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“Sorry. She just needed some space,” Iris said. “This is Genesis. Gennie, this is Hudson.”
“Hey there,” Hud said and held out his hand. She gripped it.
“Daddy liked you,” she said. “You play for the Vikings, right?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Right.”
“Gennie knows all the team. And she knows the rules, don’t ya, Gen.”
“Yeah. I watch all the games my dad umps.” Her eyes widened. “Umped.”
Uh-oh. Hudson crouched next to Iris. “Do you remember a play, a couple weeks ago, against the Prague Lions? I missed a pass—should have been called. The guy was all over me.”
He glanced at Iris. She rolled her eyes.
“That pass was uncatchable,” Genesis said. “He was in your face, but it was thrown way over your head, so…” She had folded her arms and now shrugged her shoulders.
“Smart girl.” Iris put her arm around her. “Someday, maybe she’ll be an official.”
Now, Gennie pulled up her legs, tented her dress over them, and put her head down into her arms. “I don’t want to go back to Atlanta. I hate Atlanta.”
“What’s not to hate? It’s hot and—”
“Hud!” Iris glared at him. She turned to Gennie. “Listen. First, you’ll be with your mom—she loves you. And that will help. And then, you know, sometimes we just gotta be tough. Even if life feels unfair.” She eased up Gennie’s chin, met her eyes. “When I was a kid, I wanted to play football more than anything. My dad and I would watch the games together—just like you and your dad did. And he’d yell at the television and show me the penalties so I started to figure out the game. But I was a girl, and they didn’t let girls play football in my hometown. And it was unfair, because I was fast, and I could throw a great spiral.”
Hud smiled at that, imagining her as a twelve-year-old, going back to pass with her long blonde braids. Probably there was another reason the coach hadn’t wanted her to play, and it had everything to do with his team not paying attention to the football.
“But since I couldn’t play, I became the manager of the team. I was really good—so good that I started calling out the penalties during practice. So he let me officiate—at least, some of the practices. Pretty soon, I was working on the weekends at middle-school games. Then I went to college and…” She sighed, swallowed. “And did the same.”
Huh. Hud had the sense that she’d left a great deal out with that swallow.
Not the least, the game in which she’d destroyed his future.
Except she didn’t know that, and it had sort of stopped stinging over the past few days. So maybe he should just swallow and go on too.
“So yeah, it feels unfair right now. But you keep studying, you keep working for what you want, and you stay tough, and someday, you’ll end up right where you’re supposed to be.”
Genesis’s gaze affixed to Iris, caught in her words.
“You’ll be okay, kid,” Iris said quietly, then pulled her into a hug.
Sheesh, now even Hud felt better.
Except, “Iris, I need to talk to you.”
Iris let Genesis go. “Do you need anything?”
“No. Thank you, Iris.”
“Let me know if I miss any penalties.”
“You don’t miss anything.” Genesis grinned.
Iris winked at her, then held out her hand for Hud to help her up. “’Sup?”
He took her arm and pulled her into the room. “I think you’re in bigger trouble than we thought. And we need to get out of here.”
* * *
