Page 49 of Hometown Halftime

I’m manning the football team’s booth because Knox said, “It’ll be good for you to get out” and somehow that translated to me wearing a volunteer badge and running a skills challenge for kids hopped up on apple cider and sugar cookies from Penny’s Cafe’s stand.

I’ve just finished explaining the rules to a ten-year-old who clearly intends to ignore them when I hear Haddie’s voice cut through the noise.

“Well, if it isn’t Coach Weston himself!”

I close my eyes for a second before turning.

Haddie Carmichael stands in front of me with a clipboard tucked under her arm, a Fall Fest sash draped across her chest like she’s a beauty pageant contestant, and the unmistakable look of someone about to meddle in everyone’s business.

“Morning, Haddie,” I say carefully.

She scans me head to toe, nodding to herself.

“Glad you’re here. You’re tall and we all know you’re athletic. Perfect.”

“Those are…oddly specific observations.”

She waves me off and glances behind me where three guys from the current varsity football team are trying to wrangle in a few kids.

“Looks like they have this all handled. I need an extra set of hands to move a tent.”

I look around. “You have thirty volunteers.”

“Yes, but you have bigger muscles than they do,” she says brightly.

That should feel like a compliment, but from Haddie, it doesn’t.

Before I can come up with a polite excuse to escape this situation, she tilts her head and gestures behind me.

“Don’t look now,” she says, “but your fellow coach just arrived.”

My stomach drops, but I look anyway.

Kinsey stands near Levi’s booth, one hand wrapped around a paper cup, the other tucked into the pocket of her jeans. Her hair is down today, falling loosely over her shoulders. She’s wearing jeans that show off every curve and a white fluffy sweater that looks too soft and she looks so fucking pretty.

“I didn’t think she’d be here,” I mutter.

Haddie scoffs. “It’s Fall Fest, Riley. If anyone in town didn’t show up, I’d send out a search party.”

While I can’t take my eyes off her, Kinsey turns and catches sight of me. Her smile spreads slowly, and I feel it in my chest. She says something to Brynn, then makes her way over, sidestepping kids with painted faces and couples clustered in the street.

“Coach Weston,” she says when she reaches me. “Didn’t realize you were part of the Fall Fest workforce.”

“It’s Knox’s fault. He wrangled me into this,” I tell her.

She laughs, and I notice she moves easily through the crowd. The stiffness from last week appears to be gone. I file it away and don’t say a word.

“So you’re volunteering?” she asks, nodding at the badge clipped to my shirt.

“Yup,” I say. “I forgot how crazy Fall Fest is. Haven’t been to one since senior year.”

Her eyebrows lift. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I shrug. “Didn’t think I’d see another one.”

There’s a beat where she studies me, then her mouth curves. “Well, welcome back.”

“Thanks,” I say. “Feels like more people than I remember.”