Me too.
I can’t wipe the grin off my face.
He gives me a look, all smug. “It’s the girl. I knew it.”
I don’t answer him.
Coach blows the whistle, signifying that practice is over. My heart jumps in my chest, thumping harder than it has all day.
Almost time for dog training.
As we head off to the locker room, Coach walks over, arms folded, looking more relaxed than usual. “Good hustle today, Neelson. Good to see something from you.”
“Thanks, Coach.” He glances at the last player slipping into the locker room. Then he drops his voice a little. “You settling in okay?”
I nod. “Doing my best, yeah.”
“You ever need anything, you let me know,” he says, clapping me on the shoulder. “You got the stuff. I was wondering when you were going to come out of your shell.”
It hits harder than I want to admit. I swallow, nod, and watch him walk away.
Marcus is waiting just inside the hallway, shoes untied, grinning like an idiot. “So … you got plans tonight, or you gonna go home and stare at your phone all evening?”
I pretend to think it over. “Probably will go home. Maybe eat some leftovers. And I have a dog training session…”
He laughs, then leans in, his voice low. “Hey, just for the record … she’s cute.”
“She’s fun,” is all I can manage. Which somehow feels more dangerous than calling her hot..
Marcus smirks. “Cool. If she keeps you playing like that, keep her.”
I chuckle as I grab my towel and head to the showers.
I just might.
I spot Nicole right off the bat as I make it to the courtyard. She’s got her hair up in a ponytail, and she’s wearing a pair of leggings and a tank top. Honestly,she’sthe hot neighbor.
Well, and there’s Cocoa’s doing donuts around her ankles, the leash already hopelessly tangled.
“Hey,” she calls when she sees me, the corners of her eyes crinkling up into a smile that’s not quite confident. “How was practice?”
I lift my hand in a half-wave. “Surprisingly not a disaster,” I say, smiling. I’m still riding the high from earlier, but I try to keep it off my face. “Ready for round two?”
“I’ve been prepping,” she says, her voice bright. “I watched a bunch of YouTube videos. One of them was a guy who trains dogs with a flute. Cocoa only howled, though…”
I can’t help but laugh. “He’s got a lot of opinions.”
She grins. “He’s a free spirit, obviously.”
I drop my bag on the bench, reach in for the clicker and a fistful of treats. “Let’s see if we can get him to sit for more than a millisecond.”
Nicole gives Cocoa a stern look, but the dog just stares starry-eyed at the treat bag.
“Okay, Cocoa. Sit.” I keep my voice flat, like I’m bored.
He plops down happily.
“Click,” I prompt, and Nicole clicks way too late, but at least she’s trying.
