3. Lee

CHAPTER 3

LEE

Lee swiveled to watch Mac head off, his sight lingering on the gorgeous dirty blond until a throat clearing reminded him he still had company. His face heated, and he ducked his head.

"He is hot, so no worries."

Lee grabbed his mug with both hands just to give himself something to fiddle with. He peeked at Drew and swallowed, putting it all out there… Putting himself out there. Heck, he'd noticed the two men before they'd even sat down. He'd seen them walking outside and his libido had shot sky-high. "So are you."

Drew smiled as he leaned back. "Yeah?"

Nodding, Lee tried to take a sip, only to remember his mug was empty when he put the cup to his lips. Sheepishly, he put it down on the table. Drew snickered, and Lee kind of wished a hole would open and swallow him whole.

"Can I ask you a question, and you can tell me to shut up if you don't want to answer?"

Lee shrugged, more or less confident he knew what Drew was going to ask. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Are you out? To the team?"

Offering only a single shoulder shrug, Lee stared out the window. "I'm not in the closet." He glanced at Drew to see the other guy's lips twist.

Drew scoffed lightly. "Whole lotta ‘not in the closet' on the Troopers."

"I know, but I'm also the new guy. Not sure I wanna rock the boat."

Drew drummed his fingers on the tabletop, appearing lost in thought as he looked across the diner. When he seemed to be staring at something in particular, Lee turned to see what had caught his attention. "I know all about ‘not rocking the boat,'" he whispered.

Lee's heart lurched when he found the subject in question. Mac stood behind the register, smiling broadly as he chatted up a paying customer. "Wish I had some advice for you, but I'm about as useless as a screen door on a submarine."

Drew's gaze cut toward him. "A what?"

"Hm…" Lee sighed quietly, slowly dragging his sight from Mac back to Drew.

Drew chuckled. "Screen door on a submarine… I've never heard that one before."

"Heard what before?"

Lee and Drew looked at Mac as he resumed his seat, a pot of coffee in hand. He poured them all fresh cups and then rested the pot beside him. "I'll return this in a minute and grab your bagel, but I didn't want to miss our time together. Unless you might be up to spending more time with me, I mean, us."

Lee doctored his coffee with sugar and cream. "I don't know anyone here other than my teammates. It'd be nice to have some friends who could show me around town." He side-eyed Mac and Drew, hoping he didn't sound as enthusiastic as he felt. Spending time with either, or both, of these gorgeous best friends would be fun, even if he had to stifle his libido. Lee wouldn't make a move on Drew, not knowing how much he wanted to be the main squeeze in Mac's life, which also put Mac off-limits.

"Great!" Mac grinned, flashing pearly whites before whipping out his phone. He thumbed it on, toggled to Contacts, and slid it over. As Lee entered his name and digits, another phone entered his field of vision.

"Mine, too, please," Drew said. "Unless I have class, I'm in."

"What about looking for a job?" Mac countered, a slight frown marring his profile.

"You're looking for a job?" Lee interjected, hoping he wasn't stepping on toes. "The team and stadium are interviewing for open positions. Some of them are only game-day jobs, but there are others. Full- and part-time, I think."

Drew leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. "Is there anything with the medical team?"

Lee scratched his head. "I don't know, but I can ask when I head over there later."

"Yeah? That'd be great. I need an internship ASAP for the next semester. Having that locked down is key."

"Cool." Lee smiled. "It'd be nice to see a friendly face… more than just the team, I mean."

"Have you made friends with any of your teammates yet?" Mac asked in a cadence so like Lee's mother, he laughed.

Lee gave him a light shove, which Mac overdramatized. Damn, these two were fun and funny. He'd have to thank the hostess for seating him here. Already he looked forward to spending time with each of them separately and both of them together.

He took a sip of his coffee and gathered his thoughts before answering. "A couple. The veterans each take a rookie under their wing, and of course, the defense tends to stick together. It's hard though."

"Why's that?" Drew asked, but before Lee could answer, he paused as Amy approached and placed a toasted and smeared bagel in front of Drew and a second plate with several varieties of muffins in the middle of the table. She also dropped off a stack of small plates.

Spying a cranberry-orange one, Lee reached but stopped himself from grabbing it just inches away. "May I?"

Mac chuckled. "Of course. I got them for you guys."

"Thanks." Lee snatched it up and grabbed a clean plate. "I love this kind."

