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Once Jay had left, the rest of them cleaned up, then got ready to leave. Charli decided she was going to pack cookies for them to eat during the game, since they hadn’t had time for dessert.
Meanwhile, Layla, who was dressed as a cheerleader, danced around, eager to get going.
“Do you want to ride with me, Hudson?” Kayleigh offered. “I’ll bring you back here for your car once the game is over.”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
After pulling on their jackets and boots, they left the house. Kayleigh was reminded again of how tall Hudson was as he folded himself into the passenger seat of her car.
“So, this is the high school you went to?”
“Yep. So far, all of us have gone through it. The last one—Skylar—will graduate next year, but the next generation is coming up. Layla and Peyton are both in the Serenity school system now.”
“Then you had to leave for college?”
“Yes. We’ve all gone to college in different cities. Seattle. Portland. Boise. Among other places.”
They didn’t have too long to talk before she turned into the parking lot of the school. There were already quite a few cars there, but she found a spot easily enough. They walked across the lot to the large doors leading into the building.
When they reached the gym, Kayleigh looked around to see where the family who’d left before them were seated. Spotting them at the top of a set of bleachers, Kayleigh pointed them out to Hudson, then they made their way over to join them.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve sat on bleachers,” Hudson said as they settled onto the row with the others.
“If you start getting stiff, just jump up and cheer,” Will told him.
“So, where is this other team from?” Hudson asked.
Kayleigh let Will answer that, as she had no clue. Now that Cole wasn’t playing for Serenity, she didn’t follow their schedule or the wins and losses of the team.
They were getting plenty of looks from people around them, and Kayleigh belatedly realized that some might think Hudson was there as her boyfriend. She’d attended games with guys in the past, but it had been quite a while.
She had dated off and on over the years, but none of the guys had been able to accept her commitment to her career, and none had shared a similar approach to their jobs. Some people might believe that opposites attract. However, for her personally, that would be far too stressful. Kayleigh’s experience with guys who didn’t understand or share her approach to work and life hadn’t been good.
That was something she appreciated about Hudson. He appeared to have a mindset similar to hers, especially when it came to his career. From their interactions, Kayleigh thought Hudson understood how important her job was to her, too. It was a connection she’d never had with a man before.
But that didn’t make him boyfriend material for her.
She might find him attractive, both his looks and his personality, but she was trying hard not to let their work relationship develop into anything more personal. However, now she was probably going to have curious people asking her about Hudson and if they were dating. Oh joy!
When the ref blew his whistle, cheers and yells erupted in the gym, and the game was underway. Jay had said that it was unlikely that they’d make it to state finals that year, but there was still a small chance. And if fan support could help get them there, they had a fighting chance.
“This is crazy,” Hudson said at one point. “Super wild fans for a high school team.”
“That’s because they’re personally invested,” Kayleigh said. “Most of the people here have someone to cheer for that’s playing. Or like us, we’re here for the cheerleaders, the teamandJay.”
“Well, everyone here is new to me, and yet I’m now invested in this team winning.”
Kayleigh grinned at him. “It’s a bit different from the professional games.”
“It definitely is. I mean, I’m not a huge sports fan, but I’ve been to different pro sport games. They’re loud, but this is much more up close and personal.”
“When my brother was playing on the team, it was even more intense for us.”
Hudson glanced over at her, and for a moment, their gazes met and held. Kayleigh saw a spark of something in his eyes that caused her stomach to lurch. It wasn’t something she should entertain. She knew that, but it had been a long time since she’d experienced that flutter of attraction, and she enjoyed the feeling, even though she knew she shouldn’t.
A roar went up from the crowd around them, drawing their attention from each other, and Kayleigh saw that the home team had made a basket, increasing their lead by two points. They kept that lead as the first half ended, and the teams left the floor, heading for the changing rooms.
“Well, that was exciting,” Hudson said.
