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“Sure thing,” he said, saluting me with a wink.
I hurried out, foregoing the chance to say hello to Cullen, not wanting my brother to get suspicious. I’d been pondering what Sawyer’s reaction might be when Cullen told him about us. Now, normally I would say Sawyer was a chill kind of guy, not as intense as Cullen and Tennessee when it came to football. And in our family he was the least competitive of all of us. He cruised through life with no pressure other than making good grades, our older brothers having paved the way for him. Being the youngest son, Mom and Dad were more lenient now, probably jaded from their twenty two years of parenting. Reilly loved to tell us about how hard it had been for him, not allowed his own laptop or a television in his room when he was younger, and how he’d had to save money from mowing lawns to buy his first car. Sawyer had gotten his Mustang for his birthday, and a property maintenance service came to mow our lawns now.
But for all his chill attitude, I had no idea what he’d say if he knew Cullen and I had kissed. He might be annoyed at me, think I was trying to steal his friend from him. Or he might be annoyed with Cullen and be protective of me. Or, because of Amanda, he might be extra sensitive to the whole thing. And what would I do if heopposedthe idea of Cullen and me dating?
What if I was forced to make a choice between my brother and the boy who made my heart flutter?
––––––––
With game day tomorrow, Millie’s penultimate interview involved Coach Mercer, Coach Amer, Tennessee, Danny and Cullen. Views for the Captain’s Chat were skyrocketing which was great, but I was most pleased that it meant Cullen wasn’t being left alone in the locker room with his father.
Because there was a group of five for the interview, my presence was required for real. For the previous two days Millie had graciously let me hold her set of questions as if it was a vital job, when in reality I’d sat dreamily watching Cullen, hanging on every word.
But today Phoenix asked me to hold the boom pole. He gave me a quick demonstration on how it worked, and it didn’t seem too difficult, holding the pole overhead and ensuring it was close enough to each speaker, but not allowing it to enter the shot. In this case Phoenix advised me to aim the pole up above the person’s nose and showed me how to move it from speaker to speaker. As the five chairs were in a semi circle, I was certain it would be a straightforward job.
With the new title of Boom Operator, I felt justified in being there, and I grinned from ear to ear when Cullen came in. He was looking relaxed even though he’d come from a hard training session. Seeing me, he waved and came over.
“You look important,” he teased as I tested the pole for stability.
“I hope I know what I’m doing,” I said with a giggle.
“You’ll be fine,” he said, covering my hands on the pole as if he was familiar with using one. “Just make sure you hold it firmly, like this.”
The fresh woody scent of male fragrance engulfed me, and his fingertips sent my pulse racing out of control. I let myself absorb him, his closeness, his touch, knowing it would be momentary. Phoenix and Millie were right there, a few feet away adjusting the tripod.
“I hope I don’t bump you in the head,” I said with a nervous laugh. Others were crowding into the room, members of the team coming to watch and support.
“Or poke my eye out,” Cullen said, his lips so close to my forehead that I wished he’d be bold and kiss me, but the scraping of chair legs made him lower the pole and approach his friends.
Phoenix directed the coaches and boys into the chairs, while Millie went over the questions with them. The interviews were informal, but still required a degree of preparation and instruction.
I surprised myself with how quickly I mastered the boom pole, with Phoenix giving me reassuring nods from time to time. The conversation was lively, everyone upbeat and fired up for tomorrow’s game, both coaches fiercely proud of how far the team had come.
But Millie, of course, had to ask the hard question—whether the Chargers thought they could win the championship title.
“Yeah, well Oakwood have been state champions twice before, so history is on their side,” Cullen said, doing what every good captain does and evading the question being asked. “The Chargers are new to this. It’s our first time playing for a championship title, and we’re thankful that we have the opportunity. The team has worked hard to get to this point and to see that hard work rewarded—well, that feels like we’ve won already.”
My heart pitter pattered and my eyes misted over. Cullen’s answer was perfect, showing respect for the opponent and pride in his team, and like he said, getting to the final was a win in itself. And maybe the result wasn’t the most important thing.
Caught up in the emotion, my hand slipped, the mic dropping a fraction. A sharp gasp from Phoenix was followed by two large hands steadying my pole and moving it across to Coach Mercer. I shuddered involuntarily as Red Phillips’ warm breath tickled my ear, “I got it,” he whispered.
“I have to admit this is one of the hardest working group of kids I’ve ever worked with,” Coach Mercer said. “And they whole-heartedly deserve to be here. Whatever happens tomorrow, I want them to enjoy the moment. Enjoy the game. After all, that’s why we play it. Love of the game.”
As Coach spoke, Red’s body brushed up against mine, but it was impossible to move away until Coach finished speaking. I rejoiced when he did, immediately pulling back the pole when Millie called it a wrap.
Peering over my shoulder with the intention of giving Red a steely scowl, he winked and said, “You can thank me later.”
I muttered a surly, “Thanks.”
Red didn’t seem to notice. “Didn’t want you poking Cap’s eye out,” he said brightly.
Remembering that Cullen had indeed been concerned about that, I chuckled, but said quickly, “I better help Millie and Phoenix. See you later.”
“Sure,” Red said, another wink making me wonder whether there was something wrong with his eye, maybe a bit of grit in it. I moved over to Phoenix, folding down the boom pole and putting it into its bag.
Coach thanked Millie and Phoenix and encouraged everyone else to get home and prepare for the biggest day of their lives. Pulling out my phone, I was about to text Mom when Millie said, “Do you need a ride, Sierra?”
“Ah, it’s fine,” I said, “I’ll just text Mom.”
