“I…” Adalyn’s throat worked, a strange emotion flashing through her face. “I’d rather you called me Adalyn. And I’m staying at the Sweet Heaven Cottage.” She recovered from whatever that had been, pinning me with a glance. “For however long I want. Because that’s something I can absolutely do.”
I gave her an unimpressed look.
“So that’s why you know each other!” Josephine squealed. “You two are neighbors. How wonderful is that, huh?”
“It’s just marvelous,” I muttered.
Josephine nodded. “Oh, it really is. You get to share the lodge and work together with the team. Yay!”
Both Adalyn’s and my head whirled in Josephine’s direction.
The woman held her hands in the air. “Oh Lord, why are you two looking at me like I just kicked a puppy?” No one spoke. Josie clicked her tongue. “All right, I see there’s some unattended… tension here. So let’s take turns.” An easy smile parted her face. “Adalyn, you go first.”
“Miss Moore,” Adalyn started.
But Josie let out a laugh. “Oh dear, please, there’s no need for such formalities. I know I introduced myself as the mayor, but it’s a volunteer role in a place this small.” She lowered her voice, “Plus, I’m not even thirty and formalities make me feel ancient.” I watched Adalyn blink at the other woman, before she pressed with another bright smile. “So? You were saying.”
“Yes, um,” Adalyn hesitated before shoving me aside with one arm and stepping closer to Josephine. I scowled at her profile. “There has to be a mistake of some kind. We are not working together with the team. He can’t be involved with the Green Warriors, because if he was, I would know about it.”
Now that caught my attention.
Josephine tilted her head in confusion. “But he is. Cam…” Josephine trailed off for an instant. “Cam is the Green Warriors’ coach.”
My mouth opened to correct her—I was only doing her a favor by temporarily filling in as coach—but Adalyn’s reaction sidetracked me.
Her cheeks flamed a deep shade of pink, and her lips parted.
Wide and panicked brown eyes turned to me, and then she said, “He’s fired then. Effective immediately.”
CHAPTER SIX
Adalyn
Cameron Caldani, goalkeeping prodigy and Premier League legend, stared at me.
“That’s right,” I mumbled, but it wasn’t right. I didn’t know what was coming out of my mouth. “This is my first decision as… general manager of the Green Warriors.” Oh God. Did I even have a title? “And as the new person in charge of supervising the team’s activities and making sure they live up to their full potential, I’m deciding that we don’t need him. Therefore, he is fired.” My voice cracked, and for some reason I added, “Good day.”
Josie fell silent.
Cameron blinked unbelievably slowly, his lips twitching in a way I couldn’t interpret.
And as he watched me, I knew that if he mocked me right now, if he said something about my daddy, or whether I was lost, or how I didn’t belong here and couldn’t make it a single night, chances were I’d crumble down and cry. Or worse. God knew that I was unpredictable these days.
So when his lips came to a stop, giving shape to a pout I didn’t understand, I held my breath. “You’re going to do what now?” he said.
Okay.
I could work with that. With hostility. Cynicism. Even condescension. I was used to those.
“I’m not going to do anything,” I told him, my voice gaining strength. “Because I already did. You are dismissed from your coaching duties.”
Josie seemed to partially recover because she let out an awkward snicker. “I think the… fun and friendly banter is unnecessarily escalating. How about we let Cam return to practice and discuss this later over a slice of red velvet cake? It’s Josie’s Joint’s special today, and cake is on the house for newcomers.”
“There’s no need to discuss anything,” I answered, my eyes on Cameron, who had tilted his head to one side and was inspecting me in a strange way. “Who hired him?” Something occurred to me. “Did my father send him here, too?”
Cameron Caldani’s eyes narrowed, the green darkening with a new emotion I didn’t recognize. Why was this man a walking riddle I couldn’t decipher? I didn’t like that.
“I… did.” Josie hesitated. “Well, I wouldn’t use the word hire, as he’s not being paid a dime. A better word is… recruited. Yes, I recruited Cam.”