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“I’ve been drinking more water,” I tease.
She reaches in to tickle my belly and at that slight contact, I can barely contain my shriek—which sounds disgustingly like Oliver’s. I grab her hand with mine and pin her to the bed with it. We’re breathing heavily.
“I’d have never guessed Alec Tate was ticklish and screamed like a toddler who got their lollipop taken away.”
I move to tickle her and she screams. “I’ll bite you,” she says in between shrieks, jutting her chin out to try to nip at my arm.
“Who’s the toddler now?” I say.
It’s getting to be too much for me, this rough housing. I cannot even want this with her right now. We’ve both been hurt in love, I know this. I have to be careful.
We right ourselves and she smooths out her hair. “Like I was saying, it’s not too late to use those tools, to reincorporate them into your life.”
I nod. “You’re right. I wish I knew what my next move is. I can work for Sebastian. He’d probably always have plenty for me to do.”
“As the CEO of Fun?”
I scowl. “I regret telling you that. But yeah. I’ll work on the activities around here and whatever else he needs me to do. It’s not a terrible gig. Besides, if we can help some athletes have a restorative experience here, that would feel really good.”
She feeds Jerry some small dog treats, letting him take them from her fingertips. “But does it light your soul on fire, Alec? That’s what you need. Something that makes your heart beat again.”
“You make my heart beat again.” The words come out almost before I realize.
Her gaze makes it impossible for me to stop myself. She lets go of Jerry and he scampers off the bed. And now we’re kissing.
Okay, so I guess our rules have officially gone away. I don’t mind. But I have to keep in control of my faculties and make wise decisions where Oakley is concerned. I’m not able to be in a relationship yet, and I’m not going to hurt her by rushing in.
We kiss some more, then she pulls away.
“I think it’s pretty clearyoumake my heart beat again,” she says in a low voice, gazing at me before looking down at the bedspread and curling a silky tassel around her finger.
“What about you?” I ask. “What sets your soul on fire? Besides being around broken old me.”
“You’re not broken,” she insists. Her eyes twinge with regret. “Like you, I didn’t think I’d ever leave the football world. But it’s been nice to train people who aren’t elite, world-class athletes. I didn’t think I’d like it, but I do.” She shrugs. “I might do what I’d always planned to do eventually. Go to physical therapy school.”
“You would be a phenomenal physical therapist.”
“Thanks. I could decide at that point if I want to go back to working in football again. I could maybe do the college level.” She lifts my hand and settles it into her own. “What about for you? What about coaching?”
I swallow a ball of apprehension. “That’s always been the question I get asked. Everyone assumes it’s the next logical step. Or management. Or analysis.” I shake my head. “But I don’t see it.”
Even as the words come out of my mouth, I think of my high school coach in Denver, Coach Beckett. Aside from Sebastian’s sometimes over-the-top training from an early age, Coach Beckett helped me more than anyone else. He gave me purpose and vision. He saw things in me I was too arrogant or naïve to see. Could I be a Coach Beckett to someone else?
I clear my throat, trying to remove that thought from my brain. I don’t think I can be a high school coach. Besides, how would I even go about doing that? It’s not like I’ll go back to college and take education courses and all that.
As if reading my thoughts, Oakley smiles. “I saw you with Juan that day. You working with him? That lit your heart on fire, Alec. It just flowed out of you, an excitement not for the game as much as for the kid. The individual.” She shifts on the mattress, reaching down to lift Jerry up to keep him from rooting around under the bed. “I think you’d be great.”
“I could maybe do something like that on the side. Someday.” I’m stubborn. I know this about myself. “If you apply for PT school, I’ll look into it. Maybe.”
Her brows raise in a challenge. “Done,” she says.
“Done,” I agree.
“Let’s watchThe Blind Sideto inspire us,” she says, grabbing her phone to look it up.
“Hoosiers,” I counter. “There’s nothing better than that.”
“It’s good, you punk. I’ll give you that. But come on! We need a football movie, not a basketball one. Besides, that moment when the kid fromThe Blind Sidewrites the paper about courage and honor? Whew!” She taps her chest with her fist. “That’s powerful right there.”
