The Chance: A Novel (29 page)

Tip-off, and the game began. Nolan had no doubt they’d win. He could feel his teammates around him, sense their places on the court, anticipate their passes and rebounds and movements until they were playing in unison. Even at halftime with a fifteen-point lead, Nolan didn’t let up. Dexter came up to him, right in his face. “Yes! I love playing with you, man. You’re insane out there!”

Nolan didn’t smile, didn’t celebrate even on the inside. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face and arms. Then he shot a quick look at Dexter. “We haven’t won yet.”

Not until the game was over and the Hawks had notched a dramatic thirty-four-point win did he allow himself to see something other than the court and the game and the ball. His teammates gathered around him, celebrating, high-fiving and chest-thumping. They were on their way. This was their year. They could feel it.

Dexter found him after the team huddle and nodded to the stands. There, walking down the stadium steps, was a breathtaking brunette, tall and self-possessed and dressed like someone with the money to express it.

She smiled as their eyes met, and Nolan waved.

“Hmm.” Dexter leaned close, his eyes on the girl. “Kari?”

“I guess.” Nolan motioned for Kari to come closer. He kept his conversation with Dexter discreet. “We’ve never actually met.”

“Well.” Dexter turned his back to her, his eyebrows raised. “Want my advice?”

“Not really.” Nolan still faced the girl, but he looked at Dexter. Teasing was part of their friendship. “What’s your advice?”

“Tonight? Be in the moment.” Dexter was six-eight, a dominating mountain of a man, but right now he looked like a kid on the playground. Three years ago Dexter had married a girl he met in college. The two had waited for each other, and now their faith and lives were a billboard for marriage. Dexter wanted nothing more than for Nolan to find love the way he had. He gave Nolan a light punch on the arm. “You hear me? Be in the moment.”

“I will.”

Dexter glanced over his shoulder at Kari and then back at Nolan. “Give the girl a chance.”

Nolan couldn’t promise anything. He could block out thoughts of Ellie for the game. But pushing away thoughts of her tonight, resisting the obvious comparisons? He wasn’t sure he could do it. He had hardly dated, so his experience was limited. A few setups along the way, a publicity intern two years ago, a couple of chats over coffee. Nothing that stuck.

It was always easier to focus on basketball and believe he’d find Ellie. Now, though, he had to be realistic. She didn’t want to be found. So maybe the time had come to move on. If only his heart would agree with his head.

“You’re doing it again.” Dexter gave an exaggerated sigh. “Come on, Cook. At least try.”

“I will.” Nolan laughed lightly. “Really.” Tonight would be fun—at least he hoped it would be. But there was no getting around his deepest desire. How he’d rather go home and search Facebook or Twitter or Google.

Anything to find Ellie.

N
olan had no idea how he and Kari Garrett would spend the next few hours.

He showered and changed in the locker room while she waited. Small talk kept them company while they walked to his car, climbed inside, and headed out of the complex. Before the first awkward silence could hit, Kari turned to him. “Are you as good at bowling as you are at basketball?”

“Bowling?” He had figured they’d go for coffee or dessert. See if there was anything there. Bowling was a longer commitment.

She laughed. “I mean, let’s be real. I can’t take you at one-on-one, but I can hold my own in a bowling alley.” Her long
brown hair hung in layers over her shoulders and down her back. “Just saying.”

Her tone, or maybe the look on her face, made him chuckle. The idea of bowling with the girl beside him sounded like fun. Something he hadn’t done since college. “Actually, I
am
a decent bowler.”

“Okay, then.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “I know a place. Hold on.” She pulled her phone from her purse and, after several seconds, she smiled at him. “Turn right at the next light.”

Again Nolan laughed quietly. “Where are you taking me?”

“Trust. That’s all you have to do.” She settled back in her seat, holding her phone so she could see the map on the screen. “Trust and drive.”

