“Coby! Come on!” Ellie yelled from the kitchen, sounding far more impatient than the last three times she’d called for me.

A week into my new coaching job, the school had offered me the boys’ phys-ed position. I had accepted before the offer was even out of Michelin Man’s mouth. Ellie had laughed at me when I told her about it, saying I wasn’t doing a very good job of pretending to be against her idea to coach. I told her I was only doing it for her.

Now, we rode together to the school most days. On the days I had practice after school, she stayed behind and graded papers or whatnot. Occasionally, we would drive ourselves, but even on those mornings, we still followed one another the twenty-minute drive to the school.

“I’m coming!” I yelled back while walking out of my room.

“That’s what she said.” She couldn’t even say it without giggling. “If you make me late, I’m gonna kick your butt.”

“Whatever, let’s just go.”

“What took you so long to get ready this morning?” she asked after backing out of the driveway. “Trying to look good for Melissa Mills?”

Melissa, or Missy as she liked to be called, was the girls’ PE teacher. This wasn’t the first time Ellie had mentioned her, but no matter how many times I’d asked about her odd obsession over the woman, she never gave me an answer, choosing to brush me off.

“Why would I want to look good for her?”

She started to wave me off, but when I grabbed her hand and held it on the console between us, it seemed to force her to answer. “It’s obvious to everyone she’s into you.”

Well, that shocked the crap out of me. “You’re insane.”

“Coby, the woman flirts with you all the time.”

I released her hand and turned in my seat to face her, not caring that she hadn’t taken her eyes off the road in front of us. There was no way she couldn’t feel the holes my stare burned into her head. “I think I would know if someone was flirting with me. You seem to forget the level of experience I have in that department.”

I may not have been skilled with women, but I did know a thing or two about flirting.

“You can’t possibly think hussies throwing themselves at you is considered normal. Heck, it’s not even flirting. In the real world, when two people flirt, they do so without getting naked in the first five seconds.”

I laughed at her. “E.T., I’m telling you…I would know. She isn’t interested in me. Missy’s just a nice person. She talks to you the same way she talks to me. Same way she interacts with everyone at the school.”

“I’d say you’re blind, but that’s not a secret.”

I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose. “Am not.”

“Whatever. Why can’t you just admit she likes you? It’s not a big deal.”

“Then why are you making it one?”

She turned quiet for a moment and shrugged. “I’m not. Just pointing out the obvious.”

This was such odd behavior for Ellie. I’d never seen her act this way before—about anything. But rather than question it, I decided to leave it alone. Although, it only seemed to get worse once we pulled into the teacher parking lot…right next to Missy Mills.

“Morning!” She was so cheerful. Always. It didn’t matter the time of day. She always came to work with a cup of coffee in her hand and a bright, wide smile on her pink lips. I swear, I wondered if it was permanently etched there.

I closed the car door and turned to greet her, but the sound of Ellie’s groan made me pause. I took one look at my friend and pinched my brow together in silent question, wondering where her sudden frustration had come from.

“I just remembered I forgot something at home,” she answered with a flick of her wrist. She locked the car and forced a smile to her lips while facing Missy. “Morning, Melissa.” And then she turned around and headed inside.

I glanced at Missy, then at my retreating friend, then back at the smiling blonde in front of me. For whatever reason, it seemed like Ellie refused to call her Missy, always using her full name, and I couldn’t figure out why. The whole thing was odd and awkward.

“You ready for today?” Missy asked as she sidled up next to me, dismissing whatever had just happened with Ellie.

“Today? What’s going on? What do I need to be ready for?”

She giggled and playfully smacked my shoulder. “We’re sharing the field for the freshmen classes. Did you forget already? We just talked about it on Friday. I should’ve sent you a text this weekend to remind you.”

“Why didn’t you?” We walked next to each other into the gym on our way to our office so we could put down our things. “You have my number, right?”

Her grin widened. “Yeah, it’s on my phone.”

“Oh, then you should’ve sent me a text. I mean, not that I needed to be reminded about sharing a field with the girls. I don’t really have to be prepared to see you throughout the day, but you can text or call whenever you want.”

