Ryan thought some time back home was exactly what he needed. It wasn’t that things in San Diego were going badly, he just felt a little… off. So when his high school coach called and asked if he’d be willing to sign some autographs on a Sunday afternoon, he jumped at the chance.

He lowered the window as Luke tapped his thumb against the steering wheel to some country song Ryan hadn’t heard before, but one his friend clearly loved.

"You nervous?" Luke asked, as they passed the old Feed & Fuel building on their way to the car meet.

“No, why?”

"You’re doing that thing with your knee,” Luke said pointing to it. “It’s twitching, like you’re waiting for the snap."

Ryan laughed. His friend knew him too well. "It’s weird, that’s all. I used to know every crack in these roads. Now it feels like... a dream I used to live in. Like I aged ten years in one."

“Easy, Steinbeck. It’s been nine months. You went to San Diego State, not Mars.”

That’s what Ryan loved about Luke. Everyone else kissed his ass, but Luke never did. He always called him on his shit. It didn’t matter one bit to him that Ryan made a name for himself as a freshman quarterback at a Division I school. They went back too far to allow something like that to change their friendship.

Ryan leaned out the window and let the wind mess up his hair as he took in the buildings that lined Half Moon Bay’s Main Street. They went by the Chevron station where his brother Dan used to work before an Army recruiter got him to sign up and shipped him off to Japan. Beside it was the 7-11. Ryan wondered if the Slurpee machine was still broken the way it had been all through his last year of high school.

"San Diego’s just different," Ryan finally said. "Everything’s new and faster. I come back here and everything has its own pace and smells like a memory.”

“Last warning, college boy.” Luke laughed. “None of that English 101 talk is going to convince me that you’re anything other than the kid who used to hold a match to his ass to light his farts on fire.”

Ryan reached across the bench seat of Luke’s Dodge Ram and gripped his shoulder. “Thanks buddy. You have no idea how much I miss that.”

Luke turned off Main Street toward the strip mall, where the car meet was already drawing a crowd. Rows of classic cars beamed in the sun, and the sound of revving engines could be heard from a block away.

“Alright, QB,” Luke said, easing the truck to a stop at the curb. “This is as far as I go.”

Ryan nodded as he climbed out of the cab. “I know you don’t want to watch me sign autographs all day, but you sure you don’t want to come say hey to coach Casey?”

Luke looked at Ryan like he couldn’t believe he’d even asked.

“The letter he wrote for you got you into San Diego State. The letter he didn’t write me got me night shifts at Safeway.” He turned back to the windshield, gave a small laugh, and shook his head. “Fuck that guy.”

“I get it,” Ryan said as he closed the passenger side door. “Someday I hope you guys bury the hatchet though.”

"I'm willing to bury it. In the back of his head."

"Luke..."

“Yeah, yeah. I know," he said, waving his hand before taking a deep breath. "Listen, shoot me a text when you want me to come pick you up. We’ll grab burritos at Tres Amigos.”

“Sounds good,” Ryan said tapping the side of the truck.

As Luke drove off, Ryan turned and began walking through the parking lot. He used to come here every Sunday with his dad when he was just a kid. He knew coach Casey as a car guy, one of his father’s friends, long before he knew him as his high school football coach.

“I’m tellin’ ya Casey, my boy’s throwing a spiral at 10. He’s going to make varsity as a freshman. Just you wait and see.”

“Of course, Jack. I’m sure he will.” Coach was just humoring his dad, but sure enough after a couple of games quarterbacking the JV team, he made his first varsity start and never looked back.

Ryan made his way through the small crowd, looking for a white canopy they told him would be set up for the special guests. His eyes scanned the lot, looking from side to side, the same way he surveyed the field for oncoming linemen. Two things caught his attention. The tent he was looking for tucked away in the corner of the lot, and his dad’s dream car, a ’65 convertible Mustang parked under the shade of an oak tree.

He figured he had a few minutes and took a few steps towards the car. That’s when he heard a voice yell out from behind him.

“Ryan my boy!”

