling slightly. ‘Yeah. And I’m not altogether sure it’s for the better, actually. I’ve never been fussed over so much in my entire life. Every time I turn around he’s there, making sure I’m all right, that I’ve got everything I need… Sometimes I think I preferred him when he was out every night chatting up wannabe WAGs and rolling home at all hours.’

Amber leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. ‘Well, he’s lost his partner-in-crime now, hasn’t he?’

Debbie paused for a second before speaking. ‘Do you know how he’s getting on over there?’

Amber stared down at the floor, focusing on the red carpet. ‘I can’t avoid knowing, can I?’ She looked back up at Debbie, smiling a small smile. ‘It’s my job, isn’t it? To know what’s going on in the world of football. Especially when it involves a name as big as Ryan Fisher’s.’

‘So he’s doing okay, then?’

‘He’s doing fine. He’s already made his mark in the first few weeks of him being there; he’s scoring goals, drawing the crowds in, and by all accounts he’s settled right into his new life.’

Debbie gave a small snort of derision, causing Amber to stare at her.

‘What was
that
for?’

‘Ryan Fisher, settling into a new life on a holiday island frequented by tourists fifty-two weeks of the year? He’ll be like a kid in a candy store. Of course he’s settled in. Why wouldn’t he have?’

Amber stared back down at the floor. ‘I don’t think he’s like that anymore, Debbie.’

‘Really? You truly believe he’s one leopard who can change his spots? You thought that before and look what happened.’

Amber said nothing, she just continued to stare down at the floor. ‘Look, I’d better go. I’m supposed to be over in the press area…’

‘I know what happened between you and Ryan, Amber. The night of Gary’s birthday party. I know you spent the night together, so I know there’s still something there between you two, but…’

Amber stood up, shaking out her hair, which had started to become a bit of a habit of hers when she felt as though she needed to rid herself of something she didn’t want to think about. ‘There’s nothing going on between Ryan and me, Debbie. Not anymore.’

‘And what about you and Jim?’

Amber pushed both hands through her hair – another habit of hers that seemed to occur when she was nervous, or trying to avoid talking about subjects she didn’t want to discuss. ‘There
is
no me and Jim. Remember?’

‘Did you see him? Over Christmas, I mean.’

‘No. No, I didn’t. As far as I was aware he spent it with Brandon. I’ve really got to go, Debs…’

‘Amber, hang on.’ Debbie slowly hauled herself up off the sofa. ‘Wait a minute… Are you okay?’

Amber cocked her head, frowning slightly. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

‘I don’t know. You tell me, chick. All I know is we didn’t see much of you over Christmas and New Year, and…’

‘I was working. You know as well as I do that the football season doesn’t stop for Christmas.’

‘I know. I know that, I just thought…’

‘I’m fine, Debbie. Really. I’m fine.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll speak to you later, okay?’

‘You’re not fooling me, Amber,’ Debbie shouted after her as she tried to lower herself back down onto the sofa. But Amber just threw her another smile over her shoulder as she left the Players’ Lounge, bumping straight into someone on her way out.

‘Oh, Jesus, I’m sorry…’ She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked up at the recipient of her shoulder-bump, her heart almost thudding to a halt as their eyes met. For the first time in weeks.

‘Don’t be.’ He smiled, and Amber wished with all her heart that he hadn’t done that. She’d known there was a good chance she’d have to see him at some point today, seeing as this was the big game between Newcastle Red Star and Wearside Spartans at Tynebridge. She’d just hoped she’d have been better prepared for the moment, that was all. ‘You look… you look incredible, Amber.’

She looked away, taking a second to compose herself because he still had the ability to turn her world upside down in a split second. ‘I’ve got to go and find Ronnie…’

He gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere. ‘Amber, hang on, honey.’

She swung round to look at him, digging deep to find the strength she needed to get through this confrontation. ‘Why, Jim? I thought we’d said all there was to say to each other.’

‘I thought I would’ve seen more of you over Christmas. I tried to call you…’

‘I was busy. I spent Christmas in London. Cloud Sports wanted me to do a lot of studio work over the holiday period and…’

‘I know. I saw you on TV. I just thought you might have come home, to see your dad.’

‘He came to me, Jim. We spent Christmas together, along with Ronnie.’

‘How cosy.’

She narrowed her eyes, not entirely sure what he’d meant by that comment. ‘Have you named the team for this afternoon’s game?’ she asked, changing the subject, bringing everything back round to the professional level she was far more comfortable with now, as far as Jim was concerned. It was the way it had to be, or she knew she’d be in danger of losing any composure she had left.

‘I’ll be releasing the details in about ten minutes.’ He shoved both hands in his pockets, his eyes never leaving hers. ‘Amber, baby, it really doesn’t have to be this way.’

She couldn’t help but stare back at him, every memory she spent every minute of every day pushing to the back of her mind flooding forward in an unwelcome torrent. ‘Yes, Jim. It does.’

He said nothing, both of them standing there feeling, for one confusing second, that they were the only two people there in that crowded, noisy stadium.

‘How’s Brandon doing?’ Amber asked, swallowing hard to stop any more unwanted emotions from showing themselves. She needed to be strong now. She needed to be very, very strong.

‘He’s doing good. He’s all fired up for this afternoon’s game, and, to be honest, he could be the biggest threat to Red Star. My own son, huh?’ He gave a small laugh, looking down at the ground before meeting her eyes once more. ‘He’s one hell of a player.’

‘Yeah. He is,’ Amber said. ‘Guess he got that talent from you.’

