Page 9 of A Shot at Love

It doesn’t sound like I’ve won, though. There’s something dark in his tone, in the set of his shoulders. He’s got something up his sleeve, and he’s waiting for me to believe that he’s going to let me do whatever I want. I make it clear that I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You’re an adult,” he continues, chest heaving from the effort of keeping his voice low. Apparently, he decided he doesn’t want people to see the city’s star coach yelling at his daughter. Smart move on his part. “I can’t control you.”

“You can’t,” I agree, tilting my head back and forcing myself to maintain eye contact.

“And, since you’re an adult, that means you’re capable of finding your own way,” he says. “It also means that I’m not responsible for providing you financial support.”

“Right,” I say, even though it’s a blow right where it hurts. “You’re not.”

“I’m more than happy to keep money in your account if you stop seeing Harmon,” he says, issuing his ultimatum with an air of finality. “But, if you decide he’s really that important to you, I’m done funding your lifestyle. Get a job. Or, better yet, have him funnel money into your bank account. We both know how much he makes. He can manage.”

“Fine,” I reply. “I’ll find a job. I’m not asking for anyone’s money, though.”

“Of course you won’t,” he sneers. “Not like Harmon will have his money for much longer anyway.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, my stomach sinking.

My dad shrugs, an ugly smirk on his face. I hardly recognize him. Is this really the man that raised me?

“Harmon’s performance has been slipping,” he says, the words practiced but without any passion. I don’t think he believes them. “I think he’s distracted. And, if he stays distracted, well… he won’t have a spot on my team anymore.”

I stare at him dumbfounded, trying to find the words to respond. Would he really fire Oliver over me? He wants the championship win, and there’s no way he’d get it without Oliver, but he seems so different. It’s like my blooming relationship with his star point guard has turned him into a man I don’t recognize.

As I’m still gathering my thoughts, my dad turns around without giving me a second look. He walks away, saying, “You know, I’ve lost my appetite. Have a good day, Jenna.”

I don’t know how long I stand there just staring after him, but eventually I become aware of wetness on my cheeks. With sniffle, I wipe off my face and get back into my car. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m sure that when Oliver finds out about my dad’s plans, he’s not going to want anything to do with me anymore.

And that hurts more than anything my father could do to me.

Chapter Seven

Oliver

After my incredible night with Jenna, I’m on cloud nine. I arrive at the stadium early, earlier than I usually do. I’m so full of energy, so hyped up now that I’ve gotten the girl of my dreams, that I just had to get in and burn off some of this steam.

What I’m not expecting when I step into the locker room is to see Jenna standing there waiting for me.

At first, I’m elated. She must already want more, and I can’t say that I’m opposed to fucking her again before practice. In fact, my dick starts to get hard at the prospect. But then, I see the look on her face and my heart drops.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, dropping my duffle bag and crossing the room to cup her face in my hands. There are tears collecting in the corners of her eyes, and her bottom lip wobbles like she’s about to lose her composure. “Is everything okay, Jenna?”

“No,” she says, her voice wavering on the single syllable. “It’s not, I–”

She stops herself, averting her eyes. My hold on her remains steady, and I stroke her cheeks gently, encouraging her to continue. After she takes a few deep breaths, she looks at me again, an indescribable sadness in her gaze. It makes me ache, and I feel all of her pain.

“I… My dad knows,” she says, looking ashamed of the admission. “I didn’t tell him or anything, I just… I forgot I had this.” She gestures to the hickey on her neck. “And he saw it.”

Somehow, my stomach sinks even further. I knew this wasn’t something we’d be able to hide from Coach White, but I hadn’t expected him to find out so soon. And, truthfully, it’s all my fault. If I could have held myself back from marking Jenna up, her father would still be none the wiser.

It’s too late to think about things like that, though. The reality is that our secret’s out, and even though Jenna hasn’t shared any of the details about her conversation with her dad, I can tell that it didn’t go well. My job now is to comfort my girl and find a way to make things okay in her eyes.

“What did he say?” I ask, deciding the best way to comfort her is to address whatever outlandish, likely insensitive things her father told her in the heat of the moment.

“He said he’d take away my financial help, which–”

“I’ll support you,” I say, leaning forward to press my lips against her forehead. “You’ll never have to worry about money, Jenna.”

She gives me a watery smile as she says, “You’re too good to me, but…”

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