Lemon slid over and squeezed my hand. “Pretty cool about Holden staying in Seddledowne, huh? Oh, and since we’re all telling secrets, Holden was the one who told me how to fix your momentum for the rings.” I looked over at her, slightly shocked. She nodded. Then she leaned closer. “And don’t worry about the meeting. Silas has you covered.”
Oh my goodness, the meeting. For a few minutes, I’d completely forgotten about it.
I returned the squeeze.
But the joke was on her.
Because Silas didn’t have me covered. I’d covered him.
He just didn’t know it yet.
twenty-one
HOLDEN
Iwiped my sweaty palms on my pants and paced in front of the sideline. Christy was here. Thank God. Literally. For the past two weeks, she’d avoided all the group Spartan training I’d been at. Knox said she was coming over during the day to work on things alone. And it made me sick that she wouldn’t show up when I was around. Even sicker to think she might be in those woods alone with Knox.
I’d been praying my heart out that this whole mess could be fixed. Just because she came tonight didn’t mean it was repaired, but at least she’d made the effort to be here for the girls. And at least I got to see her for a little while, even just across the court. She looked good. No, that was a complete understatement. Stunning, gorgeous, like something out of a magazine. She shouldn’t be allowed to wear those jeans in public, or that form-fitting shirt. Especially when Knox Freeman was around.
But Amber’s evil stare had been trained on her from the minute she walked in. I’d have to thank my dad later for stopping the hate that was about to take over the crowd.
I folded my hands on my head, still pacing as Varsitywarmed up. Because now that Christy was here, across the gym floor was not good enough. I wanted her on this side, next to me on the bench.
I marched up to Alvarez, who was slumped down in a chair by the door, chatting with Brad Vickers, one of the football coaches. Anna’s boyfriend, Blue, was next to them, leaning against the wall, half listening, half waiting for Anna to emerge from the locker room.
I rolled my shoulders back. “I think I’m gonna make Christy an honorary coach for the varsity game.” I didn’t ask permission on purpose. A subtle way to assert dominance. I felt okay about it, seeing that Alvarez hardly gave a crap about the volleyball team anyway.
He shrugged. “Sure. Go for it.”
But then I walked back to the sideline and started up my pacing again, chewing my thumbnail as I subtly glanced Christy’s way.
Blue sauntered over and folded his arms across his chest, watching her too. “It’s a dilemma, for sure.”
“What are you talking about?”
He shrugged. “If youaskher to come coach, she’ll probably say no.” His hands flipped up, like an old-fashioned scale measuring grain. “You broke up with her.” One hand lowered. “And then she broke up with you.” The other dropped. “And then there’s the fact that the school board said she couldn’t coach anymore.” His hands fell and he shrugged again. “And, despite the shirtless kissing, Miss Thornbury strikes me as the kind of lady who doesn’t like to rock the boat.”
I grunted. For an oaf of a teenager, he was pretty perceptive. “Yeah,” I finally said, slumping a bit.
A third shrug. “Then don’t give her a choice.”
I scoffed. “I can’tmakeher come over here. You think the volleyball coach should just go manhandle the Principal?”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “Holden, Holden, Holden.”
“That’s Uncle Holden to you. No, Anna’s Uncle Holden.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He cuffed me again. “Anna’s Uncle Holden?” He cracked his thumb knuckles. “I got this.” Then he took off at a jog, sweeping the perimeter of the court and up into the student section where half the football team was chilling. My brow crunched, trying to figure out what he was doing. All of a sudden, five guys popped up, their expressions excited. They swaggered down the bleachers and onto the floor, laughing and goading each other. I couldn’t hear their words, but I could see it coming.
Man, I hoped Christy would forgive me for this.
She looked up in shock as they surrounded her. Across the court, I heard them count to three and then they heaved her up over their heads like a crowd surfer at a concert. She squealed and the gym broke out in rumbles, confused guffaws, and cheers from all the students.
“Put me down!” she yelled with a shaky laugh.
I held my breath, praying one of them didn’t trip.
Twenty seconds later—the gym a thunderstorm of cheers—they set her on her feet in front of me. The varsity girls screamed their approval.