Her cheeks turned pink, matching her lips. “I wasn’t sure if Ellie would mind.”

I grabbed the whistle from the top drawer on the desk and slipped it over my head while giving her a blank stare. “Why would she care?”

Missy shrugged while tying her blond hair back.

When she turned to leave, I reached out and held her elbow to stop her retreat, making her turn toward me again. “No. Don’t do that. Everyone here seems so interested in my relationship with Ellie, and now you’re acting strange. I get that I’m the new guy on campus, but it would be great if someone would say something in front of me so I knew what was going on.”

“Everyone’s confused about what your relationship is. I mean, you guys come to work together most days, leave together, yet you don’t actually act like a couple. So I guess we’re all a little baffled as to what’s going on between you two.”

“We’re friends, Missy. Always have been, and always will be. We grew up together. And we drive each other to and from work most days because we live in the same house, so it doesn’t make sense to take both cars to and from the same place.”

Her dark eyes softened, and a hint of a smile ghosted her lips. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you like you’re her knight in shining armor.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re best friends. That’s it.” For some reason, the thought of Ellie looking at me differently made my heart speed up and thunder against my sternum. I shook it off, realizing I had no right to feel that way toward Ellie.

“If you say so,” she sang with her grin widening, flashing her perfectly straight teeth.

“I do. End of story.” I wagged my brows at her and left the room.

She trailed behind me, her giggles following me like background music. “Don’t hog the field today. Got it?”

“And if I do?” I glanced at her over my shoulder.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and squinted just enough to look sexy, confusing me even more than I was about my thoughts regarding Ellie. This time, my bewilderment was directed toward another female, and I began to wonder when my life had become so complicated.

“I’ll hide your equipment,” she teased.

“That’s okay. I have my own balls.” When her eyes went round, her mouth parting just enough to let the softest gasp pass through, I realized my blunder. “No. That’s not what I meant. Oh, shit—I mean, crap. Fu—udge ruckers.”

As if I hadn’t just talked about my testicles, and then cursed in the middle of a Catholic school, her laughter bellowed down the gym corridor. “Relax, Coby. It took me a little while to find my filter here, too. Not that I curse often, but when I’m blindsided, it slips out from time to time. Trust me, I’m the last person you have to worry about ratting you out.”

My shoulders fell forward with relief. “Thanks, Missy.”

“Anytime, Coby.” And then she was gone.

* * *

I’d just dismissed the basketball players after practice ended when Ellie showed up in the gym. Her contagious grin faltered when she noticed Missy helping me rack the balls, and had I not been drowning in the sight of her, I would’ve missed it in the split second before she corrected herself, plastering on a fake grin in place of the real thing.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were done. I can just wait out in the car,” Ellie said while wringing her hands around her purse strap.

“I am done. Just putting these away, but that’ll only take a second.”

Missy took the cart and wheeled it away from me. “I’ve got this. You go ahead.”

“You sure?”

She glanced between Ellie and me before winking in my direction. “Yeah. I’m sure. Go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Just before I left the gym, she called out, “And don’t hog the field again.”

“Or what?”

One eyebrow quirked, a hand fisted on her jutted hip. “I’ll steal your balls.”

I considered cupping myself, but then thought better of it. The school—even after hours—wasn’t the right place to be crude. “Good luck. If Ellie hasn’t been able to do that in twenty-two years, I doubt you stand much of a chance.”

She giggled softly and then waved me off.

Ellie was a solid twenty feet ahead of me by the time I exited the gym. I called out to her to wait up, but she didn’t even flinch, as if she hadn’t heard me. But I knew she had. And her avoidance sent a warning through me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked once we were both seated in her car.

“Nothing.”

I didn’t have much experience with women, but even I could tell that was a lie. When a female tells you she’s fine, or nothing is bothering her, that generally means the complete opposite. And considering I knew Ellie better than anyone else, I had no doubt in my mind that something had, in fact, upset her.

“E.T., don’t do that. Don’t lie to me. What’s going on?”