It was coach Casey. He didn’t even have to look. Before he could turn, he felt the coach’s arm wrap around his neck and pull him in close.

“There he is, star of San Diego State,” the coach said enthusiastically. “The next big thing headed to the NFL.”

“Great to see you Coach,” Ryan said, pulling himself free of the headlock.

“Let me get a good look at you boy,” he said, grabbing Ryan by the shoulders and squaring him up. “You’re like a real man now.”

“That’s the trainers down at SDSU. They don’t let us get away with anything. No shortcuts.”

“Well, hats off to them. They’ve done a great job with you.”

The two men walked toward the white tent, weaving between old cars and the groups of mostly men who gathered around them. From a distance, he could see a woman sitting at a table under the tent, with a small line of people waiting their turn in front of her. There was an empty chair at her side, presumably for him.

“So, um, what’s the deal with this signing thing?”

“Ah, I don’t know. It was Gerald’s idea. You remember Gerald? He thought bringing in some celebrities would get more people out for the car show.”

“And I’m his idea of a celebrity?”

“This is Half Moon Bay. You’re the talk of the town,” the coach assured him. “And trust me, everyone who gets you to sign something today is gonna be bragging in a few years when you’re playing your games on Sundays.”

Ryan laughed. No matter how well he’d done at college, he couldn’t think of himself as a celebrity. Even on campus, he was still the new guy, and his older teammates made sure he kept his ego in check.

“Where’s that little prick Luke?” Coach asked. “Still got his nose out of joint?”

“He’ll come around.”

“It’s not my fault he doesn’t have what it takes." The coach patted Ryan on the back. "He doesn’t have what you have, son.”

Ryan wanted nothing to do with their feud and quickly changed the topic.

“Who’s the woman?” he said nodding at the tent.

“I don’t know, some washed-up beauty queen or something.” The coach shrugged his shoulders. “She’s got great knockers though.” Coach Casey jabbed Ryan in the side with his elbow as he laughed. “Gerald mentioned she did some TV a while back, an episode of NCIS, maybe some reality show. I forget what he said.”

“It’s just the two of us?”

“Yeah, we had a professional poker player lined up too, but he’s riding a hot streak down in Vegas and refused to leave the tables.”

As the two men approached the signing table, Ryan took his seat.

“Linda, right?” The coach asked, looking at the woman.

“Yes sir,” she replied.

“The young man here is a legend in this town. Star of San Diego State. He’ll be signing pictures and footballs. Don’t be surprised if the crowd gets a little bigger than it has been over this way.”

Linda smiled. “Not a problem,” she said dryly. “We’ll manage.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two at it,” the coach said, then turned to Ryan. “I’ve got a few special things I want your name on, so don’t leave without saying goodbye, ok?”

“Sure thing coach.”

The coach gave them a wave and walked off. From under the canopy, Ryan heard him yell “Gerald you son of a gun, why you got the star of the show tucked away in the corner?”

Linda shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I’m Ryan, and definitely not a legend,” he said extending his hand to Linda.

“Well Mr. Definitely-not-a-legend, I’m Linda, and definitely not a movie star.” She laughed as she took his hand in hers.

Ryan looked down at the table and saw a stack of glossy 8x10s Linda had ready to sign.

“You were one of the briefcase models on Deal or No Deal?” Her picture showed her in a satin red dress, holding a silver case with a giant number 26 on it.

“You’re too young to remember that show.”

“Gameshow Network,” he said. “And a lot of fake sick days in my senior year.”

She looked up at him with teasing eyes. “So I kept you company while you were home in bed?”

“That’s one way to put it.”

She looked back down at the photo she was signing, still smiling. “So what’s your story, college boy?”

“Well, if you ask Coach, I’m the next Tom Brady. Ask the scouts, and I’m somewhere between a mid-round pick and a camp invite. Depends how the next year goes.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a man approaching the table.

“Are you Linda, Linda Carlson?” he asked nervously.

“The one and only,” she replied, suspecting what was coming.

The man looked around, then reached into a bag and casually slid a copy of Playboy onto the table.

