One Look: A grumpy, single dad small town romance(54)

“Yeah, we see the news,” Lee chimed in. “You don’t date. Ever.”

Beckett took a pull of his beer. “Probably smart.”

The reality was that after Penny and the demands of a high-profile career, there wasn’t much left to give anyone else. The women who were happy with next to nothing were the same ones I could make happy with money instead.

Lark is nothing like them.

I couldn’t get my gorgeous brunette and her flirty summer dress out of my head. “Lark’s . . . thoughtful and kind. Aunt Tootie loves her.”

“Tootie loves everyone,” Lee quipped.

I saw the opportunity to turn our discussion away from Lark and the warm, fuzzy feeling that I was certain was from more than just the bonfire. “I offered to build her a new house. Right there on the property—knock down the old one and start fresh.”

“No shit?” Lee looked into the fire as though he was considering my very logical solution to our problem.

I nodded. “She laughed in my face.”

Duke sighed. “Well, we need to do something. I think she’s holding on to memories of Dad from that house or . . . I don’t know.”

“I can do it.” Beckett looked up from the fire and around at us. He lifted a shoulder. “The reno. I can handle it.”

Duke reached over to clamp a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. A tightness seized in my chest when I realized I was jealous of their easy, lasting friendship.

Something like that took time to cultivate. It meant staying in one place long enough to set down roots. Permanence. Something I’d learned, city after city and team after team, was never going to happen for me.





23





WYATT





I flipped the last piece of french toast onto the plate and doused it with maple syrup. “Blueberries?”

“Are they Uncle Duke’s?” Penny was very serious and very loyal about her blueberries lately.

“Of course they are, Pickle.”

“’Kay. Then yes.” She sat at the table, ready to devour her breakfast. Kevin sat next to her, cramming for another exam, and when I set her plate down, he plucked a ripe berry from the top and popped it into his mouth.

Penny stuck her tongue out at him and grinned.

A squeeze tightened in my chest and wouldn’t let up. I stacked the dishes in the sink. I hated to leave them, but if I didn’t head out in five minutes, I’d hit traffic and be late. I stared down at the sink as indecision gnawed at me.

“I’ll get ’em, Coach.” Kevin tipped his head toward the dirty dishes.

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.”

He shook his head. “Just remember this when you’re making the starting lineup.”

“You got it.” I grabbed my hat and sunglasses before swiping my keys off the table. When I walked toward the door, there she was.

Lark twirled the small bundle of wildflowers—the ones I had collected from the edge of Beckett’s property and left on her doorstep—under her nose as she walked into the house. It hit me that she didn’t bother to knock anymore, and a strange part of me didn’t mind that in the least.

The honey flecks in her eyes sparked to life when she saw me approach. “Morning!”

I swallowed hard. Lark was always so happy. Lately I’d felt pretty damn happy too. And worried. All this seemed a little too good to be true.

“Hey, I’m sorry but I gotta run. Do not do the dishes.”

Lark offered me a cute little salute. “Yes, sir.”

I sidled up to her, cocooned in the privacy of the small entryway. “I’m serious. If I find out you did them, I’m going to have to punish you.”

Fire danced in Lark’s eyes. I loved that she was a bit of a brat and liked to push my buttons. She walked her fingers up my chest before tapping the end of my nose. “Noted.”

The smirk on her lips told me exactly what we’d be in for later, if I had any say. “You’re still coming up later?”

“Three o’clock, right?”

I dropped my keys into my pocket and secured my hat on my head. “I’ll be at the field anytime after noon. You and Penny can watch the practice if you’re bored.”

Lark stepped up to me. Her hand went to my hat and turned it backward with a grin. “Much better.” She leaned in closer. Her warm breath floated over my ear and made me swallow back a low groan. “So hot,” she whispered, then slapped me on the butt and laughed as she turned toward the kitchen. “Have a good day, dear!”





The shit-eating grin didn’t leave my face all day.

The summer sun was high, and it was brutally hot. I made sure the other coaches were cautious. It was Friday and we had a field full of high school students for a one-day summer training camp.

Pride coursed through me as I looked out onto the field. These kids would have the opportunity to be trained by some of the finest coaching staff in the country. The kids could see the university, tour the facilities, and hopefully be eager to join our ranks in the fall. I wanted them to feel like our school was a special place.

But that didn’t mean we went easy on them.

The kids were grouped by position and ability. I had worked hard to make sure that no one group far outmatched another. Those with less skill could learn from the technically skilled players. I also found that players who weren’t born ready had a tenacity that others lacked. I liked mixing those groups together—building up their confidence while also stretching them as players. Their attitudes also played a major role in whether our scouts would pay special attention to them.