“I’m not lying.” She pulled out of the parking lot, keeping her attention on everything except me. However, I didn’t stop staring at her, didn’t say anything else, and waited for the pressure to become too great to handle—she’d cave and answer without any further prodding. “I was just taken by surprise, is all.”

“By what?” I was beyond confused.

“You’re assisting Coach Garrison for the boys’ basketball team. Yet Melissa was in the gym when I walked in, looking all cozy next to you. I just wasn’t expecting to see her there.”

“Yeah, Gary had an appointment he couldn’t get out of, so Missy filled in for him today.” I had no experience in any sport other than baseball, but since it wasn’t baseball season yet, part of my job was to assist with other teams. Morale was about the only thing I had to offer, and the school seemed to appreciate it.

“You are aware his name isn’t Gary, right?”

I hesitated, wondering if she was kidding. “Yes, it is.”

“Oh, really? Gary Garrison?”

“I figured his parents were cruel.”

“No. His name is Mitch. Where did you get Gary from?”

“That’s what everyone calls him…” I felt like someone had played a mean joke on the new guy—me being the new guy.

“They call him Garrison. Which is his last name.”

“No…” I drew out the word with expressed exaggeration. “They’ve talked about his kid, and they say Gary’s son.” If I could’ve swallowed back those words, I would have. “Don’t say anything. And stop laughing. You didn’t hear me say that because I didn’t. The last five minutes don’t count.”

She stopped at a red light and covered her face, her cackles filling the car.

“Back to you being upset about finding Missy in the gym.”

And that’s when her laughter died. It was like someone had slapped her, completely erasing all humor from her face. Again, she stared straight ahead, more than likely willing the light to change colors so she could get home quicker. “It’s nothing. Okay?”

“Doesn’t seem like nothing. Do you have a problem with Missy?”

“No.” Her grip tightened on the wheel as she accelerated. “It’s just odd to see you flirt with someone. I know it happens. I’m fully aware that you date—or have dated—and it doesn’t bother me. But it’s never been in my face before—it’s weird.”

I glanced behind me as if I could see the school. “I wasn’t flirting with her. I have no idea what’s gotten into you today, but I can assure you, you’re mistaken. She was simply helping out with the team, and when you walked in, we were putting the equipment away.”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me. If you like her, then go for it.”

“But I don’t like her. Not like that.”

“Why not? She’s cute. Has a nice body, pretty face. What’s not to like?”

I adjusted myself in the seat, angling my torso toward her. “Are you jealous, E.T.?”

“Of what?” Her voice had spiked and came out louder than what was considered normal.

“Sounds to me like you have a thing for Missy.”

“I’m fairly certain I would know if I liked girls.”

“Hey, I don’t judge. You’re the one who’s talking about how cute she is, obviously having taken notice of her body.”

“I’m allowed to check out a woman’s body and it not be sexual.”

“Then what would it be?”

“An observation?” She shook her head, but I waited it out, refusing to let her get away without answering me. “It’s more of a comparison. Okay, so maybe I’m a little envious, but not the way you’re making it sound.”

“Then explain it to me. What is there to be jealous of?” My heart did that unusual thud again, making me wonder if I’d somehow picked up an arrhythmia since this morning. Just the thought of her being jealous sent my entire world off kilter—but in a good way. In a way I’d never allowed myself to contemplate.

“She’s smaller than I am, and has a really cute figure, so I guess I’m jealous that she can wear shorts without the leg holes hugging her thighs the way mine do. Or how perfectly round her butt is. She can wear tank tops without her cleavage being the prime focus.”

I was flabbergasted, completely shocked by her admission. Ellie was gorgeous, no doubt about it. I may have never noticed her the way other guys had, but that didn’t mean I’d never taken note of her figure. All the things she now complained about or seemed to have issues with were what I loved most. The thighs she hinted at being big were so perfect I’d recently found myself admiring them while she sat next to me on the couch at night. She may have thought Missy’s ass was “perfectly round,” not quite saying what she thought about her own, but I disagreed. In fact, I couldn’t help checking Ellie’s out on a daily basis, then needing to leave the room to hide my body’s reaction to hers.

But I couldn’t tell her any of that.

