“They are,” I said, a smile sneaking across my mouth. They still had trouble channeling their energy on the field, but I loved their excitement, even if it exhausted me by the end of a game.
“Hey, Emily. Can I talk to you?”
Alex had been the ref for the last couple of games, and while I wouldn’t admit to Jesse that he was right, Alex always lingered by me more than other coaches. I was cordial but distant, as I didn’t need opposing teams thinking his attention on me meant that my team would have an unfair advantage. He was good-looking enough, but I wasn’t interested. Not only because of my current Jesse problems.
I appreciated a confident man, but Alex toed the line between confident and full of himself. At least full of himself to the point of not taking a hint or ignoring it.
“Sure, what’s up?”
I glared at Sabrina over his shoulder as she fluttered her eyelashes behind him.
“I saw on Facebook you’re a big-time editor. Penny told me a little about it, but I didn’t realize you had so many famous clients.”
“I don’t know if I’d say big-time, but?—”
“I’ve had a manuscript I’ve wanted to publish for years but never had the guts to try. Maybe we could have dinner, and we could talk about it?”
“I’m not taking new clients right now. My schedule is pretty booked.”
“Well, it’s been sitting there for years. It can sit some more until you’re ready.” He smiled, his voice dropping to a new raspy octave. “I just thought I could get some ideas from you.”
I peered over at my kids, all staring at us. At least Jesse wasn’t here to get all alpha over Alex today and seethe every timehe’d try to speak to me. The last time we texted, he’d mentioned that his mother was bringing Maddie today and he’d try to catch the end of the game after his work meeting was over.
Alex was one of those people who wouldn’t let it go until you agreed to meet. Without an audience, I hoped I could fully let him down as a potential client or anything else he had in mind.
“I have some time this evening. There’s a coffee shop by Sunrise?—”
“I’ll buy you dinner instead. It’s the least I can do for you making the time.” His smile deepened, and my sneakers felt like they were in quicksand. “How’s Julianna’s at six?”
“Hey, Coach. Time to start soon,” Sabrina called out, tapping her watch.
“Fine. Julianna’s at six. I’ll meet you there.”
“So, it’s a date. Awesome. Have a good game,” he said, beaming at me as he jogged off without giving me a chance to correct him.
“Okay, kids,” I said, ambling over to where they sat on the grass. “Like I told you last game, pass the ball rather than crowd?—”
“Coach Emily has a date,” Mikayla, a beautiful little girl with black hair and wide dark eyes, announced to the entire team.
“Is he taking you to dinner or drinks?” Jeffrey asked. “My uncle told my dad yesterday he only does drink dates at first so he can leave fast if the girl is boring.”
“Well, my cousin says that a guy who doesn’t ask you to dinner isn’t worth going out with.” Mikayla flipped her silky pigtail over one shoulder.
“You can’t have a date at a fast-food restaurant,” Candie, my tallest girl, piped in, her blond curls swaying as she shook her head. “My mom didn’t speak to my dad for like a whole week after he took her to McDonald’s on a date night. I don’t know why she was so mad. I love McDonald’s.”
My eyes fell on Maddie, peering up at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. Her gaze was curious but not upset. I wondered what, if anything, she’d picked up on between her uncle and me, but maybe she just thought of us as friends.
I’d hoped the kids hadn’t heard Alex say date or would know what that meant, but I guessed they knew more about dating than I did.
“She’s going to Julianna’s,” Mikayla told Candie. “They have the good warm bread with the oil and pepper plate.That’sa date.” She smiled and gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
“Okay, guys, this is all great advice, but you have a game to play,” Sabrina said, clapping her hands. “Listen to Coach Emily.” Her eyes were wide when she found my gaze. I grimaced back and nodded, grabbing my whistle as I surveyed all the young eyes on me.
“Okay, everyone. Let’s have a great game and have fun,” I said, trying for an easy and relaxed smile before I blew the whistle for them to line up. They scurried to the field, but Maddie lingered behind and padded over to where Sabrina and I stood behind the line.
“Everything okay, Maddie?” I asked, my heart dropping to my stomach at the concerned crease in her brow.
“My mom went on a date a couple of times. She got really dressed up and wore these,” Maddie said, flicking her earlobes. They were the gold butterflies she always wore that seemed too big for her ears, but I let her wear them when she played since they were posts and didn’t dangle.
