“My husband—” The woman stopped herself, her cheeks turning red. “Ex-husband, heard Chelsea saying something about wanting to switch from ballet to… kung fu or something outrageous like that. Do you know how unsettling that is? My daughter is a peaceful, delicate soul and now she wants to fight. Fight!”
I eyed Chelsea in the distance, with a black tutu over her clothes, furiously pirouetting while María clapped. That kid had no intention of dropping ballet.
“Diane. Gabriel.” Josie’s smile turned wider, tenser. “I understand everything you’re saying, I do. But can we please make the effort to put ourselves in Adalyn’s shoes? I think she’s been chastened enough for today. Don’t you think?”
I looked in the direction of the woman in question. The bags under her eyes seemed more noticeable than earlier today. My eyes flickered down her body, noticing how she was tapping her fingers around the cup. I didn’t think she’d touched her Josephino.
“Give me a chance,” Adalyn appealed to the group. “I understand where you’re coming from, but I promise you, I will be fully dedicated to the girls.” She hesitated. “I will take the team to new heights—”
“With Cam,” Josephine added.
Adalyn’s cheeks flushed. “With Cam,” she agreed quietly. Too quietly. “There’s also an MLS team backing me up. That means new kits, training supplies, sponsored gear… Anything you can think of. There is a budget allocated to spend—”
“Do you think you can buy us?” Diane sputtered. My eyes flashed to the woman, zooming in on her face.
Adalyn’s voice didn’t waver. “No. Of course not.”
Diane bristled anyway. “I know your kind. You saunter into small places like ours, in your fancy clothes and cars, wanting to make big changes.” She took a step in Adalyn’s direction. “This has happened before. To the Vasquezes’ farm. So, no. I don’t trust you and your money, missy!”
“Diane!” Josephine exclaimed. She set a hand on Adalyn’s arm. “Diane doesn’t mean that. I promise you she’s just passionate about the kids and the community. She unfortunately gets a little heated sometimes.”
Gabriel murmured something that sounded a lot like, “Here we go again.”
And as if on cue, the woman waved a hand in the air. “I am not heated.” She walked around Josephine and pointed a finger at Adalyn. “And if anyone knows about getting heated it is this woman right here. Next thing we know, someone’s hurt or… decapitated.”
A strange sound left Adalyn in response.
Before the woman could say another word, I found myself between her and Adalyn, holding a crumpled empty coffee container in my fist. I willed my fingers to relax, then pushed it inside a pocket on my pants.
“I’m about done listening to this,” I announced to the group. Diane’s head tilted back, lips bobbing wordlessly at me. I sent a quick sideways glance at Josephine. “So, if we’re finally through with this nonsense, I’d like to wrap things up and go home.”
Josephine’s eyes were slightly wide, but her lips were parted with a big grin that made her look deranged. She looked straight at me as I remained in the exact same spot.
“Christ. What now?” I asked.
She shrugged, that smile frozen in place. “Nothing. And yes, we’re done here.” She made a little pause I didn’t miss before adding, “Coach Cam.” Then, she was on the move, grabbing both Diane’s and Gabriel’s arms. “Okay, you two. How about I treat you to a delicious slice of raspberry tart? On the house, of course.”
And before I could blink, I was watching them walk along the sidelines in the direction of the other parents that had gathered to pick up their kids and were all looking this way.
I sighed, forcing my shoulders to relax and bracing myself for whatever show of hostility was waiting for me.
But when I faced Adalyn, her gaze was cast down again. As if the toes that I’d already noticed peeking out the hem of her pants held all the answers in the universe.
“You didn’t like the Josephino?” I heard myself ask.
Her fingers tapped on the container. “I don’t drink coffee after noon.”
“Well,” I breathed out. “I thought it tasted like shite, if it makes you feel any better. You’re not missing anything.”
She huffed out a sound that I would have interpreted as a laugh if it hadn’t been so bitter.