Page 103 of Taylor

Taylor sank back into the booth across from Coach, who seemed to be lost in the pasta before him. After a long pause, he looked up at him.

“Thank you,” Coach said so quietly he could barely hear him over the hum of the restaurant.

“For what?” Taylor asked.

“For seeing her when I couldn’t.” Coach cleared his throat, and Taylor wouldn’t mention the glassy quality of his eyes.

“She’s a remarkable woman,” Taylor said, trying to convey his honesty.

Coach nodded. “Yeah, she is. She gets hurt easily. Take care of her.”

Their eyes met over the table, both recognizing the importance of this moment.

“Always.”

He would always take care of Alice. He needed her sunshine just as much as she needed his steadiness.

“And if she’s any part of the way you played last night, she might just be our secret weapon for playoffs, not a hindrance like her sister hinted.”

Taylor laughed. “Yeah, she’s pretty good for my game.”

Alice slid back in the booth next to him, and the tension slipped away.

“What are these drawings about the team and the mascot?”

“Oh, I’ve been doing them when I’m in the press box and have downtime,” Alice said.

Taylor pulled them up on his phone, since a lot of her artwork was saved on his phone. He handed the phone over to Coach as he scrolled through the images.

“Are these done on the computer?”

“Well, a tablet, but they are digital.”

“These are wonderful! Where’s the one of Coach with Mr. Wizard?”

A genuine smile spread across Alice’s face as she laughed at her father, and Taylor felt the remaining tension fall away.

“That’ll be my next one.”

“It better be,” Coach answered as she handed Taylor back his phone. “Those are incredible. I’ll support you in any way I can.” He reached across the table and took her hand.

“Thanks,” she said as he squeezed her hand.

They finished their meal and enjoyed their conversation. Before they left, her dad gave her a big hug. They both came away glassy eyed.

“I’ll talk to your mother,” he said as he let go of her.

“Thanks, I’ll talk to her, but I might need a couple days,” she said with a rough chuckle.

Taylor took hold of her hand as they all made their way out of the cafe. He unlocked his car, followed her to her side of the car, and opened her door. “I’m proud of you.” He pulled her into a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him. “Thank you.”

“I adore you,” Taylor said because it seemed to be the only thing he could think of to say.

A warm smile spread across her face. “Not as much as I adore you,” she answered back.

“Well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that,” he said before kissing her forehead and helping her into her car.

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