Page 211 of Whistle

They all stood there, shell-shocked and pale, acting as if they weren’t going to listen.

Phweeeeeeeeeeee!

They moved then.

But not out of the office like I’d told them. They converged on me like a pack of buzzards on a corpse. Wet, cold bodies pressed in, arms and legs everywhere, dripping hair smearing my face.

“We love you, Coach,” someone whispered as they all wrapped around me, the biggest hug this office had ever seen.

I backed up worse than a clogged toilet, so tight with overwhelming sentiment that I struggled to breathe. I was paralyzed by the genuine emotion these normally chronic idiots were pouring out.

Water pressed the backs of my eyes, blurring my vision as the tip of my nose tingled. I wanted to yell at them to get off me, to go back to swimming, and that this was no big deal.

My voice didn’t work, and well, they weren’t really like a pack of buzzards. They were more like a basket of puppies, all of them with wagging tails. Too cute to push away.

Over their heads, my gaze met Dean Cardinal’s. Maybe it was because I was fighting tears. Maybe I saw what I wanted to see. Regardless, regret dulled his features, and he shook his head. Bending at the waist, he retrieved the wrinkled paper bearing my resignation and scanned it quickly. “I’ll have HR contact you.”

I inclined my head, and he left, fancy shoes clipping across the tile.

“All right,” I said, gruff. “That’s enough. Go swim.”

They exited without a word, leaving behind Bodhi and Landry.

“You’re seriously quitting, Dad?” Landry asked.

“Seriously.” I confirmed. “But don’t you worry, ladybug. I can still pay your tuition.” As my daughter, her tuition was waived because I was the coach.

“I don’t care about tuition, Dad! I care about you.”

“Well, then you’ll be glad to know I’m happy with my decision and have no regrets.”

She glanced at Bodhi, then back at me. “You’re sure?”

“One million percent.” And I realized I could mean that whole-heartedly because I had taken my time before. Because I’d thought this through. I knew what I wanted.

I was taking it.

She nodded once, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Well. What are you going to do with yourself now?”

I smiled. “Still up for that furniture shopping?”

Bodhi made a stricken sound.

Landry laughed. “Yes!”

“Good. Now go finish practice. I need to pack a box.”

Then it was just me and Goldilocks, silence falling between us like heavy snow.

“Baby…” I started, and he whirled.

“Why would you do this?” he demanded.

“Do what?”

“Give up everything for me.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

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