She’d made it clear we were friends, and approaching that line was dangerous.

So I kept my mouth shut.

“Just to be clear…you check her body out because you wish you looked like her?”

“Well, when you say it like that, you make me sound insecure. Which I’m not. I guess we all want what we can’t have. But there are times—and I think this is true for all women—when we look at others and wish we could pull off their wardrobe or makeup or hair. Although, at the same time, I’m pretty sure she admires women with a fuller figure and feels the same way I do when I look at her. It’s the curse of being female. We’re never happy with what we have.”

I wanted to tell her she had nothing to worry about, and shouldn’t ever fantasize about looking any differently than she does, but I couldn’t find the right words that wouldn’t make me sound like my feelings for her surpassed friendship.

“But stop deflecting,” she lectured after turning into our neighborhood. “You said you don’t like her. Why not?”

I hesitated, needing a moment to think about my answer. I hadn’t been interested in a woman in a long time. Most of the ones from my past had ruined me for others, but that wasn’t the real reason I wasn’t interested in Missy. I just needed to figure out how to word it first.

“I don’t know, Ellie. It’s hard to explain. She’s nice and all, and I get along with her, but she’s not my type.”

“I wasn’t aware you had a type.” She pulled into the driveway and opened the garage. I thought I was in the clear, until she asked, “What kind of woman would you go after if you had the choice?”

“Someone I didn’t have to try with. It’s no secret how horrible I am at impressing people, which has been my issue all along. I guess I’m just waiting for someone to come along who gets me without having to dig too deep.”

“So you’re looking for a friend?”

“No. I already have one of those.” I got out of the car and headed inside with Ellie at my heels. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at here, El. I guess I’ll know the right girl when she comes along. And right now, I haven’t found her.”

“Then I think you should inform Melissa. She’s obviously into you, and the longer you go without speaking up or making your intentions clear, the worse it can get. You guys not only work together, but you’re in the same department, too. Side by side. You share an office with the woman, for crying out loud. The last thing you want is for things to become strained or awkward.”

“You think I should just go up to her and say I’m not interested in dating her? That doesn’t seem odd at all.” I grabbed a water from the fridge while she pulled the thawed chicken out and moved around the kitchen to gather what she needed to prepare dinner.

“You don’t have to make it weird, Coby. My God, you really do suck at talking to women, don’t you? Just in conversation, make it clear where your head’s at. It can be subtle. You don’t have to lay it all out there and leave her feeling uncomfortable and rejected.”

“So when are you going to do that with Gage?”

She stopped what she was doing, a frying pan hanging from her hand at her side. “Come again?”

“You two talk all the time. I think you should tell him you’re not interested.”

“I have.” She stared at me, dumbfounded. “Every time we talk I tell him that.”

“He clearly isn’t getting the message. You should say it louder.”

She rolled her eyes and continued with the food, working around me like she did every night after work. And as if we hadn’t just had the strangest conversation about us dating—or not dating—we fluently fell right into our everyday routine.

* * *

“What are you doing tonight?” Missy asked at the end of the day while we packed our bags in the office. “I noticed you didn’t arrive with Ellie. Does that mean you have your own car?”

“Yeah. It’s game day, and she didn’t want to stay for it.”

“Do you have plans after the game?”

I shrugged, but immediately picked up on what Ellie had talked about earlier in the week. Wondering if this was the casual conversation she’d mentioned, I kept it going long enough to get my answer. “I don’t think so. My friends are in town for a few days, so I might meet up with some of them. Not sure yet, though. I haven’t really talked to any of them in a while. Why? What are you doing?”

“Nothing so far. I thought I’d ask if you might be interested in getting together?”

“To hang out?”

Her lips twisted to the side as she contemplated my question. “Yeah. Maybe dinner or drinks since it’ll be late once the game is over.”

“Like a group thing?”

“If you want. Although, I didn’t really have anyone else in mind. I thought it would be fun to hang out and get to know each other. I remember what it was like being the new guy on campus and how hard it was to make connections with the real teachers.”