She wasn’t Ellie, but she was fun the whole ride to the bowling alley. As they pulled into the parking lot, she looked at him and her smile faded. “Hey, Nolan, just so you know . . . I didn’t want to do this.”

“You don’t want to bowl?” He found a spot near the entrance, killed the engine, and stared at her. She amused him, that much was certain. “You wanna do something else?”

“No.” She laughed, her tone softer than before. “I didn’t want this setup. My mom made it happen.” Kari wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes in the cutest way possible. “She does things like this.”

“Really?” Nolan enjoyed the banter. “My manager told me it was your idea.”

“Not at all.” She gave a quick laugh, clearly embarrassed. “My mom means well. Once the setup happened, I didn’t know how to back out.”

Nolan thought for a moment. “My manager and your mom. That’s hysterical.”

“I figured we’d go bowling and make them both happy.”

He liked her spunk. “I can take you back to your car.” He raised one eyebrow. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to force you into losing.”

She studied him, her expression playful, confident. “That’s okay. I mean, I
am
on a date with Nolan Cook, right? Like, what girl wouldn’t want to be me right now?” She shrugged. “Of course, you’re on a date with Kari Garrett. So . . . yeah.”

“True.” He liked her attitude. She could probably be a lot of fun if he got to know her. “What guy wouldn’t want to be me right now?”

“Exactly.” The shine in her eyes was brighter than before. “So . . .”

“So we might as well bowl.”

“If you don’t mind losing.”

“We’ll see about that.” His laughter came easily. He climbed out of the car and opened the door for her. “I had no idea you were a pro bowler.” She stepped out and easily fell in beside him. Their back-and-forth continued as they paid for two games and rented shoes. Nolan felt himself relax. He wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, but this would be a fun night. He could feel it. They picked a lane at the end of the alley so they wouldn’t be recognized, and he was still enjoying himself an hour later after she’d beaten him soundly two games straight. “Okay, okay. That’s all.” He raised his hands in mock surrender. “You destroyed me.”

She gave a small curtsy. “My pleasure.”

Something about the gesture, the way she moved or her tone, reminded him of Ellie. He forced the thought of her from his mind and grinned. “Let’s get coffee.”

“We don’t have to.” Her expression softened, and she looked
at him. Right through him. She smiled and slipped off her bowling shoes. “Really.”

His answer was as honest as the good way he was feeling. “I want to.”

As they left the bowling alley, two kids asked for his autograph. Nolan complied and smiled for a picture with them before he and Kari crossed the parking lot for his car. She looked at him, impressed maybe, or intrigued. “You handled that well. Very kind.”

“Thanks. The kids are great.” Nolan slowed his pace, in no hurry. “It’s the adults, the ones who’ll sell your signature. They take a little more patience.”

“Hmm.” Kari looked up at him. “I never thought about that.”

“Doesn’t happen often.” He grinned at her. “I don’t get out much.”

She laughed. “That explains your bowling game.”

He wore jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt, the sort of outfit that would blend in at most coffee shops. But his height gave him away, caused people to look twice, and sometimes that was all it took. They had barely ordered their coffee when a group of girls approached him, gushing over his win and asking him to sign their arms and the backs of their shirts.

Nolan complied quickly and then whisked Kari to the back of the coffee shop. Atlanta was home to most of the country’s rappers and a great number of pop artists. A couple of hit TV series filmed here, too. Usually, the clientele at Breve didn’t come undone over a celebrity sighting.

“Sorry.” He set his coffee on the table and took the seat with his back to the rest of the café. “It’s the play-offs.”

“I love how you take it in stride.” She sat opposite him.

“Yeah, well . . . tell me about you.” He genuinely wanted to
know. “You’re making an album, right? That’s what my manager said.”

“I am.” She sipped her coffee. Now that the conversation was more serious, the walls around her heart seemed to lower just a bit.

“Your mom can help.”

“Yes and no. She’s amazing. Everyone knows her music.” Kari smiled. “The comparisons will always be there.”

