Breaking Tackles: A Taking Flight Novel (38 page)

After breakfast, we head over to the stadium so that Jerry can meet up with some of his old teammates who came up for the game and tailgate with them. We’re all immediately greeted with beer, and word quickly spreads that the Kistlers are tailgating.

Jerry and Mike sign autographs and take pictures, and a few well-meaning people who recognize me tell me that they think I look like I’m doing well and that they were so concerned for me. A couple women tell me about their eating issues, and even though it’s a little awkward, these people who I don’t know at all are being supportive and encouraging.

It’s nice.

When the local news stops by to get footage of the former NFL players, Vicki says, “I think it’s time we start heading in,” giving me a knowing glance. I text Amanda, letting her know that we’re ready to come up, and she says she’ll send an assistant down to the special entry gate that’s reserved for suite ticket holders.

When we get to the suite, I introduce Vicki to Melissa and some of the other players’ significant others, and make sure that I get a plate of food before the cameras turn on. I’ve learned my lesson, but that doesn’t mean I want to be eating on live television.
Nobody
looks good when they’re eating.

Amanda comes over to us and when there’s a break in the conversation, she steals Vicki and me away. “Would you ladies prefer to go to the Vikings suite at the beginning of the second or middle of the third quarter?”

“Beginning of the second?” I say, looking at Vicki, who nods.

“We can stay through halftime,” Vicki says. “Then I believe that my husband and I will be coming back here for the rest of the game.”

“Sounds good,” Amanda says, typing into her phone.

“Oh, one more thing,” I say before Amanda swoops away to take care of the next item on her to-do list. “Could Adam’s sister-in-law, Ashton, come to this suite with me, maybe at the beginning of the third? I’d like to introduce her to Melissa.”

“Of course,” Amanda says. “Just so you know, there
will
be photographers around today. In both the suites.”

“I figured,” I say. “It’s fine. No collapsing this game, I promise.”

She smiles warmly and says, “I know. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. There will probably be a lot of attention on you today.”

The crowd comes to life and I turn to see the teams running onto the field.

“Go watch your man,” Amanda says. “I’m around if you need anything.”

The first quarter of the game is brutal. Both Adam and Jason are on fire today. Adam scores twice in the first quarter, and the Vikings answer those points with their own.

“Ready?” Amanda asks when there’s a commercial break between the first and second quarters, and it takes me a minute to remember what she’s talking about. I’ve forgotten all about meeting Nadia Attenborough because my head has been in the game.

“Yeah,” I say, tapping Vicki on the arm and letting her know that it’s time to move. As we follow Amanda, I check my phone, hoping that Ashton sent me something about Nadia, but there’s nothing from her. But I do have messages from Willa and Becca, saying they caught a glimpse of me on TV, one from Kate letting me know that her boots look good on me, and one from Sophie informing me that Becca is watching the game with them. I’m so glad she’s hanging out with them. She needs the distraction and to have people around right now.

By the time we get to the Vikings’ suite, I’m surprised that I haven’t gotten nervous yet. After all, I’m about to meet someone who I’ve been terrified to meet since I heard that she and Jason were only rumored to be dating. But then I realize that I’m not nervous because there’s no reason for me to be. She’s just a person

The security guard opens the door for us and when we walk in, Jerry yells, “The rest of my girls are here!” because he doesn’t do anything quietly. Especially when he’s been drinking.

He comes over and gives us a hug, and I can hear the photographers clicking away. He leads us farther into the suite, and I see Mike and Ashton sitting with Nadia, all three of them looking toward us.

We make eye contact and Nadia stands, making her way over to Vicki and me. She’s tall—but that’s to be expected, because model—but when she’s close, I realize that she’s only a couple inches taller than me and doesn’t look crazy thin in person. She is
also
wearing a Kistler jersey of the Vikings variety, her blond hair is pulled back in a simple ponytail, and it looks like she’s only wearing a hint of mascara and some lip gloss. She’s still gorgeous, but she doesn’t look anything like she does in magazines or on the runway. She looks remarkably normal, actually.

“You must be Courtney and Vicki,” she says. “I’ve heard so much about you both.”

“It’s so lovely to meet you, Nadia,” Vicki says, taking her hand. “Jason talks about you constantly.”

Nadia’s checks flush a little at that, and I realize that she’s probably scared shitless. She’s not just meeting the parents, but the entire damn family today. Without Jason since he’s on the field.

“Hopefully all good things,” she says, and Vicki smiles.

“Of course only good things. If you have a flaw, that boy either hasn’t found it or is blind to it. And from what I can tell, there are no flaws!”

I want to roll my eyes, but know that Vicki is just trying to make Nadia feel comfortable and welcomed.

“Thank you,” Nadia says, and then turns to me.

“Hi,” I say, extending my hand. “Courtney Narducci.”

“I know!” Nadia says. “I’ve been dying to meet you. I know I don’t actually know you, but you seem like the coolest girl ever.”

