Chapter Six
Chase
I shouldn’t have brought her here.
What I did on Saturdays was my business and mine alone, and yet all it had taken was her batting her bright blue eyes my way and a confession on how lucky she was because of my father, and I’d been willing to take the one thing that I had for myself and expose it to someone else. Doing this was all me. I did it because I enjoyed it.
I didn’t need someone judging me for it.
Pulling up to the Radnor High School parking lot, I parked and let out a breath. The familiar maroon and white uniforms washed across the football field, and children from eleven to thirteen warmed up in preparation for the game. We were playing Springfield today, and stakes were high. Last time we’d been up against them, we lost by three points. We wouldn’t make that mistake again.
The team that I coached was waiting for me in a huddle, probably pumping each other up like I’d taught them. One of the moms walked by, spotted me, and waved.
Smiling, I returned the greeting.
“What are we doing here?” Taylor asked slowly, staring at the field. “Do you come here to watch the games? To watch kids play?”
“Something like that.” I pulled my whistle out of my cup holder and turned toward her. “If you don’t want to stay, I can call you an Uber.”
She licked her lips, undoing her belt. “I’ll stay.”
This was stupid. I never should have invited her along. This was my thing. My escape from being a monster. No one else’s. Why the hell would she want to watch me coach a bunch of kids in a game I could no longer play? “Seriously, you can go—”
“Chase?” she broke in, placing her hand on my thigh.
I stiffened beneath her touch. “Yeah?”
“I would love to stay.”
Nodding, I opened the door. “Then let’s go.”
She got out, too, and came around the front, smoothing her hair.
Smirking, I touched a piece of it. I loved her hair. It was so bright, soft, and long. The bounce was fun to play with. I tugged on a piece, watching it pop right back into place. “Your hair looks fine, relax.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Flushing, she stopped touching it. “I should have brushed it this morning. The wind blew it all over the place—”
Taking my hat off my head, I plopped it down on hers. “There. All better, no one can see.”
She bit down on her lip. Jealousy over a pair of teeth hit me hard. “You don’t have to give me your hat.”
“I don’t mind.” I held my hand out to her for the second time that day. “Come on.”
This time, she didn’t hesitate. She just slid her hand inside mine, and something between us changed. Bringing her here, showing her this piece of myself, did that.
I couldn’t ignore that I’d chosen her for a reason.
Despite my best efforts to keep my distance, to not give a damn about her, she’d wormed into my life and I couldn’t shake her. I might not want her there, and she might not actually want to be there, either, but it was what it was.
She was in my life.
And I was in hers.
That didn’t mean I was going to fall in love with her, or beg her to be mine, but I didn’t necessarily have to be an asshole to her, either, right? Couldn’t we just be…
Friends?
“So, what, you just sit and watch games all day?”
I swallowed. “Actually, I coach.”
“What?” she exclaimed.
“Yeah. I coach B-team football at Radnor.” I stole a glance at her, tightening my grip on her hand. “We’re undefeated so far this season.”
She nodded, checking out the football field. “Which team is yours?”
“Maroon and white.”
Her steps matched mine perfectly as we climbed down the hill next to the field. “How old are they?”
“Fourth through sixth grade.”
She smiled. “Are those little cheerleaders?”
“Yeah, they compete and stuff.”
“That’s so cute,” she said, her voice sincere.
I didn’t say anything. Showing her all this, telling her my secret, was opening myself up to scrutiny and vulnerability. It wasn’t easy, and I didn’t particularly like it. My stomach churned, and I was seconds from calling her an Uber and telling her to fuck off. Guess I was more of an asshole than I thought, because that would be easier than this.
“They’re all so cute.”
I flexed my jaw. “The kids are all cool.”
“And the parents…?”
“I’ve had no problems. I had to do a pretty extensive background check, and I had to prove I wasn’t convicted of any crimes. I didn’t race him that night. I was trying to stop him. He shouldn’t have been driving…” I broke off, feeling like a fucking fool. I stopped walking and dropped her hand. What the hell was I doing? Did I really think we could be friends? That this thing between us could be more than a paid arrangement, with my father the monkey in the middle? “This was stupid. You should go.”
“I’m not going. And Chase?” She touched my inner arm. “I believe you.”
I ran my hand down my face. “Taylor—”
“I know how hard it was for you to bring me here,” she said. “It’s easier to push me away, right?”
How did she know that?
“Taking a step in letting me in, that was huge, and scary, but don’t let it stop you. I told you I’m here to help you with school and anything else you need. You’ve been shutting people out for way too long. It’s time to let someone in.”
I gritted my teeth. “And you’re the person I should let in?”
“I am.” She touched my bicep. It was an innocent touch. Barely there. Yet it shook me in ways that all the name-calling in the world never had. “You can trust me, Chase. I swear.”
I wanted to. That was the fucked-up part. Even though she was here because my father paid her to be, I wanted to believe that there was more to it than that.
That she actually cared.
“Coach Chase?” a familiar voice said from behind me.
I tore my attention off the girl trying to kill me, and focused on my quarterback. “Yeah?”
“Can you show me that play we went over one more time?” He side-eyed Taylor, then tugged on his glove. “I don’t want to mess it up.”
“Sure, Mikey.” I clapped him on the back and pointed to the bench where I’d be sitting. “You can sit behind that bench, Taylor. We’ll be over there.”
She smiled. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, leading Mikey away.
“Is she your girlfriend?” he immediately asked as I led him toward the bench.
“No.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “She’s just my…my…” Friend? Tutor? Employee? Shit if I knew.
“She’s pretty.”
I thumped him on the back. “She’s too old for you.”
“You never know,” he said, grinning. “She might like younger guys.”
Shaking my head, I refused to feel jealous of a kid who was braver than me when it came to Taylor. “Let’s go over that play, okay?”