Chapter 3

Three

“W e are just getting the things we need. Do not ask for anything else. Just a quick in and out.” Tori reminded Emmett for the tenth time since they left the game.

It was Saturday morning, and she needed to get groceries, something she usually tried to do without Emmett along. It wasn’t that he was bad, just distracted easily, and this would take twice as long with him.

They’d gotten up early, rushed over to his game, and he’d played his heart out. Of course, Isaac hadn’t shown up. He also hadn’t called to give Emmett the bad news. She’d been the one to do it. Not that she expected any different.

She took his hand as they entered the grocery store, and he tugged it free.

“I don’t need to hold your hand, mom,” Emmett told her. He was already so good at eye-rolling that she was worried about his teenage years.

“Then you need to stay with me and the cart the whole time,” Tori told him.

Pulling a cart free from where it was nestled in with the rest, she started her way through the store. As soon as they walked past the snack aisle, Emmett was full of pleas, the entire reminder in the car forgotten.

“Please, mom?” he begged. Emmett held up the colorful box of fruit snacks to her.

Tori sighed. “If you are good the rest of the time we are in here, and I don’t need to tell you again, then I will let you come back for it.”

“Yes!” Emmett jumped.

“Put it back for now,” she told him.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad deal. For under five bucks, she might hold her sanity together.

“Mom!” Emmett said as they rounded the end of the aisle.

“What? I’m not changing it to anything else?—“

“No. Look. It’s Chance Lawrence!”

Emmett almost ran toward him, but she managed to catch him first, barely.

There in the flesh with a cart full of his own groceries was indeed Chance Lawrence. He looked different off the pitch, she noted. His dark brown hair was less messy, something she’d never seen before on him. It was combed and out of his eyes, a stark comparison to when he played.

Though he wore jeans, she knew his legs were nothing but muscle, even covered. She could see his tattoo peeking out from his short sleeve shirt, and it made her want to get a closer look.

Not that she’d never seen it, but never in real life and certainly never this close. A lot of the players took their shirts off after the game and she knew that Chance had several tattoos, but she wanted to explore them.

Tori shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. “We will not bug him while he is grocery shopping. That’s rude.” She looked down at her black leggings and worn ‘Soccer Mom’ sweatshirt, immediately regretting not putting more effort into getting dressed this morning.

“But, mom,” he whined.

“Remember our deal?” she warned.

“Ugh,” Emmett dramatically threw himself back against the cart but stayed with her and didn’t try to take off again.

Bringing their basket in front of the deli, she and Emmett debated what kind of lunch meat they wanted. Emmett chose ham, and she turned to the worker to place her order.

In that five seconds, Emmett was gone. She turned, looking for him, only to find him running off in the other direction.

Taking her cart with her, she stormed in his direction. Not wanting to draw attention to them or the fact that her child wasn’t listening for shit today, she didn’t yell, but she was definitely going to do a lot of it when they got home.

Tori turned her cart down the snack aisle to see Emmett standing there talking to Chance Lawrence. Suddenly nervous, she debated not collecting her child and just waiting for him to find her but then Chance looked up and saw her.

“I’m so sorry,” she said as she approached. “I told him to leave you alone but he took off when I was placing a deli order.” Tori put enough into her voice for Emmett to know he was in trouble.

“It’s okay. It was nice to meet a fan,” Chance ruffled Emmett’s hair.

“See? He didn’t mind, mom.” Emmett folded his arms across his chest.

Tori closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer for patience before responding. “I didn’t say he would mind, I said it was rude.”

Chance looked between the two of them before going down on his haunches to talk to Emmett again. “Dude, if your mom tells you not to do something, you have to listen. You also have to stay with her and not run off. You probably scared her.”

“She doesn’t look scared.” Emmett looked up at her. “She looks mad.”

Chance turned to face her, definitely hiding a grin, before looking back at Emmett. “That’s because she found you. Now you have to take your punishment because you didn’t listen.”

“I was only gone for a minute,” Emmett started to tear up.

“Doesn’t matter. What if I wasn’t nice and was mad you interrupted me? Then I could be yelling at you or your mom or something,” Chance explained.