“You’re her, right? Page 34?”

She stared back at the man, grinning. She didn’t need to look. Linda opened the magazine to the right page like she’d done it a hundred times before. Ryan couldn’t help but lean over and take in the full page picture of her lying naked on a bed covered in fake bills with her empty number 26 briefcase at her side.

“Just my name, or do you want it personalized?”

“To… to Warren. Please.” His eyes shifted from side to side like he might have been doing something illegal. Then he looked down. “Um, not there, if you don’t mind. A little lower. I don’t want you to cover, your, um…”

“Rack?” she finished, clearly enjoying toying with the man.

“Ah, yeah. Those. They’re um, nice by the way. Great even.”

“Thanks.” She slid the magazine back to him, and he quickly stuffed it in his bag like it was contraband. “Enjoy,” she said.

“I… I will, thank you,” he said, bowing awkwardly.

“So,” Ryan said raising an eyebrow. “You’re a little more than just a game show prop, I see?”

“Yeah, well after Deal or No Deal, the offers didn’t exactly come rolling in. At least I have some nice pictures of myself from when I was young and beautiful.”

“Not much has changed.” Ryan blushed and quickly looked away, wishing what he was thinking hadn’t slipped out.

Linda noticed but didn’t say a word, only signed another 8x10 for a fan like she hadn’t heard him.

For the next few hours, the two worked their way through modest lines of fans. People came and went. Some presented Ryan with footballs to sign, while others wanted to get their picture taken with Linda. Ryan did his best to look like he belonged there, the whole time thinking it was ridiculous that anyone would want his name on anything. Linda worked the table like she’d been doing it her whole life, smiling, teasing, saying just enough to make each person feel lucky for a minute.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Linda replied.

“Coach talked me into this, and to be honest, I needed a break from the city, but why do you do it?”

“Usually I don’t, but this one combined two of my interests.”

Ryan wasn’t sure what she meant.

Linda looked around. The crowd had thinned out, and no one was headed their way.

“C’mon,” she said, tugging gently on Ryan’s sleeve. “I wanna show you something.”

She started toward the edge of the lot, to the ’65 Mustang Ryan spotted earlier.

Up close, it was even nicer than he’d realized. The red paint was freshly waxed, and the chrome trim sparkled in the late afternoon sun. He circled around it slowly, taking it in.

“This… this is yours?” he asked.

“My pride and joy.”

Ryan was staring at the car, noticing the fine details only someone who’d grown up with a Mustang-obsessed father would care about.

“My dad used to dream about this exact car,” he said, running his hand along the hood. “Same color, same year.”

“He ever get to drive one?”

“No.” Ryan shook his head, laughing. “I think his head would have exploded if he ever got the chance.”

“What about his son?” Linda asked, tossing him the keys.

“You serious?”

“Yeah,” she said walking around to the passenger side. “Let’s go.”

Ryan climbed into the driver’s seat. His pulse kicked up a notch when his hands met the steering wheel. He glanced at her, still not convinced she really meant it.

“Well?” she said. “Let’s see what you’ve got, college boy.”

Ryan turned the key, and the Mustang came alive with a low growl that shook the whole car. He didn’t even have to think about where to take it. There was only one road that fit a car like this. Ryan pulled out of the lot and headed south toward the Pacific Coast Highway.

The roar of the engine on the open road was everything he’d hoped it would be. He’d been pushing the speed limit the whole time, but when the highway opened into a long straightaway, he looked over at Linda. She read the expression on his face and knew what he was thinking.

“Go for it!”

Ryan floored it. The car shot forward, pinning them to their seats. Ryan let out a yell, grinning ear to ear, and Linda realized for the first time all day that the worry in his face was gone. He looked free, not a care in the world. This was what she liked to see in a guy his age, and his energy made her feel young too.

“This is what I needed,” he shouted over the wind.

Linda drew her legs up onto the seat so the heels of her boots rested near the edge. She told herself it was for comfort, but now every time Ryan looked toward the ocean, his eyes went to her bare thighs instead.

