Page 45 of Crew Girl

They were in the final push now. Crabcatcher, next to her, was beginning to struggle. He had a smile on his face, though. A change from his normal terrified or panicked expression when rowing. That alone felt like a win.

She didn’t want to jinx things, but she’d felt a change in her, too. Regular hits of the feels. The good kind that meant she’d maybe, hopefully, pretty-please-because-it-had-been-so-hard gotten her life back on track. Not the track she’d thought she’d be on, true. Single sculling herself into Stanford. But coxing was teaching her new things about rowing and herself. Like playing well with others. She smiled at Cam, who just about managed to smile back. She had no idea what was or wasn’t going on between them, but maybe one day they’d figure it out. Or not. Nothing happened like she thought it would with these guys.

Like Josh Regis, of all people, saving her life. The talk they’d had after had helped her understand why he behaved the way he did. Not that she was team Regis or anything. Turned out Josh’s dad had fired her mom, for absolutely no reason, right in the middle of that amazing party. Maybe the family took turns being assholes. Her mom was doing her best to shake it off, so she needed to as well.

“This weekend’s regatta is a head race,” she said, trying to distract the team from the pain she could see leeching into their concentrated expressions. “A time trial. That’s why this session is a long one. Totally different head space to sprints. It’s gonna be six kilometers of focus and drive.” The Head of the Laurence, their first regatta of the season where they’d face their longtime rivals, Westvale, had the team pumped. “How we perform in this competition will set the barometer for the rest of the season. If we do well? The Easton Eagles stand every chance of lifting up the Haverford Cup this spring. So c’mon! Keep your focus. Burn this rhythm into your muscle memory. You’re going to need it. Sixty more seconds, guys. Keep it up!”

Coach Hayden came into the training room and took in the scene as the final, most difficult, seconds of the session ticked away. When the clock hit zero, Crabcatcher launched himself at a garbage can and upchucked.

Teagan looked at Coach and shrugged. He’d asked her to put the team through their paces. Hadn’t said how. “No pain, no gain. Right?”

While the guys hit the showers, Teagan and Coach Hayden went over the erg scores she’d put on the leaderboard.

He kept his expression neutral, as usual, finally giving a nod. A nod from Coach was like someone else jumping up and down screaming Woohoo! Amazing! Someone like her mom. Which reminded her of the smile Coach had on his face when he’d been with her mom at the party the other day. It was totally different to the ones the team got. She was beginning to wonder if there was something going on there.

Coach tapped the board, pulling her attention back to the scores. “You did well today, too. A new PB?”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “Gotta keep up with the boys.”

Hayden appraised her for a moment like he was trying to figure out if there was something she wasn’t saying, then moved over to where she’d taped up the map of the course they’d be rowing against Westvale. There’d be other teams, too, but Westvale was the team the Easton Eagles wanted to beat.

“We might have a fighting chance at the top five if the team keeps this up,” Coach said. “The pressure’s on you, too. This is a coxswains’ race. Lots of twists and turns on the course.”

“That I’ll be navigating backward. I know,” she said. “It’s all good, Coach. I’ve been practicing on Mario Kart.”

He snorted.

“But seriously, don’t worry,” she assured him. “I’ll be ready.”

He gave her shoulder one of those pats that said he wasn’t worried. Not much anyway. “If you can get these boys to work out to Ariana Grande, I’m going to bet you can lead them to—”

“Victory?” she supplied.

“To a place that isn’t last,” he said. “You’ve got the team acting as a unit. That alone is a victory, Teagan. The Easton Eagles haven’t brought home a trophy in a long time. I can tell you right now, they won’t be bringing one home this weekend either. But you keep this up? Working with the boys’ strengths instead of against them? We could get back into the top five. Which would be a win,” he said, his eyes cautioning her not to contradict him.

She was smart enough to wait until he’d left the room to say, “Good pep talk, Coach.”

“You talking to yourself now?”

She turned around and grinned at a freshly showered Cam. His dark hair was still glossy wet, a little curlier than when it was dry. Skin a bit glowier. Eyes a bit brighter.

“Yeah,” she said. “Just pumping myself up for the regatta.”

“Ha. Whatever works.”

They stood there looking at each other like neither one of them knew how they’d gotten there. He blinked first. She really needed to stop ogling him like a lovestruck Pixar character. Not that she was lovestruck. Luststruck? Was that a thing?

“Teagan…” Cam shifted his feet, put his hands on his hips, and tilted his head to the side—oh my god. Was he nervous? Was he going to ask her out? “What are you doing the week after the regatta?”

Nothing. As per. Even if she was, she’d wipe her calendar clean if he wanted to hang. She reminded herself of the epic humiliation she’d felt when she’d tried to ask him out after Josh’s birthday party resulting in a near-death experience. Probably wise to play this one a bit cool. “Other than practice? Nothing.”

“Coxie!” Josh shouted, crossing the room toward them.

Seriously? What was it with Josh Regis and bad timing? Apart from the whole saving-her-life thing, he was the thorn that refused to leave her side. “Here’s your charger. Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

“No problem.” They high-fived. Cam’s smile had disappeared. And his nerves. Teagan, as ever, was none the wiser. Had he been trying to ask her out or what?

Instead of leaving like a normal person, Josh lingered, trying to suss out what she and Cam had been talking about. “Teags, want me to stay and help clean up?”