Page 18 of A Whole New Play

But Dane assured me I didn’t imagine Valerie. The entrancing beauty was real. When he pointed out she might have a reason for sneaking out after our night together, I stopped my search. Even though the thought of never seeing or speaking to her again haunted me.

It still haunts me.

I’ve thought of Valerie too many times these past months, and I’m not just talking about the sex.

After we left dinner that night, we enjoyed drinks and spent hours connecting on a level I’d never experienced. I’ve dated many women, but being with them never felt easy. Or natural. Not in the way it did with her.

The connection has been impossible to forget, as was her unbelievable beauty and charm. Our evening together left a mark on me. I’ve been dreaming of one day having an opportunity to rekindle it even after she disappeared without giving me a way to contact her.

Now, here I am standing in front of her, gaping like an idiot who can’t find the words to say hello.

Get your shit together, man.

“Something wrong, Jones?”

I snap my mouth closed. “No, Coach.”

I fail when I try to pull my eyes away from the gorgeous young woman in front of me. Her face is free of makeup and she is dressed casually in a pair of dark leggings and an oversized white t-shirt. A purse hangs across her body. She doesn’t need fancy clothes or perfectly styled hair or makeup to be considered attractive. More than three months have passed since I last saw her. I’d forgotten how naturally beautiful she is, but it hits me like a freight train now.

From the corner of my eye, I see Coach looking between me and Valerie. “Do you know my daughter?”

My eyes snap to his.

Daughter?

I look at Coach Palmer, and it hits me that his dark hair is the same shade as Valerie’s. His eyes are brown while hers are green, but there’s no denying their shape is a near match.

Valerie is my coach’s daughter...

What the actual fuck...

Coach Palmer lifts a brow.

I clear my throat to speak, but Valerie beats me to it. “We’ve met before.”

His gaze shifts to his daughter. He frowns. “When?”

“Remember the girls' trip I took with Morgan?”

“Yes.”

“That’s when we met.”

Coach’s biceps flex when he crosses his arms over his chest. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He looks angry.

I swallow the lump in my throat. I’m not sure I’ll be able to fight off the older man if Valerie decides to tell him about our night together. Coach likes me, but I’m the father of a little girl. His like for me could be quickly forgotten depending on how much his daughter shares about what happened between us.

I brace myself for several different outcomes. Turns out, my unease is unwarranted.

With an air of indifference that is either an impressive acting performance or the truth of how she feels (in which case I’m insulted), Valerie says, “Because he was a stranger and it didn’t matter.”

Ouch.

And here I thought she and I had an explosive connection...

Coach isn’t so easily deterred. “You didn’t think to mention you met one of my players?” He lifts a single brow and levels a pointed look on his daughter.

“I didn’t know he was a player.”

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