My eyebrows raise and I really have no idea what to say.

“That was too much, wasn’t it? Jason told me that I would need to not be too fangirly over you.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say that you’re my fangirl?” I ask, floored by what’s happening.

“Kind of,” she says. “Jason sings your praises and I’ve been checking—I guess stalking is a better word—your social media accounts for a while now. You just seem awesome.”

I blink, trying to process what is happening. Nadia Attenborough thinks I’m cool.

“Holy cow,” is what I finally say, making me want to facepalm myself.

“I knew this was too much. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I’m just a little shocked, is all,” I say. “I never in a million years thought that, well, someone like you would want to be friends with someone like me.”

“Seriously?” she asks, and I nod vigorously. “Well, I assure you that I want to be friends with you.”

“Wow,” I say, still flabbergasted. “This is crazy!”

The crowd roars and we both run over to the front of the suite to see out the window. Jason is running down the field but has a pack of Saints defenders on his heels.

“Go!” Nadia yells, sounding fierce and excited and hopeful.

I nearly stop myself from yelling, “Get him!” Nearly.

She catches my eye and we grin at each other, then start laughing. Our attention is drawn back to the field when the crowd groans as Jason is laid out fifteen yards from the end zone.

“Still a first down,” Nadia says. “You got this, guys.”

The rest of the Kistlers join us at the front of the suite, and we all watch the next several plays with rapt attention. It’s tense, but the Saints defense keeps the Vikings from scoring and taking the lead.

Thank God.

At the commercial break, Vicki announces that she wants a photo of “the Kistler girls” and we all happily oblige. One of the professional photographers snaps a photo of the three of us, and Vicki takes one with her phone.

“It’s a good one,” Mike says, looking over his mom’s shoulder.

“You have to send it to all of us,” Nadia says, and Vicki laughs.

“You’ll probably need to show me how,” she says. “I can text, but I’m not so good at figuring out how to send photos and things.”

She hands Ashton her phone, and she goes about sending the photo to all of us.

We watch the rest of the second quarter together, all of us jumping and yelling and celebrating when our teams get a first down, but neither the Saints nor the Vikings score this quarter, leaving the score tied at halftime.

As everyone takes seats and gets refreshments, I look at Nadia and Ashton and ask, “So which of us is posting the photo?”

“You should,” Nadia says immediately.

“You sure? I’m positive that both of you have way more followers than me.”

Nadia shrugs and Ashton says, “Who cares. Post the photo. But make sure to tag us both.”

“Okay,” I say, and go about editing the photo. But I realize that it looks better without any edits and post it.

“Oh my God,” Nadia says, looking at her phone.

“What?” Ashton asks.

“This is the coolest photo,” Nadia says, turning her phone around to face us.

And it really is. She follows the Vikings corporate account and one of their social media people must be taking photos in the suite, because they posted a photo of all of us standing in a line with our respective Kistler jerseys on.

“That is the best thing ever,” I say, and Ashton says, “I’m obsessed with it.”

“So, hey,” I say to Nadia. “I think we’re all planning to go over to the Saints suite during halftime. Would you want to come?”

“Yes,” she says, immediately.

“Okay, cool,” I say, texting Amanda to let her know I’m bringing Nadia over to our suite.

Amanda immediately writes back,
Awesome. The more the merrier.

My phone buzzes again, and it’s a text from Becca.

The anchors are talking about you and freaking Nadia Attenborough! I just saw the photo you posted! OMG!! You have to tell me
everything
!

I laugh and say, “Apparently the sports anchors are talking about the photo.”

“And I’m sure you just got, like, ten thousand more followers than you once had,” Nadia says.

Since I turned my notifications off when Amanda advised it a couple weeks ago, I open the app and see that, indeed, my follower count has gone up from a couple hundred to several thousand, and that I have over one thousand likes on the photo I just posted.

“Crazy,” I say, looking up at them and shaking my head. “I’m not sure I’m ready to be famous on the Internet.”

“Girl, please,” Ashton says. “You’ll get used to it. But, pro tip, never read the comments.”

“I second that,” Nadia says.

Amanda lets me know she’s on her way to the Vikings box to escort us to the Saints box, and I round everybody up. When Amanda arrives, I introduce her to Ashton and Nadia, and when the whole group of us walks into the Saints suite, the place goes oddly quiet.

I assume more because of Nadia, and maybe Ashton, than because of Mike and Jerry, since this crowd is used to seeing NFL players.

Melissa comes to the rescue, and says, “Courtney, Vicki, welcome back!”

I go about introducing everyone to Melissa, and as more people crowd around us, to basically everyone else, until the game starts back up, and everyone goes to stand at the front of the box or takes their seats.

The Saints are on offense, and they open with a huge play—Jax handing off to Deeks, who throws to Adam, who in turn runs all the way into the end zone. Our box explodes with cheers and excitement, and even Nadia is clapping and cheering along with us.