Page 12 of Out of Bounds

“That’s exactly what I feel like. It does get better, right?”

“It does. Takes some time though. Heather was a big help for me, taking me under her wing and being a steady presence. Going off to college also helped.”

“I’d like to finish college someday.”

“We can look into getting you into some place here. Georgia State is a great option if you want to stay in Atlanta and work while in school.”

“I’d have to find a job. I really only have experience as a waitress. I’d ask if they were hiring here, but I’m not sure I have the right parts,” she said with a giggle.

“Heather,” Felicity called out, her mind starting to turn. “Does Sax need help bartending?”

“In fact, she does,” Heather said, a knowing look on her face. “Is Talia a candidate for the Sour Patch?”

“The sour patch?” Talia asked.

“Once upon a time I was new to Atlanta as well, and a very kind woman name Shari Sutherland took me in and taught me that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade,” Heather explained. “I am where I am because of her, and when she died, I knew I had to pay it forward. So, when life brings me a young woman with a handful of lemons, I try and help her figure out how to make lemonade.”

“We do have one guy in the club, Link Weston—he’s around here somewhere. But, Saxony Gray, who runs the bar, nicknamed us the Sour Patch Kids. And I think you’re the perfect addition.”

“Just like that?”

“We know one of our own when we see her.”

* * *

There were a lot of things that Gunnar missed about playing the game. Sprints were not one of them. While he still enjoyed going for runs, the ability to choose when, where, and the pace he set made them much more enjoyable than hurling himself across the pitch at top speed until he wanted to puke, while his coach stood on the sideline with a whistle. Although, he had to admit, it felt damn good to be the guy with the whistle right about now.

“Call it a day, lads!” he called out, blowing the whistle twice. There was a collective groan of appreciation from the team, even though more than half of them were still grinning like kids on Christmas. “Dinner’s in an hour back in the group room at the hotel. I expect to see each one of you there!”

Today’s session had been their first real practice as a team. They’d done some basic drills back in Atlanta last week and spent some time figuring out where each player was fitness-wise, but the group was still feeling each other out. Now that they’d spent at least a little time on the pitch and traveled together, personalities were starting to come out a bit.

Liam was still his normal, quiet self, but seemed to mesh well with Diego. The two were having some trouble communicating, with Liam’s thick Irish accent and Diego’s not-so-firm grasp of the language, but they were making it work. The twin brothers from Germany had made fast friends with the veterans Michaels and Henderson, all of whom seemed more than happy to sit back and watch the younger guys fool around. All the midfielders seemed to be taking to each other pretty well too—even D.B. Elliot, who despite his douche bag comment at their first meeting seemed to be anything but.

“We need to look into an English tutor or something for Diego,” Gunnar told Cowboy, climbing onto the team bus, waiting for the rest of the players to finish up their showers so they could head back to the hotel.

“We can talk to Felicity about that when she gets here tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll have someone lined up in no time. She’s kind of a battle-ax, but she sure is efficient.”

Gunnar nodded, not knowing what else to say. Cowboy was right, she was a battle-ax. He’d never met anyone with such a chip on their shoulder. Sure, she could apparently back it up with some knowledge, but just how deep did that go? On the other side of that coin, she’d been all kinds of helpful to Talia, and that went a long way in his book. He was putting the team in an awkward spot with this whole bombshell, and he was grateful the Sutherlands hadn’t blinked an eye over it.

“What’s your take on Tiago and Dash?” he asked, changing the subject off the beautiful blonde who had occupied his thoughts way more than he would have liked.

“Nothing about them stood out. Why?”

“They both have some ‘tude to them. So far they seem to be clicking well. This continues, we could have a hell of an attack with them up front.”

“Well, that was the point.”

They stopped their conversation as players started to pile onto the bus. The ride back to the hotel was quick, with the buzz of conversation from the players constant behind him. It was like music to his ears, hearing his new team start to bond this way.

“There he is!” Cullen Cruz’s British accent rang out as they all entered the lobby. “How’s it hanging, dude?”

“I fucking hate that question,” he murmured, giving his old buddy a hug. “Don’t let these guys hear that story, or they’ll lose respect for their new coach before we even play a game.”

“Not any worse than when Vance had his junk flashed on the jumbotron,” Cowboy said, a wicked grin on this face. “But, you must be Leona.”

The petite, bright-eyed blonde standing on the other side of Cullen turned away from her conversation with Dalton long enough to introduce herself. Leona and Dalton had worked together at the Indigo Royal Resort, where she was still head of housekeeping, for the last few years before he’d returned to Atlanta. Cullen had vacationed at the resort for more than a decade, before the two finally admitted their feelings for each other and he decided to stay in St. Thomas full time. Watching his old friend, who had been quite the playboy back in the day, pull the beautiful woman into his side and smile like he’d won the championship all over again was a little strange, but Gunnar couldn’t have been happier that he’d found his forever in her.

“It’s nice to finally meet you. I hear your name a lot. My brother, Josef, thinks you walk on water.”