I’d dropped the ball and waved my arms in the air like a plastic blow-up figure they always put on the roofs of tire stores. “Yo! Are we talking science, or are we playing football?”
“Football!”
“And Uranus!”
I hid my smile as everyone burst into laughter and shook my head ruefully.
“All right, wise guys. Take a lap.” I’d motioned for the fifteen kids in my group to follow me around the perimeter of the field, stopping often to do jumping jacks and push-ups.
Our twice a week hour-and-a-half-long practices were both an exercise in patience and a test to the limits of one’s sanity. They were also some of the most fun I’d had in years. Christ, I learned something every day.
Kangaroos can’t hop backward, owls don’t move their eyeballs, wombats make cubed poop.
I mean…Wow.
I liked to think I was imparting a little football wisdom too, but by the middle of June, I was beginning to realize that winning wasn’t the main goal. It was more about fun and camaraderie…being a team.
“You’re good with the kids,” Dexter commented, handing me a water bottle.
“They’re goofy as hell, but I like ’em.” I took a swig and waved at parents as they checked their kids out.
“I’m glad.” He glanced at his watch and at the kids still waiting for pickup. “I told Reg I’d drop Rhys off. Are you taking Chase and Ivy?”
Okay, so yeah, I was beginning to wonder if Dex suspected there was something going on with Coop and me. Not that he’d said anything, but he was a keen observer and had to notice that Coop’s kids were pretty comfortable around me. Then again, we were neighbors in a tight-knit community, so…maybe not.
My phone buzzed before I could reply.
Cooper.
My heart flipped at the sight of his name on my screen. What a sap. “Hi.”
“Hey. Sarah’s running late and I’m stuck here for a meeting. Would you mind taking the kids to my house? She’ll be there within fifteen to thirty minutes, and Ivy and Chase know the security code…and well, you do too.”
I smiled, stepping away from Dex in case my voice hitched or squeaked or something equally embarrassing. “Yep. No problem.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
Dex lifted his brow in a maneuver that would have looked ridiculous on anyone else. “Everything okay?”
“Yep. I’m gonna give Ivy and Chase a lift home.”
He gave an up-nod, his lips tilted on one corner…no words required.
Fuck. He knows.
I hustled the kids to their dad’s house. They were tired from being in the sun—Chase wanted to play video games while Ivy packed her bag to go to her mom’s, and I texted with Alli, who was on a yacht in the Mediterranean with her boyfriend.
First yacht experience. 10/10
Pics or didn’t happen, I typed.
Alli sent a selfie. Even with no makeup and her hair in a ponytail, she was stunning. And the South of France looked pretty sweet too.
“Who’s that?” Ivy asked, slipping on the barstool next to me at the kitchen island.
“My ex.”
She scrunched her nose and studied Alli’s photo. “She was your girlfriend.”
