Page 91 of Out of Bounds

SLOANE

It was bound to happen sometime. But I wish I could have put that awkward moment off much, much longer.

Say, oh, another half-century or so.

“Hey, baby. Cam.” He hugs me and gives Cam a perfunctory nod. “Haven’t seen you in a day or two. You still living at the house?”

He’s joking—I think—but the delivery falls flat. My dad’s a lot of things, but comedian’s definitely not one of them.

“Ha ha. Yes, I’m still living at home. I’ve been working a lot. And so have you,” I point out, deflecting. “Cam said the team’s looking good.”

My dad shrugs. “They’re coming along. Especially with so many freshmen coming out this year. But I like our chances.”

“We ran into one of your players earlier.” I drop my voice so only Cam and my dad can hear. “Dalton. He’skind of a dick.”

“Really. What happened?” My dad’s brows knit together and he folds his arms over his chest, his stance wide.

“Nothing specific,” I hedge. “Just generally kind of rude.”

Cam chimes in. “It was fine. But his attitude’s not great, that’s for sure. Kid thinks he’s real hot stuff.”

“I can see that.” My dad squints in concentration, a deep furrow between his brows. “I like Langley for the spot, not gonna lie. But he’s gotta get more accurate. Otherwise I’ll have to give it to Dalton.”

Cam’s fingers curl, knuckles flexing. He takes off his baseball hat, runs his fingers through his hair, puts it back on again. He doesn’t give any details, but inside I’m sure he’s cringing.

“Hey, Coach.” A tall teenage boy with floppy brown hair sidles up to us. Meg from the library trails behind him and I put two and two together. This must be Langley. Meg’s son and the kid Cam’s working with, the one he really likes.

“Hey, Cam.” Langley shoots Cam a friendly wave and Cam’s face breaks into a grin.

“What’s up, man. Happy Fourth.” Cam slaps Langley on the back like he did Nash and there’s a real bond there. Unlike with Dalton the dick.

“Hey, Meg.” I wave to Langley’s mom and she smiles brightly at us.

“Hey, y’all. Happy Fourth of July!” She catches sight of my dad and a light pink blush creeps into the apples of her cheeks.

“Mom, this is Coach. Coach, this is my mom.” Langley makes the introduction and Meg blushes harder, a flush creeping up her neck.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Langley.” My dad tips his ball cap in her direction.

“Oh, it’s Ms., not Mrs. But please, call me Meg.” She tucks her hair behind her ear and smiles shyly at my dad.

“Okay then, Meg.” The corners of my dad’s mouth tip up slightly as her name rolls off his lips and he fixes his gaze on her. Tension hangs in the air, but Langley slices right through it.

“Mom, this is Cam, the pro football player I’ve been telling you about. He’s working with me at practice, helping me make plays.”

“Great to meet you, Cam.” Meg shifts her attention to Cam for a second before cutting her eyes back to my dad. “Thank you both for helping Langley. He’s loved playing with y’all. Football’s his passion!” Her voice rises on the word ‘passion’ and Langley cringes, kicking at a patch of grass with his toe.

“Um, yeah.” Langley scrubs the back of his neck, the tips of his ears bright red.

“Hopefully he’ll get a chance to play this year,” Meg says. “Football is what keeps him going, that’s for sure!”

He grabs his mom’s arm. “Okay, well—good to see you, Coach. Cam. Ms. Carter.” He nods at me, hair flopping over his eyes, and I’ve never felt so old in my life.

“Oh gosh, call me Sloane. Ms. Carter’s my grandmother.” I laugh.

Langley smiles at that. “Alright. Good to see you, Ms. Sloane.”

I guess I’ll take it.

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