Page 30 of Scoring with the Coach's Daughter

The day passes in a blur and I’m filled with excitement waiting for Jake and Ellie to return.

I have the house straightened and dinner is prepped when I sit on the porch sipping sweet tea when Jake pulls up. My heart lurches. I watch him and Ellie joking with each other.

“Hi, Aunt Sam,” she beams. Her cheeks are flushed from the warm air and she wears a glow from the afternoon sun—or is it from Jake’s attention?

I hug her before she disappears into the house.

“Thanks for picking her up,” I say, observing the fact that Jake is quieter than usual.

“How did the appointment go?” I ask, sipping my tea as he leans against the pillar of the porch.

He runs a hand through his hair, his expression thoughtful. “It went well. Dr. Reid says everything’s on track, but... these kinds of injuries can be tricky. I’m nervous.”

“That’s normal, isn’t it? To be nervous?”

“Yeah,” he says, his voice drops. “But it’s not just about me. If I don’t heal right, I let the team down.”

I reached out, my hand brushing his. “You’ll recover. You always do.” I know enough about the team to remember he’s been out in the past. He’s young and resilient. Besides, he has to be okay, doesn’t he?

He looks up at me and his eyes are so full of emotion I’m speechless. I get the impression he’s speaking from his heart. “I hope when I return to Maine, you’ll think about joining me.”

But Ellie bursts through the screen door like a cyclone, breaking the moment we had as her feet make a loud thud on the wood planks of the porch before she’s in the kitchen and skids to a stop, standing before me.

“Aunt Sam!” she says, her voice filled with excitement and direction as she puts her hands on her hips like a supervisor. Her eyebrows come to a peak. “You’re cooking—again.”

I nod to her. “Yep. Imagine that!”

She smiles and her dark eyes dance. I cast a smile at Jake as we move into the kitchen.

“Now, what are we having for dinner?” Itease Ellie with my dry banter as I reach into the refrigerator, pulling out vegetables to chop.

Ellie pulls up a stool and rests her chin on her hands, watching me from the other side of the counter. “Camp was fun,” she says after a moment. “Can we go to the beach tomorrow?”

I pause, focusing on the steady rhythm of the knife against the cutting board. “Maybe,” I say, knowing how that word sounds to her.

She frowns. “Maybe?” her face perks up. “You always say no.”

“Ellie—”

“We have to go! Jakes here, so you have help,” she argues hopping off the stool and looking at Jake as he pours tea into a glass of ice. “Will you take us, Jake?” He doesn’t know that I tell Ellie it’s too much for me to take her to the beach by myself but that’s a half-truth.

She has me tongue-tied. The weight of her words pressed down on my chest. I stare at the carrot on the cutting board and my stomach twists.

Ellie’s not wrong. I do say no—too often. It’s just… it’s always been the two of us. The thought of letting her world expand beyond that scares me in ways I can’t put into words.

“If it’s okay with Sam,” he says, challenging me to say nix the event.

“I think it would be great,” I breathe because I’m outnumbered. Maybe having Jake there will help me reacquaint me with my favorite pastime.

“Yeah!” Ellie exclaims as she hugs Jake’s legs. “I’m going to pack for a day trip,” as she excitedly dashed out of the room.

“You’re on a slippery slope, Jake. She’ll expect this when you’re no longer here. It’s a long day for me which is why I don’t take her myself.”

“A clam bake,” he grins and I have to admit it melts my heart. He’s handsome and rather adorable as he’s drooling over the possibility of our first family adventure. He’s so energetic and carefree, he’s a lot like Ellie, and I admire that.

I wish I could be more like him, but I have to be the mature adult—the one who makes the tough decisions. Being a mom makes it difficult for me to be the parent who’s fun and exciting, but Jake brings that in spades. “It’s been years since I’ve been to a clam bake,” he says as his eyes twinkle.

“I love them,” I dolefully murmur.

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