“Geer.” He gives me an incredulous look.
I let out a sigh, the weight of my feelings forcing themselves out of me like a blast.
His eyes are curious as he asks the age-old question, “Does she know?”
“I don’t know. Or she does and wants to let me down easy.” I bite back the sound of defeat in my voice and stand up straighter. “Either way, I plan on telling her after camp.”
“Why after camp? Why put something like this off?” he asks.
I shake my head. Sharing with people makes me uncomfortable. And sharing about this? I’d rather listen to Bill tell me about his hip surgery a thousand times than talk about this. But if I can’t share, what makes me think I can tell Kate how I feel about her?
Daniels pockets his phone and patiently waits for me to continue. He’s young and seems fairly innocent, so I can’t assume he would understand my response, but I say it anyway. I have to put it out there so maybe I don’t feel as crazy. “It’s pathetic.” I let out a breath.Just say it, Geer.“Of all the things in my life, Kate Stanley is the one that makes the most sense. For some hairball reason, that woman is it for me. It has to be perfect.” My expectations weigh on me like a brick, threatening to crush my windpipe. I stutter a whisper, “I—I can’t mess it up.”
“That’s not pathetic, man.” He pats my back and leads the way past the locker room and back toward the hotel. “That’s real.” His face twists for a moment before regaining his composure. Are real feelings a painful topic for this guy too?
“You don’t want to miss your chance, do you?” He nods in the direction north of us, toward a group of coaches and assistants heading in the same direction. Adjusting my hat to shade my eyes, I focus my gaze on a head of dark, bouncy curls in the center. The sun hits her olive skin perfectly, creating a glow of honey around her in a unique blend of color. It makes me sick, all this poetic nonsense I think when it comes to her. She’s just so damn beautiful my thoughts get sappy. She laughs at something, and her smile lights up her face more than the sun does. Seeing it sends a stabbing pain right into the center of my chest.
“Coach Geer!” Dawson waves us over to join the group as they migrate toward the hotel. We walk their way, and I try not to indulge myself too much in witnessing the whiplash Kate has at the mention of my name. Eyes on me, Kate.
“Dawson”—I shake his hand—“this is Coach Daniels. He’s with East Central.” They make pleasantries as we join the group and head inside.
A familiar hand grips my wrist, tugging me closer to her. “How was your scrimmage?” Kate asks, moving her sunglasses to thetop of her head. Her brown eyes always turn a hint of auburn in the sun, and something about that squeezes my insides so tight that it’s hard to breathe. Hell, it’s hard to breathe around her most of the time anyway. It’s like I’m just waiting for her to find her way to me, and the longer it takes, parts of me start to wither away. Again, sappy. But if I’m being honest, it’s like these major parts of me are slowly being crushed under the weight of longing for her.
“It was brutal!” Daniels answers her, snapping me out of my sappy trance. “I’m telling ya, this guy is hardcore. I’ve already learned so much from him.” He pats me on the back, a small smirk playing on the side of his face at hisnonchalance.
“Malcolm is a great coach!” Kate links her arm around mine as we walk. “He’s also such a good sport—” Her words halt as she accidentally distracts herself with my bicep, tracing it with her fingers for a moment then pulling back as if I’ve burned her. Staring at my arm, her eyes widen a tiny bit before she hesitantly rests her hand back down to her side.Real subtle, Kate.Clearing her throat, she forces her eyes back up to me and Daniels, “He’s, um, dressing up for the luau tonight.”
“I’m what?” I eye her, clearly confused. This is news to me.
“Dressing up. We all are!” She beams up at me.
“Please don’t make me,” I groan.
“I would nevermakeyou. I would just…” She bites her lip, a smile threatening to break through.
“Guilt me until I cave.”
Batting her eyes and puffing out her bottom lip, she stops us midstep. “Is it working?”
“Oh, it’s working alright!” Daniels calls over his shoulder with a wave. Just when I thought I could like that guy.
Kate tilts her chin up at me as pride billows off her in waves. She thinks she’s already won this argument. I still haven’t agreed to anything. She nods toward Daniels’ silhouette as he walksthrough the glass door. “So, is that your new best friend? I mean, I don’t mind.” She shrugs. “I just want two weeks' notice if I’m going to lose my spot as your right-hand lady.” She gives me a playful wink, but I see right through it. A flicker of concern flashes in her eyes at the possibility of her being replaced.
I reach for the waistband of her shorts, tugging her toward me by the belt loop until we’re inches apart, face to face. Her curls that are tied in two knots on the top of her head loosen at the momentum. “You are irreplaceable, Kate.” I decide to grow a pair and make a move—a small one, but a move nonetheless. With her belt loop still in hand, I graze my thumb under the hem of her shirt and trace a line across the curve of her hip. She doesn’t swat me away. That’s a good sign. “I will never find anyone as good as you.”
She lets out a slow, shaky breath and says, “Me neither.”
“But I’mnotdressing up.”
Chapter sixteen
Kate
“Do we really haveto wear these?” Sarah groans as she ruffles her grass skirt for the tenth time. We pile into the elevator with the rest of the girls and head down to the lobby.
“Yes! It’s on theme!” Claire points then puckers her lips at her reflection on the door before adjusting the flower crown tied across her forehead. The girls decided to skip their afternoon conference to craft their luau outfits. Grass skirts and wristlets, assorted flower clips and crowns, and a few multicolored clay earrings that are apparentlytoo easyto make.
I was so impressed by their craft skills that I forgot to lecture them about skipping their meetings. Now, two hours later, I think it’s a little too late to reprimand them.
