Page 165 of Whistle

Rory: Can you hear me laughing? No? It’s because I’m not.

Jamie: Leave my sister alone. We got more important things to discuss.

Landry: Such as?

Jamie: Announcing me as the MVS.

Lars: Most valuable swimmer?

Jamie: Lars for the win!

Wes: You definitely earned it.

Kruger: Best in bro results are:

Kruger: 1: Jamie, 2: Ryan, 3: Coach

Ryan: I’m buying your waffles in the morning, bro.

Jamie: I’m eating extra.

Landry: My dad did pretty well.

Lars: Wasn’t that your old nurse that won the bid on him?

Landry: Yes! I totally knew she had a crush on him.

Kruger: Until he blasts that whistle at her.

Rush: They’re across the room, having a drink at the bar.

Madison: Don’t all look at the same time!

Rory: They’re cute together.

Wes: Looks to me like Coach will be in a better mood at practice tomorrow.

Prism: *crossing fingers emoji*

36

Coach (Emmett)

I looked at every face and into every corner around this yuppy schmooze fest, but Bodhi was nowhere to be found.

Frankly, it made me nervous.

The last time I had eyes on him was when he abruptly stood in the middle of the auction and our gazes collided. The fleeting glance was a sucker punch to my diaphragm and undeniable evidence that whatever reassurance I thought I gave him earlier wasn’t enough.

Most of my life, I considered myself somewhat of a screw-up. Not really on the professional side but definitely on the personal one. It just was. Something about myself I didn’t bother changing because it didn’t really affect anyone but me. But that look on Bodhi’s face? The way he high-tailed it out of the auditorium like his ass was on fire?

I had to do better. Be better.

And for the first time ever… I wanted better. For him. For me.

For us.

It took forever to untangle myself from the clutches of the event. Being a high-profile coach of a D-1 swim team meant everyone wanted a piece of my time. Usually, I didn’t mind because this was part of the job, but tonight, it was nothing but an annoyance. When I finally thought I could get away, I came face to face with the woman who’d dropped a hell of a lot of money to spend time with me.

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