Page 23 of Coach's Pet

Unknown: You’ve got until 9am to respond. The clock is ticking.

I grip my phone so tightly it threatens to break. With no other options, I grab Charlotte’s bag and head out to my truck.

The drive to her house is familiar, but instead of going to her window, I walk right up to the front door and knock on it. It takes a second before it opens, but when it does, I see a man close to my height standing there with a serious expression.

“I’m Shay Olson, I coach football at Legend Prep,” I tell Charlotte’s uncle.

“I know.” His expression doesn’t change as he steps back and opens the door wider. “But what I don’t know is why you’re using the front door this time instead of the window.”

Chapter Thirteen

CHARLIE

I pace back and forth in my room. It’s torture not having my phone. I want to call Shay, but I don’t have his number memorized. I could tell from the expression on his face when he told me to leave without going to the locker room that he must have discovered something.

How is he going to handle all of this? I’m sure that’s what he’s doing. Maybe I should have fought him and gone back to the locker room. If he knows about the mess with Parker, then he could have confronted him. That wouldn't be good. In fact, it could make everything worse.

Staying away from Shay isn’t an option for me. No matter what Parker told me to do. Even if I tried to do that, I know Shay won’t stay away from me. He’s made it clear from day one when he tried and failed miserably. He was telling me to leave him alone the whole time he was seeking me out. I can’t help but smile at the thought, but then it quickly fades as reality settles in.

Tins gave me the third degree all the way home. She knows that there is something going on between Shay and me. Then when I walked in the front door, my uncle started telling me that I could talk to him about anything. I hope he’s just worried because I’ve got a new friend and I'm going to football games. Not because I’m fucking the new football coach.

A knock sounds on my door, and I stop pacing back and forth. “Yeah?” I call out, not wanting to face my uncle again.

I hate that I’m kind of lying to him. If he pushed for the truth, I might crack. Shay has enough problems on his hands, and I’m not sure what my uncle would do. He’s laid back, but at times I’ve felt there was something simmering under the surface.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Now I’m getting suspicious. I can’t think of a time when Callum has ever asked to come into my bedroom. He’s always given me space, and we talk downstairs.

“How are you holding up, kiddo?” he asks, stepping into my bedroom.

“What do you mean?”

“Charlie.” He cocks his head. “I can read you better than you think.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I shift on my feet, knowing that getting defensive isn’t going to help my case. I have no idea what else to do, so I deflect.

“Sit.” He grabs the chair at my desk and moves it closer to where I drop down on the bed. Callum sits down in front of me. “I know we’re not as close as we likely should be.”

“Don’t do that, Uncle Callum. You’ve done a great job. Better than my parents.”

“That might be true, but the bar is on the fucking floor.” I bark a laugh, not used to him cursing. He’s not strait-laced, but it is not normal for him to curse around me. When I drop the occasional F-bomb, he doesn’t care.

“You’ve done more than you should have had to.”

“But I want us to be family.”

“We are.”

“A real family, Charlie. You go to your family when you need help. When you’re in trouble.”

Shit, he knows something.

“Okay, so I punched a boy in his face, and now I have to be the mascot. I’m handling it. I don’t need help with that.” I shrug to show it’s no big deal and try to sell it.

“I’m not talking about that.” He raises an eyebrow.

“Oh.” Double shit. “Wait, you know about that?”

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