Free Pass Interference by Natalie Brock

stern. Sara had been smiling a moment before, proud of herself for being so creative, but one stone-faced look from Philip turned her smile upside-down. He looked back down at the piece of paper and quickly signed something. Handing it back to Sara, she grasped it, but he continued to hold onto the other end while looking at her intently.
    When he finally released the piece of paper, Sara turned and walked away as fast as she could. Tears pooled in her eyes, knowing that wasn’t at all the reaction she wanted from him. She wanted him to be surprised and pleased. She wanted it to be a personal moment just between the two of them. She wanted him to read between the lines. Instead, she just made a fool of herself.
    Why on earth did she think this was a good idea? In a couple days she’d be taking Philip for a three-hour drive knowing he thinks she’s an idiot. He probably did read between the lines and figured out she has feelings for him. He’d likely avoid future contact with her, cancel the trip, and fire her as his tutor.
    Crossing the forty-yard line, she finally looked down at the piece of paper she asked Philip to sign. She blinked several times to clear the tears so she could read what he wrote.
    Sara—Thanks for seeing the real me.—Philip.
    Her lips parted and she read it again. And again. She clutched the piece of paper to her chest and turned back around just as Philip looked up from signing another autograph. Catching her eye, he smiled and held up his hand in a quick wave. Before she had a chance to wave back, Philip’s attention was diverted by another fan taking a selfie with him.
    Relieved, Sara let out the breath she’d been holding. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Chapter Ten
    Driving southward on I-75, Sara was distracted by all the clatter coming from the passenger side. Philip was looking through Sara’s CD collection and clacking the jewel cases together. “Don’t you have anything decent to listen to in here?”
    “Well, definitely not my passenger,” she snarked, shooting Philip a dirty look. Her intent to be a sweeter, kinder Sara just flew out the window. She immediately regretted implying she didn’t like listening to Philip. That wasn’t true. It was just her knee-jerk defense mechanism. “Um. Some of those are pretty old,” she admitted, using a much softer tone of voice. “I guess I don’t edit the CDs in my car very often. One day, I’ll get around to moving my favorites to digital.”
    “That’s okay,” he said, reorganizing the discs and placing them back into the CD holder beneath the center armrest. He leaned back on the headrest and smiled broadly. “We don’t need music. Check this out.” She glanced over, and he held up his mobile phone. “I’m powering off.”
    Sara gasped in an exaggerated fashion. “What? How will you live without your sports updates?”
    “I guess you’ll just have to entertain me,” he said with a wink.
    She tried to remember the subjects on that list of conversation starters she had created, but that wink and his sexy smile erased her memory; she couldn’t remember even one. “It’s good to see you smiling like that,” she improvised.
    Arching his brows, he turned his head toward Sara. “I didn’t know you cared.”
    She felt her cheeks warm and hoped he couldn’t see her blushing. “Well, I don’t,” she said, smiling. “But still.”
    “I guess I haven’t had a lot to smile about until now. Hey,” he said, lightly tapping her elbow with his fingertips. “Thanks for driving me. I mean it.”
    She tingled at the all-too-brief tap, inwardly thrilled by that moment of physical contact. Shrugging, she said, “I had nothing else to do, and you had no one else to take you, so…” Her voice trailed off. She really didn’t want him to know how much this road trip meant to her.
    Looking downward, she wondered if Philip thought she was overdressed. She had on a pink short-sleeve pullover and a short black skirt.