Coach nodded thoughtfully. “They definitely do. Either school would be an excellent option for you, although with Evans at Mayfair, you’ll be second string at best and have to work hard to earn the starting position after he graduates. That kid has the potential to go all the way.” He paused. “I know some people at both schools. I can get them out here to watch you if you’re interested.”
“Yeah. Yeah, definitely,” I said, nodding. “I’m interested.”
Coach tapped the top of his desk. “Good. I’ll make some calls and see what we can do.”
“Coach? Uh, is Grace going to Rayton or Mayfair. . .”
He leveled his stare on me. “Grace has been accepted at Rayton. It’s where I went. It’s where she’ll go. She received an academic scholarship to attend. Why?”
“Just wondering. It would be nice to see a familiar face if I ended up there too.” I offered him a quick smile.
He narrowed his eyes at me before he let out a grunt and nodded. “We have a late practice in an hour. You best head to the field and get warmed up.”
He rose to his feet, and I followed him out of his office and straight to the front door. There wasn’t any sign of Gracie, which disappointed me. Not wanting Coach to catch the expression on my face, I bid him goodbye and jogged out to my Jeep. I took my phone out and found a message from Grace.
Grace: Is everything OK?
Logan: It’s fine. He wanted to talk to me about college.
Grace: Good. Enjoy practice.
Logan: The only thing I’m going to enjoy is it ending so I can talk to you more.
Grace: I might be busy.
Logan: Busy thinking about me? ;)
Grace: Most likely.
Logan: I knew it.
Grace: I didn’t say it was good.
Logan: Then I guess I’ll just have to give you something incredible to think about so we never have this problem again.
I darkened the screen before she could answer me, a grin on my face. There were plenty of things I knew would make her squeal. We were far out from that happening though, so I’d have to come up with something else.
* * *
When I arrived at the field, I was early, so I changed and ran a couple laps before my teammates started arriving.
“Hey,” Andy said, approaching me as I downed a bottle of water.
When it was empty, I tossed it into the trash and fixed him with an even look. “Yeah?”
He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced around. “How’s it going with Grace?”
“Great,” I said, my guts clenching. “Why?”
He nodded tightly.
“Say what you came to say, man. I don’t have time for your shit today.”
He shook his head at me and blew out a breath. “Fine. I want out.”
“What?” I blinked at him, unsure if I heard him correctly.
“I want out. The bet. I want it over with.”