"It's your choice," Abigail said as she stood off the couch. "Now, I'll see you later because I'm going to meet up with Andrew later on."
"Don't do something I wouldn't do," Melanie said sarcastically.
"Girl, you don't do anything," Abigail said back as she left, leaving Melanie alone to her own thoughts as she stared at the ticket on her table.
CHAPTER
50
MELANIE
W
HEN MELANIE HEARD A KNOCK ON HER DOOR, she glanced up from her paperwork, expecting to see one of her students. But to her surprise, in her doorway stood Coach Benson, waiting for her to invite him in. Melanie quirked a brow, wondering why he was visiting her. She hoped this wasn’t another attempt to ask her out on a date because right now, she wasn’t in the mood for being polite. These late few days, she had been a bit crabby, so much so, that most of her students were afraid to ask her for anything.
“How may I help you, Coach Benson?” Melanie asked, placing her pen down to the side.
Coach Benson took his hat off as he stepped inside her office, making sure to close the door behind himself. “I just wanted to drop by and thank you for all you have done for Noah.”
“You’ve already thanked me before,” Melanie said, her brows knitting together in confusion. “Besides, there’s no reason to thank me for something that happened last semester.”
“I know,” he said. “I didn’t come here just to thank you. I’ve also come to ask you for another favor.”
“I hope you don’t have another athlete you’re asking me to tutor because I won’t,” Melanie said, firmly. She doubted it would turn out like it did the last time. That was the exception of just Noah himself. But she also wasn’t going to tutor anyone period. Next semester, she planned on dropping her schedule to one class so she could focus on her next book.
“No, it’s not that. Besides, I’ve told my players to avoid your classes,” he said jokingly, and Melanie shook her head with a small smile.
“Then, what’s the favor?”
“I want to ask you to come to the game this Friday.”
Melanie blinked, surprised. “Are you asking me on a date? Because if that’s the case, I must—”
“No, no,” Coach Benson said, shaking his head. “I don’t think my pride can handle another rejection from you. I’m asking you to go for Noah.”
Melanie’s small smile had thinned to a line as she looked at Coach Benson. Her heart beat against her chest as she looked down, fiddling with her pen. So, he knew.
“I don’t like hockey,” she said, hoping he would take the hint and leave.
“You like Noah, and that’s all that matters to me.”
“Look,” Melanie said, sitting up in her seat. “I don’t know where you got this information from but—”
“I have eyes, Melanie. I’m not blind. Every time I mentioned your name, Walker looked like he wanted to strangle me, and every time I tried to woo you, he would appear.” Coach Benson shrugged sheepishly. “And then, Noah’s father came to talk to me about you.”
Melanie sighed, sitting back in her seat as she shook her head. Her career was over. This was exactly why she should have never started anything in the first place. Soon, everyone would know, and then the school board would want to talk to her so they could fire her quietly before it got out to the whole nation about what she had done with their star hockey player.
“Don’t get your panties in a wad. He didn’t tell me any details, but I know Allen, and he’s a one-woman man who loves his wife. If he’s asking me about another woman, it’s for a reason. No one else in this building knows anything but us.”
“Look, Coach Benson. Noah is a great hockey player. He was before he had ever met me, and he’ll continue to be without me. He doesn’t need me there. I just want to put this all behind as I’ve been trying to do.”
“But Noah needs to be great right now,” Coach Benson said as he stood. “He needs you to do that. Look, I don’t know all about the details, but I’ll tell you like I told Allen. I know that you’re not that type of woman. I know that if anything happened between you two, it’s because of something special and that you didn’t do it because of some crazy hormones that you can’t control.”
Melanie bit on her lip as she stood. “I really think you should leave, Coach Benson.”
“Every great player has someone by their side, and for Noah, that person is you. And without you, he’s losing it. Please, be by his side again. Just please, think about it.”
He took his leave, and when he got to the door, Melanie told him, “Don’t hold your breath.”