Ryan tried not to stare, but he couldn’t make himself stop. He wanted to focus on the road, but the curve of her legs kept pulling his glance sideways. The fringe of her shorts had ridden higher, and the wind pressed her tank top tight to her chest, leaving nothing to the imagination. Even the outline of her nipples could be seen clear as day.

Linda caught Ryan looking and looked back at him, smiling with quiet confidence.

Ryan had felt a chemistry with her all day, but it had never occurred to him that she might be feeling it too. The way she was looking at him now had him wondering. There was a warmth in her smile that melted through all the stress he’d been under, and for the first time in months, he felt calm.

The road narrowed, then opened again. A sign for a scenic lookout appeared up ahead, and Linda pointed toward it, shouting, “Pull over, up there.”

The car slowed as the asphalt gave way to dirt leading toward a rocky outcrop above the ocean. Ryan put it in park and took a deep breath, the adrenaline still running through him.

“You looked distracted,” Linda said. “I thought we might need a break.”

“Uh, yeah. Not a bad idea.”

“Was it my legs or my tits?”

Ryan wasn’t sure if he’d heard her right, but couldn’t imagine what else she might have said.

“The distraction,” she clarified.

He looked down, shaking his head, trying to hide that he was blushing. “Both if I’m honest.”

Linda moved with the kind of confidence that came from knowing exactly what she was doing. Her hand found his neck, followed by her mouth. Ryan kissed her back. She unclicked her seatbelt and slid closer. His arm wrapped around her instinctively and pulled her in.

His hand brushed against her breast before settling there, and he felt a pause in her breathing as she pulled back.

Linda broke the kiss. For a second, Ryan thought he’d done something wrong, or maybe she’d had second thoughts about their difference in age. He was halfway to apologizing when she surprised him instead.

“Have you ever had your cock sucked by an older woman?”

Ryan hesitated just long enough for her to read the answer in his face. Her hand moved down to his thigh, then slowly slid to his waist and popped the top button on his 501’s.

“We can stop if you want,” she said. “But I know what I want.”

Ryan nodded, and lifted his hips slightly as she unfastened his jeans, letting her pull them down and open just far enough to expose him fully. His cock sprang free, already stiff like his body was ready for something his mind wasn’t.

“Goddamn.” She licked her lips. “Look at you.”

She wrapped her fingers around the base, stroking it slowly, testing how he’d react, staring into his eyes the whole time.

He started to say something, a question, maybe, but Linda was already ahead of him.

“Shh. Stop thinking so hard. I’ve got you.”

Ryan’s head tipped back against the seat. His thighs tensed as she placed her other hand on his knee, gently prying his legs wider.

Before he knew it, her mouth was on his cock.

Her hand twisted slightly at the base while her lips worked the shaft. She moaned around him, and the vibration made his hips jerk upward. He gripped the seat with one hand while the other ran through her hair. His mind was in a fog, caught somewhere between disbelief and wanting more.

Linda bobbed her head, working him with her lips and tongue, letting him feel the back of her throat.

“Fuck,” Ryan’s voice broke. “Linda...”

“Don’t cum,” she said. “Not yet. Not in my mouth.”

She stood on the seat and pulled her tank top over her head, pleased when she saw his eyes widen at the sight of her breasts. She was being playful now, shaking her hips a little as she slid her shorts off, letting them fall the rest of the way on their own.

"You like what you see?" She teased.

"Fuck yes."

"Now see the rest." She took a step across his body, a small grin formed as she looked down at him. “Take my panties off.”

Ryan reached up, hooked his thumbs into the sides of her lace thong, and slowly peeled it down her legs.

She lowered herself onto his lap, steadying herself with a hand on his shoulder. “Put the seat back.”

As the seat tilted back, he felt her take his cock into her hand and guide it into the wet folds of her pussy.

“Holy fuck.” He took a deep breath.

She loved his reaction. He’d probably been with plenty of college girls, but something about this felt new to him, and that gave her a thrill.

She brushed the side of his face. “Just lay back,” she said. “Let me take you for a ride.”