I paused with my words on the tip of my tongue, wondering how this would play out. “I’m sorry, Missy. I think you’re really great, but I’m not ready to date. I’ve had a rough go of it for a while now, and I’m having fun with this new lease on life. Coaching and teaching here is a new experience for me, and I worry things would only get mucky if I start to date someone I work with.”

Her laughter filled the tiny office. “Well, I wasn’t meaning it as a date, but it’s good to know where your head’s at.”

“Oh my God. How embarrassing.”

“No…don’t be embarrassed, Coby. It’s my fault. I wasn’t clear with my intentions. I’d asked a few of the other teachers already, but they all have plans. I’m so sorry for making this weird.” The smile on her lips danced in her tone, although not in a mocking kind of way.

“Really, you have no reason to apologize. I’m the one who put my foot in my mouth.”

“Well, at least we got that squared away. But listen, if you don’t end up going out with your friends tonight and decide you’d like to have some company, give me a call. Fridays are generally my only nights to do anything, and I hate sitting at home alone.”

“Will do.” I nodded, even though I knew she wouldn’t hear from me.

Good thing I was only the assistant coach for the basketball team, because my head was everywhere but in the game. I was too lost in my thoughts over why I’d turned Missy down to casually hang out. She really was a great girl, someone I got along with and could talk to without being awkward. I didn’t feel any pressure where she was concerned. Except, I still had no desire to spend my evening with her.

After my chat with Ellie earlier in the week about what type of woman I wanted, I’d given it a lot of thought. Ellie was my type. She was perfect in every way. If I had a checklist for my dream girl, there’d only be one item on it—Ellie. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t another female on this planet who had the same qualities she possessed. There had to be some reason why things never worked out with other women in the past, and why I had no desire to date.

On my way home from the game, it came to me. As if I’d been struck by another car, the realization crashed into me, practically stopping my heart from beating.

I didn’t want to date anyone because no one else was Ellie.

It had nothing to do with her qualities, and everything to do with who she was. She’d been in front of me for years, basically sitting there, waiting for me to see her in a different light. I couldn’t find a rational excuse why I shouldn’t try—other than it would be weird, and she’d more than likely have a laundry list of reasons why it was a bad idea. But there was no harm in trying to figure it out together. With that thought on my mind, I whipped into the parking lot of the first drugstore I came to. My heartbeat thrummed in my throat as I raced inside, desperate to find the perfect bouquet of flowers to tell her how I felt.

Excitement roared through my body at the possibility of us sharing the same feelings.

But first, I had to convince her it would be okay to give us a shot.

Yes, it could ruin our friendship, but it could also give us both something so much better.

When I got home, I was so eager to confess everything, I hopped out of the car without the flowers. However, as I ran inside, it was like my world quit spinning. She was about to leave, dressed in tight jeans and a tank top with a light sweater over it.

“Where are you going?” I asked, cornering her in the kitchen.

“My date with Gage.”

I about tripped over myself. “What?”

“You remember. I lost that bet with him months ago, and we finally have time to get together.” She moved around me as though I was nothing but a statue in the room. “I figured tonight made the most sense, considering I thought you’d be out with Melissa.”

“Why would you think that?”

“She asked me if I would have a problem with the two of you hanging out tonight.”

“And you told her you wouldn’t?” For whatever reason, that bothered me almost as much as her going on a date with Gage Nix, the notorious player—on and off the field. Friend or not, I didn’t like the idea of them being alone together without me there as a buffer. The last time we’d all hung out, they practically had sex right in front of me. The thought of the two of them alone was more than I could handle.

“Why would I? You need to get out and do stuff, Coby. You don’t have to marry the girl.”

There was no point in reiterating my lack of interest in Missy. Ellie hadn’t listened earlier and wouldn’t do so now. The thundering in my chest that had clamored every time I’d been in Ellie’s presence recently turned into a raging storm. Lightning coursed through my heart, sending electrical currents racing through my veins, and I had to stuff my hands into my pockets to keep the shaking at bay.

The sound of blood pumping through my body created pounding thumps in my head. As much as I couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving, I needed her to go—before I lost my shit.

It seemed forgetting the flowers in the car was an omen. I just wish I’d known about it before buying them.