As Lee unwrapped his muffin, Drew picked up the thread of their conversation. "Are you an introvert? Is that why you said it's hard to make friends?"

Lee shook his head as he took a small bite, moaning quietly as the flavor of the moist, sweet muffin hit his tongue. "Damn, that's good."

"I know, right? But no deflecting, alright? We're your new best friends and we need to know all the things."

Lee chuckled, his gaze darting between the two men. Both stared at him, appearing eager to hear his answer. "Fine. While I do have some introverted tendencies, it's my position." Seeing their confusion, he explained. "I play safety."

"Safely's good."

Lee nearly spit out the bite he'd just taken. He slammed a hand over his mouth, coughing to keep from choking.

"Aw shit, man." Mac slapped his back. "Don't die on us. We just met you."

Snorting and coughing were not a good mix. Lee's cheeks burned, embarrassment scorching him hotter than the blazing Texas heat. He swallowed and took a few careful sips of coffee before he dared to even look at them.

"Okay. I'm good." He peered at Mac as he'd been the one to set Lee off. "It's not ‘safely.' My position on the team is called safety."

"Oh-kay…" Mac drawled. "And what does a safety do?"

"They're the last line of defense on the field. If there is a long pass or a rusher breaks through the line, it's my job to intercept them before they can get too far."

"Like the sweep in soccer?" Drew asked.

"Yes, but with tackling."

"Gotcha." Drew leaned back, grinning.

"I don't get it." Mac frowned.

Lee hummed as he looked around until his gaze settled on the bowls of sugars and creamers. He dumped them on the table and set them up in opposing lines. "Pretend the creamers and white sugar are one team playing offense, and these yellow and pink sweeteners are the other team, the defense."

Lee walked them through various plays and what he might do in his position for the next fifteen minutes until both men got the idea. "So you can see how the guys on the line have a greater camaraderie than those of us who play the fringes."

"That's too bad," Mac commented with a frown. "You should all be friends."

Lee chuckled. "Well, yeah, of course. I'm sure we will. It's still early. Some veterans haven't even shown up for training camp yet."

"That's kind of ridiculous, don't you think?"

Unwilling to give voice to his personal thoughts on the matter, Lee shrugged.

Mac's subsequent huff paralleled Lee's feelings. Hard to build comradery when a third of the players weren't around. That would change by the end of the week, though, as all players were required to report by July 25th. They'd have a little more than a week to come together as a team. The pros were so different from college, and though his coaches tried to prepare him for playing under the bright lights on any given Sunday, he often felt like he was out of his league.

He had to keep his head in the game, though. He had names to learn and plays to memorize. Lee had to focus on preparing himself to the best of his ability.

"Hey Drew, I'd love to pick your brain about conditioning. I've got great trainers, but some of them are old school."

"I hear ya," Drew replied, "and absolutely. Any time. You got my number now, so whenever." He shook his phone, and the screen snapped on. Drew cursed. "I gotta go." He slid out of the booth, offered a fist for Lee and Mac to bump, then scooped up the rest of his bagel and, with a last wave, was gone.

As they watched him jog away from the diner, Lee heard Mac's quiet sigh. He held his tongue on the why and instead focused on the time. "I need to head out, too. Defense reports at one today, but I still have to get back to my place and grab my gear."

"You're going already?" Mac laid a hand on Lee's forearm.

"I should."

"Please stay. For a few more minutes at least." Mac glanced at the time on his phone. I have to start in ten minutes, and I'd love to have your company before the bosses put me to work."

Lee held out his mug for a refill. "Didn't you say the bosses were your parents?"

"Yeah, Freaking slave drivers." Mac poured Lee's coffee and refilled his own cup. As he placed the pot down, the hostess swept it up.

"Eight minutes, Mac. Say goodbye to your friend."

"Rude. Lee, this ill-mannered taskmaster is my older sister, Katy. Say hello, Katy."

"Hello, Katy," Lee and Katy said in unison and then grinned at each other conspiratorially.

When she bit her lower lip flirtatiously, Lee leaned back. He hadn't meant to lead her on and was grateful when Mac leapt in with, "Down, lady. He plays for my team."

"Is that the only sport you know?" Lee teased.

"Only sport that matters as far as I'm concerned," Mac said flatly, completely serious.

Lee laughed, and Mac joined in after a moment. Being friends with Mac and Drew was going to be amazing. He knew it, deep in his soul.