Linda took his hands and lifted them to her breasts.

He froze up for a second, but when her hips began to grind against him, instinct took over. His hands cupped and massaged her, drawing a quiet smile to her face.

“That’s it, baby,” she said softly, encouraging him.

She began to raise and lower herself on his cock, feeling him match her rhythm with slow, well-timed thrusts.

“Take your shirt off. I want to see those pecs.”

Ryan grabbed the neck of his t-shirt and yanked it off in one motion. Linda’s hands went straight to his chest, as much for balance as to feel if it was really as firm as it looked.

“Wow… men my age aren’t like this…” Her voice trailed off before she could finish the thought.

Linda began riding him faster, meeting each of his thrusts as he pushed up into her. The breeze off the ocean caught her hair, whipping it around them. Ryan’s hands found her hips and held them tight. She leaned in until her chest was against his, and somewhere in that motion, she felt an orgasm starting to build. Her eyes shut, and small sounds came from her mouth, one after another.

“Your cock is so nice,” she moaned.

Linda’s hands went to his shoulders, pressing down, as her body started to shake. Her breathing became uneven, and then came out in quick bursts as she rode him harder.

“Oh fuck…I’m cumming.”

Her spasms made Ryan tighten up as she squeezed around him.

“I can’t hold it,” he shouted quickly.

His legs began to shake, his stomach pulled tight as he unloaded into her. Linda felt him pulsing inside of her as her body softened, and her head dropped forward. For a few seconds she didn’t move, just stayed on him, while the aftershocks ran through her.

Ryan wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She lifted her head and kissed him, her body still trembling a little.

“That…” she said, still breathing hard. “Was fucking great.”

For a while they sat there in each other’s arms, half naked, listening to the waves. Neither of them wanted to move, but they both knew they had to get back to the meet.

By the time they pulled into the parking lot, most of the crowd was gone. Only a few cars remained, and at the far end, the coach sat under the white tent.

Ryan brought the Mustang to a stop in front of the canopy. Coach Casey stood up fast, looking slightly confused.

“Where the hell have you two been?”

“I took him out for a joy ride,” Linda said before Ryan could answer.

Ryan spotted a few things laid out on the table, footballs, photos, a helmet, all waiting for his signature.

He climbed out of the car, and pulled a Sharpie from his back pocket. “Let me get those for you, Coach.”

“I was worried,” the coach said. “Thought you weren’t coming back.”

“Have I ever let you down, Coach?”

“No, no you haven’t, son.” The coach couldn’t have guessed what had happened, but he sensed something different about Ryan and figured he knew why.

“If you don’t mind me saying, this morning when you came in, you looked tense, a little off your game.” He gave Ryan a once-over, like he was still trying to size up the man he’d grown into. “But that joy ride did something for you.”

“Did it ever,” Ryan said, trying not to look at Linda who was fighting back a laugh.

“When you get that first big NFL paycheck, you oughta get yourself something just like that,” the coach said, pointing to the car. “It’s done you wonders.”

“She sure did,” Ryan said. “Blew me away.”

The coach gathered up his things and started toward his truck. He turned, walking backward for a few steps. “Don’t you head back to San Diego without stopping by to see Gene.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, coach. Especially if she’s got some of that banana bread waiting.”

“I’ll make sure of it.” The coach gave a thumbs-up and kept walking.

Linda looked over at Ryan, the smile on her face finally breaking free. “You really couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

Ryan shrugged, laughing under his breath. “Guess not.”

She rested her elbow on the door, watching the coach disappear down the lot. “Well,” she said, “I guess this is it. I head back to my life, and you head back to San Diego.”

“You could always come for a visit.”

“Please. You’ve got all those college girls down there. You’ll forget about me by next week.”

“Not a chance,” he said. “I think I’ll be wearing number 26 next season.”

Linda laughed, shaking her head, but he could tell she liked that answer. The Mustang’s engine turned over. She lowered her sunglasses and pulled her hair back.

Ryan started to say something, but she pulled away before he could. He’d save it for next time.