“So you’re not screwing around?” Coach scoffed.
“No.” What I was doing with Kodi wasfarfrom screwing around.
“We’re dating,” Kodi said, voice a little weak, but shoulders back.
“Dating?” Boyd repeated. “You don’t seem the type.”
“Seriously?” Kodi slumped down. “How is my reputationthatbad?”
“Sir, that was highly inappropriate,” Christenson said, brows pinching.
“Stop getting on my ass, Christenson. You’re not needed for this conversation and it’ll be short anyways. Kean, you’re benched for tomorrow. Maybe longer if —”
“Sir,” Christenson interrupted and my shoulders snapped back. He had that sharp authority in his voice that reminded me of a drill sergeant my dad used to mimic and make fun of. “Respectfully, that is a bad call. We lost our last game because of benching Kean. And while these circumstances aren’t ideal,they don’t warrant benching him. Ms. Hall was only witness to, what the whole team will confirm was, a small kiss. And I have personally spoken with both Kean and Kodi, separately, about their relationship to make sure there was nothing untoward going on.”
“Like, half the team checked in on me before Oll— Kean even really hinted at liking me,” Kodi added, though her eyes were still downcast.
“And as far as I know, Ms. Hall didn’t inform anyone but you,” Christenson continued. “I’ll speak with her personally to ensure this matter remains ‘in house.’ And as a temporary measure, I’d suggest moving Kodi to a different position. She’s proven to be extremely capable at managing —”
“Christenson, you can stop there,” Hansen interrupted. “I’m fully aware of Ms. Davey’s capabilities and her desire to work as the team’s social media manager. Her skill set was never in question, her ability to stay out of trouble was.”
I looked over at Kodi as she sank into her seat, eyes going glassy. I remembered finding her in the back halls, crying, and feeling helpless. And now … wasn’t much different. I couldn’t think of a way to get her out of this situation without making it worse.
But I had to try.
“Mr. Hansen, please, Kodi would be perfect for that job. She’s done so much work for my social media presence and she cares about this team. Our relationship wouldn’t affect that at all.”
“Olli, it’s okay,” Kodi said, taking my hand.
“It’s not. You’d be amazing at this job. Something you did five years ago and the fact that I love you shouldn’t keep you from it.”
“You love me?” Kodi said, finally looking up with a smile.
I shrugged, suddenly feeling awkward. If she thought a little kiss on the cheek was a stupid way for us to get caught, this was an evenstupiderway for me to confess I loved her.
“Boyd, do they look sincere?” Hansen asked. Coach squinted at us and tilted his head.
“I guess so. Kean’s always got that serious look though. And —” Coach stopped talking as his phone flashed with an 850 number, a Panhandle area code. “Hansen, I got a call I need to take. I’ll let you decide what you wanna do with Kodi, but Kean, you’re still benched for tomorrow.”
“Understood, sir.”
Hansen sighed over the line and asked, “Christenson, do you or any of the others need a PA?”
“I believe Brooker would be a good fit, sir,” he said without hesitation.
“Fine. Ms. Davey, you’ll be working with Brooker, starting immediately. And I don’t want to hear another word about the other position. From you or anyone else, understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Kodi said, going meek. I gritted my teeth to keep from saying anything this time. She wasn’t fired, I was only benched for one game, this was probably the best thing that could come from this.
“All settled then,” Boyd grumbled before hanging up on Hansen and walking off to pick up the new call. As soon as he was out of earshot, I threw my head back and groaned.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Kodi said quietly, resting her head on my shoulder. “Most people don’t get their dream job anyways. Why should I be any different?”
There were probably a few dozen ways Kodi could break my heart. But that was the one way I never would have expected.
I turned to Christenson, eyes pleading.We’dgotten our dream jobs, Kodi deserved hers. She’d worked just as hard, put in just as many hours. She deserved this more than I deserved to be on the field.
Christenson looked back at Boyd, face scrunched. Then he patted me on the shoulder and said, “Let’s go get that drink.”
