“Mm, you might be right about the coaching part, but I’m not the best compartmentalizer right now. My mind is racing.”
“Oh, so is mine, Char. I have a lot of things on my mind, most of them about you. But I can focus on the task at hand—winning the overall competition while also getting a better score than Christian. I do it on the field all the time.”
That intrigued me. The comment about me, sure, but the field. “How do you do it on the field?”
We kept working quickly together as he spoke. “Emotions run high. You want the best for your players but also the team. My goals don’t always align with the guys. My job is to win once the game starts. How do I balance their egos, their wants and dreams, with my own? How do I deal with bullshit calls and adrenaline? What if my baby girl was sick all night and I got no sleep, but I have to show up and lead the team? I push the bullshit aside and focus on what matters in that moment. No use worrying or thinking about shit I can’t fix then and there.”
“I can do that most of the time, but I let emotions creep in too much.”
“That comes with experience. You’ll get there.”
He passed me one of my paper squares, and I started on the ninth box. This wrapping paper design showed elvessledding, which made me smile. It was kinda cute. “I wish these boxes had something in them instead of just air. We could donate something to a shelter or a school.”
Hayden stilled. “Damn, that’s a good idea. Make sure to tell Barney that while he’s staring at yoursweater.”
“Hayden.” I swatted at him, curious at his jealousy. “What is it with you and that guy?”
He grunted as he bent low to tie together a bright gold-and-silver ribbon. The grunt and delicate ribbon were so opposite that it was endearing as hell. “I don’t like how he looks at you.”
“Because he’s flirting? It’s harmless, and I enjoy it. Some people might find me cute, Coach, even if that’s gross to think about.” It was easier to say this while focusing on a task that used my hands. I had to focus on the scissors instead of his reaction.
“Charlotte.”
“What?” I kept my head down, taking my time to wrap this box a little more slowly than the others. I could feel the weight of his stare boring into me. It was almost physical. My neck broke out into goose bumps, but I refused to face him. I checked the large timer displayed on the wall, and it read three minutes. “Keep cutting ribbons, please. We have three minutes left to see how many we can finish!”
“Look at me.”
“No, we don’t have time.” My voice was on edge, a little too high and whiney. Hayden needed to remember the goal. “Please, we can’t lose!”
He placed his hand on mine, removed the scissors, and used his other one to turn my face toward him. His thumbgrazed my lower lip, and his dark gray eyes were almost silver. He was so intense, so serious, as he stared me down. “You are fucking beautiful.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.Oh.” His eyes danced with amusement. “This just proves I’m great at compartmentalizing.”
“Wait. What?” My mind was fuzzy. It had to be the car accident, or the drinks, or the fact that Hayden had touched my lips and said I was beautiful. The man who told me he’d never care for me or see me that way had said those words to me. My axis shifted. If he thought I was beautiful, then why not say those words three years ago?
He chuckled, the deep vibration of his laugh wrapping itself around my soul. The sound of his joy was like a huge bear hug, squeezing around you. He moved his fingers across my jaw, his nostrils flaring. “I understand I’ve said things that made you think I only see you as Christian’s little sister. I’ve done a damn good job at hiding my attraction to you.”
Attraction. To me. Hayden Porter attracted to Charlotte Calhoun. What in the ever-loving holiday hell? He said those words! To me! With his mouth! I was gonna stab him.
“Two-minute warning!”
I eyed the tables around us, and they had more gifts wrapped but fewer ribbons. “Hayden, we’re going to lose.”
“Maybe this round, but it was worth telling you you’re beautiful.”
Compartmentalize.
What a great time to learn to put my emotions in little gift boxes and wrap them up and store them deep in my mind. The hurt I felt at what he said that night three yearsago? Wrapped up tight. The confusion I felt now? Double wrapped it. The lust and desire I had from him touching me? Yeah, I used a whole spool of ribbon to tie that one up. Winning the competition was key. Saving the wedding was our only goal.
Like an evil game master, the music became louder as time ticked down. Hayden and I worked fast, like we’d done this our whole lives. Cut, wrap, tape, ribbon, repeat. We put finishing touches on four more boxes, so we had fourteen wrapped perfectly, each with curled ribbon.
“And time is up! Drop the wrapping materials!” Brendon yelled. “We’re going to have our judges come around and take score with our holiday rubric!”
“I think we might come in third. They have more presents.” I frowned, chewing the inside of my cheek. As someone who grew up with the mottoIf you ain’t first, you’re last, this didn’t sit well with me. Plus I really didn’t want to DJ the wedding, but… if that meant there was a wedding, would we have to suck it up and do it anyway?
Brendon came up to our table and slid me a grin.
