The Recruiting Trip (The University of Gatica #1) by Lexy Timms Read Free Book Online

“That or hanging with the football players messes him up. It usually takes me three quarters of the indoor track season to get him off his high horse… just in time for the outdoor season.”
    Aileen listened to their banter and smiled. Just from today she could tell the athletes on the track team respected Coach Anderson because he was a good coach, but he also kept the playing field level for everyone. It sounded like no one got special treatment.
    “Raw Hide is just around the corner.” Anderson got out of the car and opened the door for Aileen. “I hope you are hungry.”
    “Getting there,” she told him honestly.
    They walked with Aileen in the middle of the two of them. As they reached the main street she recognized the road. The chauffeur had driven her down it earlier that day. She pointed to the old movie theater across the road. It looked pretty empty at the moment. “The guy who drove me down here said that was where the varsity sport kids hang out.”
    Coach Anderson chuckled. “It’ll get busier later. Just without track kids tonight. If I see any of them down here after dinner, I’ll have them doing a workout before the meet tomorrow.”
    “You won’t see any footballers there.” Tyler nodded to the building they were passing. “We hang at the First Down.”
    Aileen squinted as she tried to see through the dark windows. The place looked high end. She was beginning to think that footballers believed they were an entity unto themselves. She could imagine what Becky would say to that.
    “Here we are.” Coach Anderson pulled the door open to the Raw Hide.
    The door handle was actually some kind of animal horn or antler. It matched the wood and rustic look of the interior design.
    A large animal hide hung on the wall with pictures of bull riders all around it. Aileen inhaled a medley of savoury flavours, causing her stomach to rumble in agreement.
    Tyler chuckled. “Glad to see you aren’t a salad girl.”
    “I might be,” she teased.
    He shook his head. “No salad girl would close her eyes to enjoy the smell of steak cooking.”
    “Maybe I’m stopping to smell the potatoes.” Really? Could she sound any cheesier?
    Coach Anderson spoke to a waiter as he slipped out of his long coat. He still wore his suit. “Table is ready.”
    Tyler held out his hand to let Aileen go first. She followed the coach to a booth against the far wall. The restaurant’s theme followed what she had seen in the front entrance. Wooden walls, more pictures of bull riders and barn items hung on the beams throughout the place. It actually looked pretty cool.
    Coach Anderson slipped into one side, giving Aileen the spot with the best view of the restaurant and the window. Tyler sat down beside his coach. Aileen slipped out of her jacket and purposely shifted on the bench so she was sitting across from Tyler.
    The waiter came with menus and filled their glasses with water. The coach and Tyler didn’t open their menus. After a few minutes of looking over it, Aileen closed hers and folded her hands on the table. “I take it you guys come here quite often?”
    Coach Anderson smiled. “They do a striploin that is delicious.”
    “I like the baseball steak,” Tyler added. “Did you see something you like?”
    Aileen ran her fingers through her hair. She didn’t want to order the most expensive or the cheapest thing on the menu. The striploin was on the high end and the baseball steak seemed about in the middle. “I was thinking of trying the baseball.”
    Tyler clapped his hands. “Good choice!”
    The waiter returned and took their orders.
    Coach Anderson talked about Gatica’s track program as they waited for their food. He told her about the conference they were in, how well they were doing, how their program was on the rise. Aileen tried to stay focussed on everything he was telling her. He compared the school to Stanford most of the time. When the food came, he said, “That’s my lecture for the evening. How