They talked about her determination to find her own way in music and her appreciation for her mother’s help. The conversation remained easy as they sipped their coffees and as Nolan asked for her number. “You know.” He winked. “In case I need to text you for bowling tips.”

She laughed, and again Nolan thought that the moment felt real and comfortable. He wanted to stay here with this girl as long as she would let him, and for the next half hour no one bothered them. It took that long before she asked the question. “So, Nolan Cook. Is there a girl in your heart?”

If she’d asked any other way, he could’ve told her no. There was no girl in his life, no girl waiting at home for his call. No girl he was texting or calling. He stared at his half-empty coffee just long enough to give himself away.

She sat back, her smile still in place. “Tell me about her.”

And like that, the conversation turned to Ellie. Nolan sighed. “I met her in third grade.” He laughed easily, but he could feel his heart going back, traveling down the old familiar road in a way he was helpless to stop. “I haven’t seen her in eleven years.”

Kari’s eyes showed her surprise. “She’s the girl in your heart? And you haven’t seen her since you were teenagers?”

“It’s a long story.” He wasn’t sure how wise it was, talking to
Kari Garrett about Ellie. But he couldn’t help himself. He liked talking about Ellie with someone other than Dexter. “We were fifteen when she moved away.” He laughed, but only to hide his pain. “I was going to marry her. We . . . we didn’t mean to lose touch.”

“Oh.” Kari looked like she wasn’t sure what to say next. “That’s sad.” She took another sip of her coffee. “You tried to find her?”

“You could say that.” He wrapped his hands around the base of his coffee cup and let his eyes settle on hers. “My dad died of a heart attack the spring after Ellie left. The two run together in my mind. I’m still trying to figure it out.”

“Yeah.” Her smile seemed forced. “I can see that.” She breathed in deep and reached for her phone. “We should probably go. It’s late.”

Only then did Nolan realize that the walls she’d let down minutes ago were up now. Firmly in place. He’d said too much. Kari was fun and pretty, and she shared his love for God. He would’ve had fun hanging out with her again, but now . . . “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re fine.” She laughed, though there was nothing funny. This was the same Kari he’d climbed into his car with earlier that night. The one good at preventing awkward silences. “Thanks for tonight.” She stood and grabbed her purse. “I had fun. Really.”

“No, that was dumb.” He laughed, too, but more out of frustration. “It’s been eleven years.”

As they left the coffee shop, Kari shifted the conversation back to their time bowling. “I should think about investing in a pair of shoes. You know, like the pros.”

Even as she kept things light, Nolan silently chided himself
for talking about Ellie. He had ruined things with Kari before they started. All because of a girl he hadn’t seen since they were kids. Ellie could be married or living out of the country, for all he knew.

On the way to his car, a lone photographer stepped out of a dark doorway and caught a dozen pictures of them before Nolan put his arm around Kari’s shoulders and hurried her across the street, away from the parking lot. They could walk around the block, take the long way. But by then it was too late. The guy had what he wanted, and an hour from now he would have sold the pictures to a handful of paparazzi websites and magazines.

Other NBA guys could avoid being fodder for the gossip rags, but not Nolan. When he and Kari were finally inside the car, he grabbed the steering wheel, glanced at her and groaned. “Sorry about that.”

She laughed. “It’s okay. People love a good story.” On the drive back to her car, she entertained him with tales from her mother’s recent tour. Conversation seemed to come naturally for her, and it made him realize again what a good night he’d had. As he pulled into the Hawks’ facility, she grew quiet, and when he parked, she turned to him. “I had fun.”

“Me, too.” He still felt the tension between them, the reality that he had taken the talk about Ellie too far. “Back there, that stuff about the girl from my—”

“Nolan.” She put her hand lightly on his shoulder, but only for a few seconds. “Don’t apologize. She obviously still means a great deal to you.”

“But it was so long ago. I just . . . I need to move on.”