But career-wise? It just wasn’t the case. It was too risky. What if he found out he wasn’t any good? What if he lost baseball again?
There wasn’t a day that went by where he didn’t feel lucky to be where he was.
“You okay?”
It was the first time she’d initiated a conversation, and her question snapped him from his thought spiral. “Yeah, great!” He hoped the lie sounded convincing.
These weren’t the kinds of things he dwelled on. Ever. He didn’t have a five-year plan. He didn’t even have a plan past driving down this particular road. But seeing how bold Lauren was with her career got him thinking.
Maybe. . .maybe I should.
The head coach position was opening at the end of this season. What if he threw his hat in the ring? What if he went for it? The worst that could happen was they’d turn him down, right?
He didn’t deserve the job. Sure, he hoped he’d made an impact on his players and the team as a whole, but he’d taken baseball for granted, and part of him knew he needed to prove he was willing to work to keep it.
A voice nagged at the back of his mind. Who’s going to listen to you—the guy who threw away his chances at the Majors? It was a familiar voice, one that sometimes rung a little too loudly in his mind.
But what if that voice was wrong? What if he took a shot?
“Worried about Jackson?”
Shamefully, he hadn’t been thinking of Jackson at all.
Lauren’s gaze was trained on him, and it unnerved him. She’d spent most of the trip so far avoiding his eyes.
“Yeah, I am. He’s not on the greatest path.” It was a path that Will had walked before.
He looked away. He wasn’t the type to overanalyze his life.
Without even trying, she’d made him want more for himself. She was challenging him to quit settling. The sour taste of failure was still too bitter in his mouth to want to try again.
But maybe. . . maybe I should.
“Does Rosa remember we’re coming? I need to prepare to be hugged again.” Lauren gazed out her window at the small ranch home as Will parked the Jeep.
He turned off the engine. “She demanded it, remember? She made us dinner.”
Lauren mused. “She really loves you.”
She did. He only hoped he could have the kind of impact on Jackson that Rosa believed he could.
“I flirted my way into her heart.” He grinned at her, having perfected the art of simultaneously acting totally fine while packing unwanted emotions in a box. He was desperate for the heaviness on his shoulders to lift.
“Let’s go eat our weight in tacos.” He wasn’t about to let this heaviness follow him inside that house.
Joe and Rosa welcomed them into their home loudly, as if they were long-lost, beloved relatives they hadn’t seen in years and not as two people who’d been there less than twenty-four hours ago.
“Coach!” Joe shook Will’s hand and pulled him into a tight hug while Rosa wrapped her arms around Lauren. Rosa introduced Joe to Lauren, so naturally, he drew her into a fatherly bear hug. To her credit, she remained good-natured about the whole exchange.
Will inhaled a deep breath. “It smells amazing in here.”
“A lot better than the diner food we’ve been eating.” Lauren smiled.
“You are going to eat a home-cooked meal tonight! Entra, siéntate, tenemos mucha comida!”
Rosa hung their coats on a hook by the door and ushered everyone into the living room, where Jackson sat in the same spot he’d been in yesterday.
“Coach, they’re gonna ruin Chipotle for you for the rest of your life,” Jackson said.
“That’s true, we are.” Jackson’s dad grinned. “But if anyone deserves Rosa’s authentic tacos, Coach, it’s you. And your beautiful girlfriend, of course.”
“Oh, no, no, she’s not his girlfriend,” Rosa tutted.
“What? Why not?” Joe’s eyes darted to Will. After sizing him up, he said, “She turned you down, eh?” Back to Lauren. “You’re too smart to fall for this bufón, I bet.”
Lauren’s eyes found his, and to his surprise, she granted him a single smile. “I don’t speak Spanish, but I know exactly what that word means,” she laughed.
“Oh, Joe, leave them alone.” Rosa stood at the doorway. “Dinner’s ready, so let’s eat.”
Rosa had made a huge spread, far too much food. Homemade tortillas, street corn, Mexican red rice, carne asada and grilled chicken all made for—hands-down—the best taco he’d ever eaten.