Page 66 of Rushing Into Love

“Hey, Ryder.” Claire was manning registration this evening. Seeing me, she flipped her hair, smoothed it down over her shoulders. “Hey there, Charlie.”

“Hi,” Charlie said politely.

“Where’s your friend?” Claire asked, her eyes narrowed like a cat ready to pounce.

“Bree?” I rubbed my hands together, wishing Claire would just check us in and tell me which field we were playing on.

“Mmm-hmm,” she murmured, batting her eyelashes at me, not checking the roster.

“She’ll be here.” I shifted from foot to foot, trying to keep warm.

“What’s up with you guys?” She leaned forward, chin in hand, readying for a long chat.

“I don’t know, Claire. We’re dating, I guess. Listen, could you tell me what field we’re on tonight please?” I bent towards the counter, trying to find our name on the list.

“Well, good for you, Ryder. About time you got back out there. Are you two serious?”

The woman would not let up. “Yes, I guess so.”

“If things don’t work out, I have a cousin over in Camden County, she’s real pretty,” Claire said, finally moving her finger down the roster to find our name.

“Good to know.”

“You’re on field #6 tonight, Ryder. Have a great game!” She blew me an air kiss and I grabbed Charlie, walking away quickly before she slipped me her cousin’s number.

The Lions began trickling in. As I checked off each name on my roster, I fastened flags, making certain every one was secure. Mouthguards were verified and I led the team through stretches and drills.

The kids were amped up for the game and their energy was contagious. Adrenaline pumped through me pretty hard, thrumming through my veins. My legs were twitchy as I joined in on the jumping jacks. Even though this was only Pee Wee football, I still had the urge to win. Old habits die hard.

“Alright, guys. We have a big game tonight. We’re going to run the plays we practiced this week. Pay attention to me and to the quarterback. We’ll be rotating through positions, so no one gets too tired. Listen and be sure to show good sportsmanship. Most of all, let’s go out there and have fun. Okay? Now put your hands in—on the count of three. One, two, three—go Lions! Roar!”

All the kids roared, big grins on their faces, then we broke the huddle.

“Okay, on the sidelines—wear your sweatshirts, it’s cold. You don’t want your muscles to get tight. Charlie, you’re in as QB. Alex, Benny, Skip—you’re on the right. Let’s run the 1-2 play. Got it?” Five little heads nodded and then they jogged out to the field, taking their positions.

I shook hands with the other coach, then walked back over to our sideline and scoped out the stands. Gigi and Pops were there, but no Quinn. He was probably going to be late; his shift ended at seven. Bree sat behind Gigi, next to Brooklyn. She waved to me and I grinned up at the stands, throwing her a quick wave back. She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.

Relief washed over me. I was glad she was with her sister and sitting near my family. Safety in numbers. Even though I had a restraining order in place, I didn’t trust Shayna. I felt better knowing Bree wasn’t alone.

The whistle blew and the game began. We had the ball first. Charlie threw two completions and we managed to get all the way to the twenty-yard line, but their defense was tough and stopped the play.

Rams had the ball next and we stopped them. Not even a first down. We switched over to our running game, driving the ball down the field. Alex made it all the way to the ten-yard line, but we still couldn’t complete the play.

The Rams copied us, also playing their running game. Skip ran the ball down, pulling flag after flag, and Benny managed to stop a drive. The crowd was going wild, everyone was cheering. Practically all of Peachtree Grove had turned out for the playoffs.

The ref blew the whistle, waving his hands in the air. It was halftime and the score was still zero to zero.

“Okay, guys, get some water, then huddle up.”

Twelve kids scrambled for their water bottles and sweatshirts, a frenetic blue blur. After a few moments, I managed to wrangle them into a circle, albeit not a quiet one.

“Alright, Lions, listen up.” The kids grew quiet and I had twelve pairs of wide eyes staring up at me. “We’ve played really well so far,” I assured them, “but now we have to turn it up. This team is good. Really, really good. So we have to be great.”

A few kids nodded. “The Rams will have the ball next. We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing on defense. Force them to run the ball and concentrate on pulling flags. You all look good out there. Stay focused, stay sharp, and we’ll score some points. You guys ready?” I took in each of their serious faces, then smiled. “Alright, let’s bring it in. On three—one, two, three—go Lions, Roar!”

The kids roared, then let out a huge cheer. They were ready to take the field again.

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the second half. I said a silent prayer that we’d put up some points, then paced the sidelines as the ball moved down the field. First down, second down. The quarterback threw for twenty yards, moving the ball to first and ten. Now they had to run the ball. All of our best defensive players were in, but a dark-haired receiver cut to the left and we couldn’t stop him.

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