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She’d better be. “I’m happy for you.” I don’t think Morgan had anything to do with their matchup, but I can’t fight the little voice telling me it’s still possible. Anything is possible with her. “Let’s get to practice.” I’d rather be going to the marina, but not because I don’t want to play ball, because I don’t want that cheer vixen taunting me from across the field the entire time.
Once we enter the locker room, I’d no sooner dropped my backpack on the bench than hear, “Crawford, Coach wants to see you in his office.”
Fuck. What’s the punishment for fucking the coach’s daughter on his desk? I mean everyone knows how toxic Morgan is. I should have a good shot at the insanity plea. And it wouldn’t be a lie. She does drive me insane. No matter, it’s time to face the music.
Stepping to the doorway, I tap my knuckles against the door. Coach looks up and waves me in, pointing to sit in the chair across from his desk. As I take a seat, my mind pictures Morgan bent over his desk. And fuck, I should be scared right now, not reliving it. Goddamn, I work to direct my thoughts elsewhere to keep from getting hard. Or harder.
Coach writes something on the paper in front of him and passes it to me. “Arthur said he can’t offer anything official yet, but he wanted you to join the NAU workshop they’re hosting soon. The best of the best will be there.”
Okay. So, this meeting is the one I thought I was attending this morning. Does he really not know about themeetingthat occurred with his daughter in here a few hours ago? Coach takes my silence as hesitation in considering the NAU workshop.
“Do you want to consider NAU? It really is one of the best schools around. It’d be my first choice for my son if he had any talent in the sport.”
Damn. He might as well flashdisappointmentacross his forehead to match his disappointed look when he speaks of Ryder. If you ask me, he’s my favorite King out of the bunch.
“I’m not sure I want to play ball next year.”
His expression morphs into disbelief. “Why wouldn’t you use your God-given talent to excel?” Coach stands and moves around his desk, propping against the front of it. His arms fold over his chest. “Your brother mentioned you were hesitant about this all working out. But I have faith in you, and Arthur does too. We’re all supporting you, Cade. You’re a bit behind some of the other prospects only because it’s been their sole focus since grade school. But you have something guys can only dream of. You’re a natural. You stepped away for years, then walked back on the field and took control. Now, it’s up to you to take control of your future.”
My gaze wanders beside him, to where I’d had his daughter laid out. Controlling her made me feel better than the thought of my future ever has. But I want out of this office. “I’ll consider it.”
I stand and walk to the door. And he thankfully doesn’t keep me longer, so I head back to the locker room, dress out, then head to the field.
Sure enough, the cheerleaders, led by their mutant, are on the far side of the field.
Neil jogs up to me with a water jug, passing it to me, and I drink some down. “Is everything okay with Coach?”
“Yep. Just trying to push me into NAU.” I can’t help but recall what Morgan said about him having stake in the school.
“That’s awesome. It’s on my list.” Neil’s statement catches me off guard.
“I’ve never heard you mention attending there before.” All the Ivy League schools? Absolutely, every day. He’s been obsessed with them the last three years. But NAU? Never a word. Not once.
“Yeah. I’ve given it some thought. It’s one of the universities Savannah applied to too.”
Fuck. He’s a goner already. “Are you seriously considering it for that reason?”
“No. That’d be crazy.” His eyes drop to his feet. “I mean. We’re not even official yet.”
“Even when you are, don’t throw your life out of whack for some temporary relationship.”
“Why would it be temporary?”
Damn it. “I’m not saying it will be. You just never know how long it will last. And you don’t want to change all your life plans over some girl who might not be that serious about things.”
He nods his head. “Yeah. You’re right. It was just a thought, and it sounded like a good one since I’d be close to home. Then when you just mentioned it, I got excited about going to college together. I guess things have to change sometime.”
He doesn’t sound very excited about the imminent changes, but the one thing I know in life is the only thing that stays the same is that everything changes. I’ve seen it with every single person and situation in my life. Nothing is like it was years ago. Even months ago. This morning is a perfect example. I thought I was done with Morgan years ago, yet I can still feel where her nails were scratching along my skin this morning.
I toss the water jug to the sideline and jog down the field. I need my head in the game because it keeps drifting places it shouldn’t be. Finally, my mind cooperates, and I get a good, exhausting workout during practice. Now it’s time for work. I need to be drained, that way I can’t think of anything except how tired I am.
I opt to skip the showers and pull on my clothes. There’s no point in cleaning up just to get drenched in sweat again at the marina. Actually, jumping off the dock and going for a quick swim sounds really appealing right now.
Neil catches up to me as we walk to the student lot. “Are you staying at my house again tonight? My mom said she won’t be stateside for at least another week or two.”
“Yeah. If it’s cool with you.”
“Of course. It really beats being home alone all the time.” He heads off in the direction of his car as I stop and scan the lot. “Where’s my truck?”