Jim smiled again, and it made her heart bounce around inside her chest so much she felt breathless. How could she feel so distant from a man who was once her entire world? ‘Yeah. Maybe. Anyway, I’d better go talk to the team. Make sure my defence are on their A-game if they want to stop my son from taking those three points away from us.’

Amber watched him walk away, off in the direction of the dressing rooms. That meeting had been almost surreal in her eyes. After weeks of never being this close to him – seeing him only on a TV screen – she now felt as though all the breath had been knocked out of her.

‘You all right?’

She swung round to see Ronnie standing there. The expression on his face told her he’d seen most of that encounter, and in a way she was glad. At least it would mean she wouldn’t have to explain what had just happened.

‘I’m fine. It was going to happen at some point today, wasn’t it? Might as well get it over with sooner rather than later.’

‘Was everything…? Was he okay? With you, I mean?’

‘Why wouldn’t he be? We don’t hate each other, Ronnie. It isn’t like that. Things just… things just didn’t work out, that’s all. Come on. Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.’ Whether she felt like it or not.

The sun beat down on the terrace of Ryan’s new Spanish home, a cool sea breeze taking the edge off the heat, which was extremely welcome given that, even in January, the temperature was still almost 30 degrees in the shade.

He hadn’t expected to settle into his temporary life on this Spanish island quite as fast as he had done, but everyone was going out of their way to make him feel welcome. In a team made up of British, German, Spanish, and even Australian players, he thanked God the main language was English, and all the guys in the CD Adeje squad were friendlier than he could have hoped for. Maybe it was the fact they all lived here, on this beautiful island with its abundance of sunshine and constant flow of women on tap, that made everyone so happy all the time, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was enjoying it. There were even times when he actually did believe that asking for this loan period had been the right thing to do, because his head was beginning to feel clearer than it had done in a long time. And, despite the fact he was just a stone’s throw away from the main tourist resorts and all the temptations
they
could bring, he was behaving himself as far as the partying was concerned. He couldn’t claim to be a saint, or even anything close to that, but he knew his limitations. He knew when to stop, go home, and save some for another night.

‘You coming back inside, Ryan?’

Having said that, when he
did
come home, he didn’t always make that journey alone. But, hey, if the perks were there, he was going to take them. He was Ryan Fisher. And he still had a reputation to uphold, even if, at times, it was somewhat watered down.

He turned around and smiled at the young woman standing by the open patio doors that led out onto the terrace from the living room. All messed-up blonde hair and a pretty face, she was on holiday from Liverpool with three of her friends, but even he’d resisted the temptation to bring them
all
home. That would have just been stupid.

‘Give me five minutes, babe. Just getting my breath back.’

She giggled, shaking her hair out, and for a second he felt a twisting in his stomach as he was reminded of Amber, and the way she’d used to do that. He waited until the patio doors were closed behind her before he let out a deep breath. He could do this. He had to. He didn’t really have much choice.

Checking his watch, he smiled to himself as he saw the time. It was almost kick-off back home in Newcastle – the big match between the two rival local teams. And a little part of him wished he was there, getting caught up in the unique atmosphere those derby games created. The competitive spirit seemed to take hold stronger than any other match, as pride, as well as points, came into play. And with Brandon Palmer now a key player in the Wearside Spartans squad, this wasn’t going to be an easy match for Newcastle Red Star. Especially as their star striker was now languishing abroad, playing an altogether different kind of game.

Walking back inside, he was grateful for the cool of the air conditioning as he quickly found the remote control and flicked through the on-screen TV guide until he came to the Cloud Sports News channel. No way was he living without his sports channels, even in a foreign country. He needed to keep up to date with what was going on back home. He needed to still be able to see Amber.

His stomach fell as he realised she wasn’t in the studio that afternoon, which could only mean one thing – she was actually at the match itself. She was at Tynebridge. With Ronnie. With Jim. With everyone who was close to her. He lowered the sound down on the TV and threw the remote onto the glass-topped coffee table, pushing a hand through his hair as he walked over to the open-plan kitchen at the other end of the room. Maybe he should have resisted that urge to have the satellite dish fitted. Maybe he should have tried to live without that link to her. But it was never really going to go away, was it? This burning confusion that had wrapped itself around his heart and seemed in no hurry to loosen its grip.

Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, he turned round suddenly as he heard his guest walk into the room. She was naked, having now disposed of the sheet she’d had wrapped around her before. Jesus, not even a stirring! What was wrong with him? He had a young, naked woman right there in front of him and all he wanted to do was lie on the sofa and watch the football results come rolling in.

‘Ryan. I’m waiting, come on. I thought we were spending the day together.’

He took a drink, looking her up and down, trying desperately to feel something that would make him want to take her back to bed and fuck away the frustration. But nothing was happening.

‘Something’s come up, sweetheart.’ And it wasn’t what
she
wanted.

‘Huh?’ She looked at him with an expression of utter confusion. ‘What does
that
mean?’

‘It means, I need you to get dressed and get out of here.’

She pouted at him, fluttering her false eyelashes as though that would change everything. ‘Right now?’

‘Right now.’ She was hot, there was no denying it, and he’d enjoyed last night. What he could remember of it. But he hadn’t promised her anything more than the chance to fuck a famous footballer, and a bed for the night. Nothing else. And he was absolutely sure he hadn’t promised her they’d be spending the day together. He had training later that afternoon, and tomorrow’s match to prepare for – there’d been nothing else on the agenda as far as he’d been concerned.