One Look: A grumpy, single dad small town romance(13)

Lark shot me a look over her shoulder, and my eyes whipped up to meet hers, then darted to the side. Too late. She’d caught me checking her out, just as she’d intended.

Without shame, she walked slowly toward the edge of the lake, gently rising out of the water like some sea goddess, and I stared like the lowly peasant I was. My chest squeezed at the sight of her. I wondered if she felt as soft as she looked.

Fuck. I hadn’t slept with someone in nearly a year, and the way my body was reacting to the mere sight of Lark told me I was well out of practice.

Once on the shoreline, I respectfully looked away as she moved behind a low rock and bent. Apparently she’d stashed her clothes, and it explained why I hadn’t seen them before I’d decided on my post-run cooldown.

From my peripheral, I tracked every movement as she turned away from me to dress herself. I scanned the tree line. A protective surge built in my chest as I looked out for anyone who might see her naked.

Anyone but me, I guess.

This woman was a nuisance—disrupting my plans and causing rumors to fly around my hometown, but damn.

She was intriguing.

Once she pulled on her shorts, sports bra, and shoes, she tied the arms of a hoodie around her hips. I turned to face her again. Before leaving me alone in the woods, Lark turned, her defiant little chin still high in the air. With her arms spread wide, she lowered herself into a curtsy before taking off up the path and out of view.

I fought the playful laughter that threatened to rumble in my chest.





“We can’t stay here.” I pressed my fingertips into my eye sockets and reached as deeply as I could for an ounce of fucking patience.

“Why?” Penny had her arms crossed and wore a familiar look of mild annoyance.

“Because I have to get back to campus.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m the head coach. I have a season to prepare for—game tape to review, plays to develop. The players and other coaches need me.”

“Why?”

“Even in the off-season there’s work to do.”

“Why?”

Damn it. I’d walked right into the why game again.

“Enough. We aren’t staying.” My clipped tone caused Penny’s lower lip to jut out even further. I felt like a jerk, but the truth of the matter was we did need to get back. I was already fielding calls about next season, summer break, and what I was going to do about the players who were on academic probation.

When I transitioned from successful quarterback to coaching, I thought it’d be as simple as mentoring college players, passing down my tips for mental strength and agility on the field.

Yeah fucking right.

The majority of it was politics, strategy meetings, and keeping the star players from getting themselves booted from the team.

My phone buzzed and the name of Gary Whitman, the university athletic director, flashed across the screen.

Case in point.

I raised a finger to Penny, who only rolled her eyes and flopped herself onto Tootie’s well-worn couch.

When I answered, the athletic director wasted no time on greetings but barreled ahead. “Sullivan. I have your list of ineligibles.”

“Ineligibles?” I glanced at my watch to check the date. “Already?”

“One for sure, but another on the brink.”

I let go of a deep sigh and felt a headache start to form. “All right. Let’s hear it.”

“Kevin Williams is on academic probation. Didn’t pass his finals.”

“Yeah.” My heart went out to Kevin. He was a good, smart kid. Hell of a ball player, but he lacked the discipline for college. Namely, showing up for goddamn class.

“Also, Michael Thompson.”

That one surprised me. Michael was a straightlaced hard worker. He could run like the wind, and I’d never heard of any issues with him so far.

“He’s got nowhere to go. We’re still waiting on campus housing to come through, but he says he doesn’t have a place back in Oklahoma.”

My gut turned. I didn’t know my players well enough yet to have much insight into their home situations, but I couldn’t just send a kid packing without knowing he had a home to go back to. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You better.” Whitman laughed, but it lacked any semblance of actual humor. “We were all excited to have you sign on, but when it comes down to it, you need a winning season just as bad as we do. Get these boys under control, and hopefully we can talk long term.”

I didn’t need to be reminded of the stipulations of my contract. For a Division I football coach, satisfying the university’s media and sponsorship contracts was only a small part of the gig. If at the end of it all I didn’t produce a winning season, my contract wouldn’t be extended. With the team I had agreed to coach, I was on shaky ground at best. My eyes flicked to Penny, who was still pouting on the couch and likely ruminating over the Worst Dad Ever.

“Got it.” I hung up the phone and tossed it aside. I sighed and felt the tension creep into my neck and shoulders. “How about we go visit Uncle Lee at the fire station, Pickle?”

Penny immediately perked up. “Really? Right now?”

I smiled, knowing making her happy was the easiest win of them all, and I needed a win today. “Right now. Let’s load up.”