Quarterback Draw

She looked over her shoulder at her sister. “Wouldn’t dream of missing it. Football is my life.”

Anya rolled her eyes. “You’re such a cynic.”

Savannah laughed.

The Traders kicked off to New York. Katrina knew she should support her home team, but for some reason she found herself hoping the Traders would get the ball. So when New York punted after their first drive, her pulse raced with excitement. And when Grant came out and took command of his team, she found herself leaning forward to watch him.

Football had always been something that she’d barely paid attention to. Leo and Anya watched it, and she watched it because they did. But it wasn’t something she took an active interest in. She knew the game—sort of—at least the basics of it. She wouldn’t claim to be an expert on it.

But now that she was at a game, she could see the appeal. This was much different. The crowd noise was something close to deafening, and the people in the club box were so into the game, laughing and cheering and standing up when there was a good play. It was fun to be part of this. Even for someone like herself who didn’t know much about football, the enthusiasm of the people around her was infectious.

She tensed as Grant took the ball and backed away, looking for his receivers. She saw the field as a whole, where she was certain he had a specific play in mind. And in a split second, one of his receivers had made a catch and had the ball in his hands.

“First down,” Savannah said with a wide smile. “That was my husband, Cole, who caught the ball.”

“Oh, great. Good for him.” Katrina made a mental note of Cole’s uniform number so she could keep an eye on him.

“Cole’s a wide receiver,” Leo said. “Want me to tell you what they do?”

“I understand the positions,” she shot back, then looked over at Savannah. “They think I know nothing about football.”

“She really doesn’t,” Anya said. “She reads a book while we watch the games.”

Katrina rolled her eyes. “I see more than you think. And I’m able to multitask.”

“Sure you are,” Anya said.

Savannah laughed. “I’ll bet you do. Sometimes I’ll catch up on work stuff while I’m watching the games. But don’t tell Cole I said that. He thinks I’m riveted to the television the entire game.”

“See? Someone who understands me. I can hear the game and still read my book. And then if something exciting happens, I look up.”

“But you miss all the subtle nuances of game play if you aren’t watching the entire time,” Anya said.

“Such as?”

“Even a play where nothing happens still has importance,” Leo argued. “I’m sure that’s what Anya is talking about. Say they play first and second down and gain no yardage, or very little. Where are they on the field? Are they on their own twenty-yard line, or are they charging toward their opponent’s goal? If they’re closer to their opponent’s goal, then third down becomes a critical play. What play are they going to call? Is it going to be a run or pass? If you’re only paying attention to the cheers of the crowds, you’re missing out on a lot, Kat.”

Her brother knew a lot about football. Clearly a lot more than she did. She understood the plays and how the ball moved down the field, but it was obvious she was going to have to start paying closer attention.

“Okay, you’ve got me there.”

She watched the series of plays made by the Traders with a lot more interest. On one play, New York backed them up several yards on what Anya called a busted run. But on the next play, Grant threw a pass for a thirty-yard gain and everyone cheered. They ran the next two plays for another first down. She leaned forward, watching each play with keen interest. Before she knew it, the Traders were very close to the New York goal line and everyone was standing.

It was third down, and the Traders were on the seven-yard line.

Now she understood what Leo meant by critical plays. Her heart was racing as Grant took the snap. He took several steps back, defenders from New York were coming at him and she simply couldn’t breathe.

It felt like minutes, when she knew it was only a few seconds until he launched the ball in the air.

One of the receivers caught it. It wasn’t Cole because she’d memorized his number. But whoever caught it was in the end zone and it was a touchdown.

Everyone in the club room stood and screamed. She screamed. It was madness and the most exciting thing ever. They were all high-fiving and she’d never had so much fun watching a football game. What an adrenaline rush.