“Thank you so much for the flowers. That was very thoughtful,” Lu said as she was seated for lunch.
“Quite an accomplishment should not go unacknowledged,” he demurred. From there, they enjoyed an easy conversation that had little to do with the reason they were there. He was easy to talk to, and Lu found herself caught up in his charm. It was at the end of lunch that they began talking in earnest about the job.
“I’ve followed your work fairly closely, Dr. Knight.” He emphasized the doctor with a smile. “I know you have doubts about transitioning to our football, but I think it would be seamless.”
“Mr. Helms …,” she began.
“Malcolm,” he corrected.
“If you are going to call me Dr. Knight, then I am going to call you Mr. Helms,” she responded.
With a slight smile, he deferred.
“I realize that all athletes have some commonalities, but most of my research, as you know, has been with head injuries. While I also know that you deal with concussions in your sport, it is not the main issue. I am not opposed to bridging some of the gaps, but I do want to continue my work with rehab and injuries—not to be confused with mental conditioning and sport psychology.”
“That’s exactly what I was hoping. I think you can be a great resource for all of our clubs. But I’d like you to start with mine. I have seen the results you have published. You’ve managed to cut rehab time by approximately 25 percent in some cases.”
Lu merely nodded. She had statistics upon statistics to support her research, and she knew they wouldn’t be having this conversation if he didn’t already have faith in what she did.
“So does this mean you will consider working for us as a consultant this season?”
Lu paused before answering. She felt a draw to move in this direction while at the same time she felt a hitch in her step. What would this mean for her career and, although Willa would have beaten her, she wondered what this would mean for Lex? Surely he would find out, and when he did, would he feel like she was stalking him?
“Do you have something pending right now or are you just trying to be prepared?” she asked.
“I want to be prepared. We’ll have an injury, no doubt. I’d like to have you waiting in the wings.”
“I do not travel,” she said bluntly.
If he thought it peculiar, he hid it well. “That’s not a problem. We tend to keep our injured players here rather than have them make trips with us.”
“Perfect.”
“Do you have any questions for me, Dr. Knight?”
“Do you have a space for me to come to you?”
“I figured you could come to us at our training grounds when needed.”
“That’s actually what I prefer.”
“Have you been?” he asked.
Lu felt confused. “Have I been where?”
“Have you been to an English football game?”
Lu smiled. “No I haven’t.”
“Well, that’s the first order of business, isn’t it?”
“Ah, I don’t know.”
“We play tomorrow night. I insist that you come as my guest. It will give you a chance to see the facility and watch a game.”
“Evenings are hard, Mr. Helms. I have a daughter.” She watched him take a quick glance at her left hand.
“I would of course want you to bring your family.”
“It’s just my daughter and me.”
“Come, please. It’s actually a big game for us. I think the excitement will rival your football atmosphere.” He was teasing her, and she found it quite endearing, really.
“OK, we’ll come.”
“How old is your daughter?”
“Nine,” she answered.
“And does she like soccer?” he inquired.
“Yes, actually, she does,” although Lu kept the reason for that to herself.
“I’ll send a car for you prior to the game so we can tour and you can get a look around.”
“Thank you. That’s perfect.”
He called for the check as they talked about inconsequential things. Once he paid, he waited for her to stand and then escorted her to the door at the front of the restaurant by way of his hand at the small of her back. His hand left his imprint as she felt the warmth of it through her sweater. Lu could feel people watching him, recognition quick to dawn on their faces. As they made their way forward, Lu thought that she must have a thing for soccer players as she felt herself drawn to him. Then, as quickly as it appeared, she reined it in because she was about to be employed by him.
As they exited the restaurant, Mr. Helms stopped and held out his hand. “Dr. Knight, I appreciate your time. And I look forward to seeing your tomorrow. You are in for a treat as we are playing our archrivals, so it should be a festive atmosphere.”