Nova smiles. “They have vegetarian options. Go and tell her you’re sorry, and invite her out.”
He exhales, then glances toward the door, a look of determination on his face. “I might be late, Coach.”
We watch him go, then laugh, our heads bending together.
Nova rubs her hands together. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall of that closet. Obviously, the lice incident wasn’t enough to get them together. Maybe this will.”
I gaze down at her upturned face and smile. These past few days with her have been exhilarating. You know those people who shine so bright you gravitate to them, wanting to bask in their warmth? She’s that. A little star.
“Melinda and Andrew didn’t come to lunch today,” she murmurs.
“I know. Good for us.” I kiss her, my hand curling around her nape.
She pulls away slowly. “I need to go check on Caleb and the guys. I left them in my room.”
“I’ll see you at the field house. Dinner at my place? You and Sabine?”
She stands, her hand running over my shoulders. “Sounds good.”
“I can grill. What should I make?”
She pauses, a light growing in her eyes. “Chicken. I want chicken.”
I laugh as she sashays out the door.
After lunch, I’m walking out to the field house when my phone rings.
“Yo, Reggie, how’s it going?” I ask my agent.
“Hey! How are you doing?”
“Great, great. About to head to practice.”
“Sounds good. Hite called me this morning. It’s not official, but Dunbar is going to resign. The drug addiction is all over the media, and they can’t keep a lid on it. There’ll be a press conference in a few days. Hite’s itching to nail you down for the short list.”
“Reggie—”
“Stanford is at the top right now. You could be part of that team and work your way up. Hite will retire in a few years.”
I reach the field and step out on the grass, frowning as I wait for the wave of calm that usually comes on the field, but it doesn’t. Instead, anxiousness tugs at me.
“Ronan? He’ll want to meet with you.”
My hand taps my leg in frustration. “Look, I’m about to play the biggest game of the year next week. I can’t fly to California and interview for a job I don’t really want.”
“Uh-huh. They’ve had a great season, and they’ll get a bowl game. You could be there for it.”
“Reggie . . .”
“Look, I hear the reservation in your voice,” he says. “I get it. I do. You’ve been there for almost two seasons, and you want to finish, but life happens, and shit changes. You can pay out your contract with Blue Belle and go to California.”
Toby sends me a wave as he runs into the field house.
“Ronan?”
“What?” I mutter.
“There’s no harm in getting on the list. You can always say no, right?”
There’s truth in that.
“Okay, fine, add me to the list, but keep it private. I need to go, Reggie.”
“Wait! Ah, well, there’s something else I heard through the grapevine that’s simmering. I don’t have all the deets, but—”
“What? Where?” My gut clenches, and I can’t decide if it’s hope or fear of an opportunity I can’t say no to.
“I’ll get back to you with facts once I get more info.”
“Can you give me a hint?”
“Ah . . . well, it’s close to home.”
“Chicago?”
“No. Look, I’ve said too much already. I don’t want to get your hopes up. I’ll call you soon.”
He clicks off, leaving me annoyed. I stalk out to the center of the field and stare at the Bobcat.
Moving up to the next level is what I want . . .
But . . .
My chest tightens, and I stop and bend over to catch my breath.
It’s going to rip me apart to leave this team—and Nova.
Chapter 21
RONAN
A woodpecker bangs on a nearby tree as I gaze down at Nova. The weather is warm, and she’s wearing cutoff shorts and an old BBHS shirt. Her hair is everywhere as we lie in a hammock next to the pool.
We won our game last night on the road in Brighton, about two hours from Blue Belle. She and Sabine stayed home, and when I pulled up around one in the morning, I unlocked her door and headed upstairs to her room. I crawled in, tucked her in my arms, and slept the best I have in a while. We got up for Sabine and then made pancakes with Dolly playing. It’s a Morgan Girl family tradition.