Tori leaned on her basket and watched the interaction. Based on his actions on the field, she never would have guessed that he would be this good with children. His temper was usually running the show when she watched him play.

“I’m sorry, mom.” Emmett ducked his little head.

“Thank you,” she told them both.

Chance stood and held out his hand for her to shake, and she stepped around her basket to do so.

“Tori Atkins. It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

“Chance Lawrence. Though something tells me you know,” he teased.

“We were at the game last week,” Emmett told him.

Chance made a face like he didn’t want to hear that. “Don’t do what I did, dude.”

“Mom says you have to be nice even if the ref needs to open his damn eyes,” Emmett repeated her word for word.

Tori gasped and slipped her hand over his mouth. “Sorry.”

Chance threw his head back and laughed. “It’s nice to know someone was actually watching the game.” He winked at Tori and then looked down at Emmett.

Tori let Emmett go but kept him close to her in case he said anything else.

“Your mom is right, though. It’s not my place to settle things on the field like that. We let the video review do its job and keep playing.” Chance looked at both of them as he spoke.

That was the moment she melted. He was hot as sin and also knew how to talk to her son. It was a wonder her legs continued to work.

“That guy shoved you, though,” Emmett protested.

Chance nodded. “He did. But I could have let the ref handle it and let him get carded. Instead, I lost my temper and let my team down because they had to play down a man. It wasn’t right.”

“Okay,” Emmett said after a minute.

“I’m sure your mom appreciates your understanding.”

He turned the full force of his grin on her, and she had to remind herself to breathe. It wasn’t every day someone got the undivided attention of a star they liked. She was entitled to be overwhelmed , she told herself.

“Thank you,” Tori blushed and walked past him. “It was nice to meet you,” she added, taking the cart and her kid and walking away.

“Tori,” Chance called out.

She stopped and turned back to him.

“It was nice to meet you, too.”

“Mom,” Emmett tugged on her arm.

“Not now,” she said through clenched teeth.

“But, mom,” he pressed.

Tori shot him a look that made it clear she didn’t want to hear it and he stopped.

“Tori.” Chance grabbed her attention again. “Umm, that’s my basket.” He pointed to the car she was pushing.

She looked down and noted the different groceries in there. She surely hadn’t put pizza rolls and chips in her cart.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Tori felt her cheeks grow hot as she turned the cart around.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you, mom,” Emmett said as they returned the cart to its owner.

“Sorry, bud,” Tori told him. “Sorry about that. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” Great, now she sounded like an idiot. One that lost her kid and then made off with someone else’s groceries in the store. It was definitely a great first impression.

“Are you playing next weekend?” Emmett asked, taking their return to Chance as an opportunity to prolong the conversation.

“I’m done for the season,” Chance told him.

Tori studied him, looking for a clue as to why. There was pain on his face, but she had a feeling it was emotional and not physical.

“Are you hurt?” Emmett asked. “Mom says the shin guards keep you from getting too hurt.” He bent down and knocked his fists on the ones he was still wearing.

Chance chuckled. “No, dude. I’m not hurt. I have to take my discipline for the fight, is all.”

Tori nodded. She had assumed that’s what it was.

“You’re not going to another team, are you?” Emmett looked terrified.

“I hope not,” Chance said.

“It was really nice to meet you again,” Tori brought the conversation to a close. “Hopefully, we will see you on the pitch next season. I’ll let you get back to your shopping and get this kid out of your hair.” She offered him a smile still tinged with embarrassment.

“It was no bother. I hope I’ll see you guys there, too.” Chance took his basket and then turned back to them. “Maybe I will see you around town again.”

With that, he left and Tori continued to try to hold herself together. Only the fact that he might walk by and see her still standing in the same place got her feet moving again.

“Let’s go pick up our lunch meat,” she told Emmett. “One hand on the cart at all times, mister.”

“Mom,” Emmett started.

She arched one eyebrow at him, cutting him off. “Did you just take off in the grocery store to bother someone after I told you not to? And where I couldn’t see you?”

Emmett ducked his blonde head, clearly deciding not to argue for now. A wise choice.

Tori called it quits after she collected her order from the deli. That was the end of her grocery shopping. Whatever she’d forgotten would wait until another day. She didn’t want to risk running into him again and making a complete fool out of herself once more.