“Come on, Hallie,” he says, moving in my direction.
I wave the towel as a buffer and he grabs it out of my hand.
He runs the towel over his face and shakes his head. “I’m going to clean up. A towel isn’t going to cut it. I’ll meet you for the celebration at Mo’s.”
“Are you sure Mo’s ready for the Llamacorns to overtake his diner?” I ask.
“I’m sure. I gave him a heads-up this week.”
He smiles, and something practically twinkles in his eyes. Maybe he’s just excited about Mo being a part of our victory celebration.
It’s been over a year since Greyson and I started dating, and we still sneak away to Mo’s for breakfast at least once a week. We’ve brought Mia there too a couple times.
“I’ll see you there,” Greyson says, leaning in and placing a sticky kiss to my cheek.
Mia runs over to us, looking up at Greyson and laughing. “We got you good.”
“You sure did,” he says.
“Were you surprised?”
“I was! I didn’t see it coming.”
Mia smiles and then her face falls slightly. “I can’t believe that’s the last game you’ll be my coach.”
Greyson looks down at her, and then he squats so he’s at her level. “I’ve been thinking …”
“What?” Mia asks.
“Maybe I’ll move up to the minors next year.” Greyson glances up at me.
“Really?” Mia squeals and wraps her arms around Greyson. Then she leans back and looks him in the eyes. “No pressure.”
She steps away from Greyson, looking down at her jersey which now has fragments of tinsel and glitter stuck to it. Pieces of confetti are in her hair too.
Greyson chuckles. “I just thought … some of my best players are advancing. I might want to advance with them.”
“Like me?” Mia asks, an unusual shyness in her words.
“Like you,” Greyson says, ruffling Mia’s hair.
He stands up and asks me, “What do you think?”
“I think that would be a loss to the seven and eight-year-olds.”
He nods.
“But it would be amazing if you were with Mia another year or two.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” he says, looking down at Mia and smiling.
“Yay!” Mia shouts, as if the decision’s final. And, I guess it is, because Greyson says, “I’ll just let the league know.”
“Well, I’d better go get cleaned up,” Greyson says.
“See you later, Coach G!” Mia says. Then she looks up at me, “Are you ready to go, Mommy?”
“Didn’t you want to stay and run around with your teammates?”
