Jesse took a slight step back when she reached for his arm.
“I brought a chair for my mother, but I’m going to stay over here to help Em and Sabrina. I’m used to it from all Emily’s games in high school.”
He snuck me a grin.
“Oh,” she said, glancing back at me, phony smile still in place. “I didn’t realize you knew each other from high school.”
“Yes, Emily and I have alonghistory,” Jesse said with a big grin that I wasn’t sure was for show or not, but it stole my breath all the same.
“I see.” I had to hold back a laugh at the disappointment bleeding into her features. “We have an extra chair in case you need one?—”
“I don’t, but thanks.”
She exhaled what looked like a frustrated breath through her nostrils.
“Well, I’ll be right over there in case you…get tired.”
She lingered for another minute and disappeared into the rows of parents at the edge of the field.
“You can sit with the kids over there,” I said to Aubrey, pointing to where Sabrina was checking off attendance on a clipboard. “Once everyone is here, we’ll line up on the field. Sound good?”
Aubrey nodded and headed over, not looking back at me or for her mother.
A laugh burst out of my chest when I met Jesse’s gaze.
“I needed that,” I said, pressing my palm against my forehead. “Nothing like a little comic relief before a game. That poor kid,” I whispered to Jesse. “She’s so much more relaxed when her father brings her to the field.”
Jesse laughed. “So am I. Nice work. It’s okay if I stay over here? I meant to ask.”
“If you want to, sure. I know Maddie will appreciate it.”
“I did want to stay close for her sake too, but I figured I’d linger over here in case you needed anything. Even though you have it handled, pushy parents and all.”
“Thanks. After she was all over you last practice, I’m surprised she went away so easily.”
“You noticed that?” Jesse drew his brows together.
“Well, it was a little obvious.”
“I see,” he said, giving me a slow nod.
“You see what?” I squinted at Jesse.
“You weren’t jealous or anything, were you?” He raised a brow as his lips twitched.
“No,” I said, a little too quickly, with a chalklike screech in my reply. “I was too busy trying to line up my kids to notice any single parents canoodling on the sidelines.”
“Canoodling? You editors know a lot of words,” he teased.
“You want to be cute? Now you’re on snack duty. You can explain how we only have healthy veggie sticks instead of chips between goals.” I jutted my chin toward the bag of food next to the cooler.
“So, you think I’m cute,” Jesse said, snickering as he held my gaze.
“You’re still decent, I guess.” I scowled back at him as I adjusted the whistle around my neck. “But that doesn’t mean I’m jealous.”
“I’m flattered. Thanks,” he rasped with a low whisper that curled my toes inside my sneakers. His smile shrank as the air thickened between us, too charged for a kids’ soccer game—a game where I had to be present enough to coach.
Swooning over my high school ex-boyfriend was stupid on too many levels today.
