Levi swiped his forearm across his mouth, which for sure made him look like a caveman, but he was who he was, and Haddie should probably know that from the start.
“Sounds like a plan,” he told her, forcing his mouth into the best version of his postgame press conference smile. “See you there.”
“See you there, roomie!” she cried, with so much pep and vigor that Levi decided she was the most morning person to ever morning. “It’ll be great. I just know it!”
And with that, she was out the door before he could reply.
Would it be great? Did she really know it? Because the only thing Levi knew was that he knewnothingabout navigating this new friendship and crossed his fingers they’d figure it out together…after he hid any future peanut butter jars.
Chapter 5
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as Haddie steppedonto her half of the football (and todaysoccer) field with her clipboard in hand, a smile plastered on her face. She breathed in the crisp morning air, reveling in the excitement that filled her chest. Soccer camp had always been her favorite lead-up to the start of school when she was a teen, and now she had the opportunity to instill that same excitement in her own team.
Although it didn’t escape her that her zeal this morning at the apartment might have been a tad over the top. But she wasn’t sure how to act in front of Levi after what felt like a weirdly intimate evening the night before even though neither stepped foot out of their own room after the bed assembly that concluded with Levi accidentally straddling her. They just needed to find their rhythm, and if that rhythm meant Haddie skedaddling before Levi had a chance to drink his morning coffee so she wouldn’t think about that accidental straddle every time she looked at him, so be it.
“All right, team!” Haddie clapped her hands together, catching the attention of her players as they ambled onto the field, not quite as bright-eyed as their coach. “I’m Coach Martin, and while I wantto get to know each and every one of you today, let’s start with a warm-up and show ’em what we’re made of! Stretch out and gimme four laps around the track!”
Despite several yawns and a few groans at being asked to run a mile first thing in the morning, Haddie’s team hit the track and did as they were asked. When she dropped her clipboard on the bench andjoinedthem, she was met with a few raised brows, a few whoops and claps, and even a shout of, “Coach Martin is forreal!”
This was amuchbetter start than the whole peanut butter incident.Ugh.She knew they’d eventually learn the less curated sides of each other’s personalities, but the key word here waseventually. Not morning one! She hadn’t anticipated transitioning so quickly from sexy stranger at a bar who stole his Toblerone to woman who can’t eat without smearing food all over her face like a toddler.
Haddie averted her eyes as they passed the boys’ coach taking roll on the other end of the field. It was hard enough trying to navigate how to act around Levi now that they lived together and apparently watched late-night television together as well. But she hadn’t anticipated coaching on the field beside him in addition to teaching in the same district. For all intents and purposes, they’d gone from complete and total strangers without even know each other’s names to basically spending every waking minute together. And…in her case…every not-so-waking minute.
How long had she been sleeping on their video chat before he finally ended it? And was she snoring? At least Levi had been nice enough not to mention it.
Mon dieu, she thought to herself, then picked up speed. “Who’sgoing to beat me to the finish line?” she cried, looking over at her shoulder as she pulled ahead of her entire team.
“Smoke her!” one girl cried. “We can’t let some old lady show us up!”
Old?Haddie’s inner voice screamed.OLD?If these young women thought barely thirty-one was old, they were in for a rude awakening in the not-too-distant future.
Haddie only had one choice. Shehadto win. So she broke into a sprint as they hit lap two, and from there, she thought about nothing other than her breathing, putting one foot in front of another, and making sure she maintained the lead until lap four came to a close.
She crossed the finish line at least a half a minute before anyone else and found herself greeted with applause, whistles, and whoops from the entire boys’ soccer teamandtheir coach.
Haddie slowed to a backward jog as she watched her own team, one by one, stream in behind her. “Any one of you athletes want to call me old again?” she challenged, ignoring the stitch in her side and the burn in her lungs that came from forgoing her own warm-up.
Her team members answered her with belabored breaths and hands pressed against their knees as they tried to collect themselves. She wasn’t sure who made the original comment, but judging by the way one of her athletes stared daggers at her with arms crossed, her pinched brows fighting against the pull of her tight, dark French braids, Haddie had a guess.
“That was pretty savage, Coach Martin,” Levi mused, stridingup beside her. “And impressive,” he added. “I barely made it through roll call on my roster before you clocked an entire mile.”
Haddie swallowed, trying to lubricate her throat enough to speak since her water bottle was all the way over on the bench, and she seemed to be stuck in a game of chicken with the girl in French braids, neither daring to break eye contact first.
“I either really impressed them,” she finally replied. “Or just made eighteen new enemies.”
Levi laughed. “Good thing you still have the better part of three hours to figure it out.” He nudged her shoulder with his own. “I’ll take the south end of the field,” he told her, nodding toward the opposite end of where they stood.
Haddie squinted as she noticed one lone member of Levi’s team who hadnotjoined the rest to gawk at theoldlady racing a pack of teens. He dribbled a soccer ball between his feet, occasionally bringing it up to volley from one knee to the other.
“Who’s that?” she asked.
“According to my roster, he’s a senior named Billy McMannus, but all I got when I called his name was a grunt, so I took it as acknowledgment that he was the guy on my list. According to the not-so-tight-lipped rest of my team, Billy is an ace player who rarely gets off the bench due to frequent academic ineligibility.” Levi shrugged. “Not really sure what to make of that.”
Haddie finally relinquished the staring contest to turn toward her fellow coach. “Don’t let other people tell his story. School year hasn’t even started yet. My advice? Try not to label him before you’re even sure of his name.” Her words came out harsher than she’dintended. She saw a muscle pulse in Levi’s jaw, but when she opened her mouth to apologize, he beat her to the punch by grabbing the whistle around his neck, turning back toward his team, and blowing loudly to get their attention.
“Track’s all yours, gentlemen!” he bellowed. “If you’re waiting for an invitation to hit the pavement, consider yourselves invited!” He blew the whistle again. “Move! Move! Move!” he shouted. “Donotshow up back to the field until you hit a full mile in equal orlesstime than it took Coach Martin’s team!”
As his team snapped to attention and broke into sprints, Levi turned back to Haddie and gave her a curt nod. “Thanks for the advice, Coach,” he told her, his voice gruff. Then he strode past her onto the field and headed toward Billy McMannus, who either hadn’t heard or, more likely, had ignored his impossible-not-to-hear coach.
