Page 48 of Scoring with the Coach's Daughter

“We’re all still standing,” she shrugs with a glint in her and I kiss her. It’s magical, her warm lips on mine and the entire kitchen staff is watching—even better. The moment is sadly interrupted when Maggie begins to bark orders.

“That steak needs to go out now!” she calls, checking the order slips clipped to the heat lamps. “I need another order of garlic knots! And someone check on that damn lasagna before it burns!”

One of the cooks slides a plate of pasta onto the line just as another reaches for the next pizza in the oven. It’s hot in here, heat radiating from the ovens and stovetops, mixing with the frantic energy of my passion for this woman who is transforming before my eyes.

And I wonder if Sam’s serious nature will soften more now that she survived her first act of tossing caution to the wind.

14

SAMANTHA

Above us,the evening sky stretches wide and endless, dark velvet dotted with shimmering stars that look like tiny LED lights that, strung together would make a map. Ellie insisted we come out here to watch for falling stars. She even carted an old blanket to the front yard. The air smells of pine and fresh-cut grass, crisp in the way that only early spring nights can be. I love spring and summer. Winter breaks up the monotony and a few snowstorms serve as a pallet cleanser.

After her telescope failed to produce results, she scampered inside, conveniently leaving me alone with Jake beneath the open sky filled with brilliant stars that sparkle like gems.

Jake lies beside me, arms crossed behind his head, his profile sharp against the dim glow of the moon. I can feel the warmth of him, even though we aren’t touching, and it sends an irritating flutter through my stomach.

“It's nice out here,” Jake murmurs, his voice softer than usual. It’s the same voice that has guided Ellie through art projects and football coaching, but tonight, there’s something different in it. Something quiet.

“Yeah,” I say, hugging my arms around my knees. “Ellie had a good idea.”

He turns his head to look at me. “Ellie always has a good idea,” he chuckles.

I laugh, shaking my head. “You say thatnow. Give her ten minutes, and she’ll be trying to convince us to climb onto the roof for a ‘better view’ of the stars.”

Jake smirks, and the world feels small—just the two of us on this hill, cocooned in the night. The space between us crackles, the way it always does when we’re alone.

“You ever think about it?” His voice is quieter now.

I frown. “Think about what?” I reply lightheartedly.

He exhales, looking back up at the stars. “The future. Where we’ll all be in a few months. Next year. Five years from now. you have a great thing going here,” he hesitates.

It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but something about the way he says it makes my stomach lurch.

“Now you’re being too serious,” I deflect. My God, he’s serious. I’m beginning to believe we are more than a fling.

Damn him for getting me to become more unpredictable, carefree even. And I delight in the fact that he’s the one with deep and serious conversation. However, he switches gears so seamlessly that I have whiplash.

Jake doesn’t respond right away. Instead, he reaches up, pointing at a constellation. “Fine. Look over there, that star is Orion,” he says, shifting the subject. “See the three stars in a row? That’s his belt.”

I follow his gesture, tracing the bright points in the sky. “I always forget which one is which.”

“You shouldn’t. You spend enough time out here.”

I nudge him with my elbow. “Yeah, well, you spend enough time training. But that doesn’t mean you never screw up a play.”

Jake chuckles. “Touchè.” I want to keep him here, and in this moment with me. The three of us are secluded here, away from his adoring fans and the bright lights of the city. But before I can say anything, his phone buzzes in his pocket.

He sighs and sits up, glancing at the screen on his phone before standing. “Give me a sec,” he mutters, stepping away.

I stare at the sky, pretending I’m not listening, pretending my heart isn’t suddenly hammering in my chest for no good reason. But the night is ours, and Jake isn’t far enough away to stop his words from carrying the conversation back to me.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sure my leg will be fine. I’ll be back in Maine before summer,” he pauses.

The words hit like a cold splash of water. The plan was always for him to return home.

I swallow hard, my fingers curling into the blanket beneath me. Of course, he’s leaving. I should’ve expected it. Jake is never the kind of guy to stay in one place for long. He has his team, his goals, his whole life lined up in ways mine isn’t.

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