Page 121 of Courtside

Sage had left him twenty minutes earlier to go get ready for the ceremony, leaving David with nothing but a vague description of her mother and sister — who had brought her boyfriend along — and instructions to find the four of them seats together.

Did he feel like he was too old to be going through the stress of meeting someone’s mom for the first time? Yes. Was it also completely worth it because it was for Sage Fogerty? Also yes.

He shifted his weight, frowning at the constant stream of people walking past.There had to be a rule somewhere that said that girlfriends weren’t allowed to leave their conspicuously older boyfriends alone to meet their mom.

“Coach!”

David looked over, smiling at the sight of Jordan walking toward him. He looked as neat and put-together as ever, wearing a black suit that was just a little too baggy on him. His face was bright, brighter than David was used to seeing.

The two men shook hands. “Congrats, Jordan,” David said, giving what he hoped was a supportive squeeze before letting go of Jordan’s hand.

“Thanks, Coach.” His blue eyes darted around, a sign that David had learned meant that he was nervous. “I, uh,” Jordan swallowed. “I actually wanted to ask you something.”

“Of course.”

“Well,” Jordan began, rubbing his palms together. “I want to say thank you, you know, for everything this year. I know I wasn’t doing good at the beginning of the season, and you helped me. You made me a better player. And, I don’t know if you knew, but I’ve been studying business, and I really don’t want to do that. I don’t think I could sit at a desk and look at a computer all day.” It looked like he was steeling himself, gathering courage for whatever he was going to say next. “So I was wondering, only if it works for you, if you’d ever be interested in having a graduate assistant, because I think I might want to be like you. I mean, I might want to coach.”

David’s throat bobbed, overcome with admiration for this young man who’d battled and grown and changed so much in the past year. He thought David had made him a better player? No, Jordan had made David a better coach and a better man.

“I’d be honored to have you on the bench with me, Jordan,” David said, and it was the truth. He’d love to give Jordan the opportunity to learn about coaching, and it was an incredible honor that he was askinghim. That David had been the kind of coach worthy of learning from.

Over his shoulder, David caught a flash of color and a group of three people — two women and a man — walking toward the entrance to the auditorium.

David turned to Jordan. “I’ve got to run,” he said, already starting toward the group. “But text me and we’ll sit down and talk it through, okay?”

“Okay,” Jordan replied, looking curiously at David. His eyes darted over to the group, who’d caught sight of David and were now very obviously moving toward them. His pale brows shot up. “Is that Sage’s —”

“Yep.”

A rare smile split Jordan’s face in two. “Can I tell the guys? They’re going to lose it.”

David let out a sigh, rubbing a hand across his already sweaty forehead. “Fine. Now get out of here.”

He could have sworn he heard a laugh as his ex-player walked away, but his attention was immediately pulled to the group who approached him.

“David,” a woman around his age said, extending a manicured hand for him to shake. “It’s great to meet you.”

Brinley. Sage’s older sister. She looked like she belonged in Charleston with her curled hair and bright dress. She also looked at David like she thought it was, actually, great to meet him.That was a good start.

“Brinley,” he replied. “It’s lovely to meet you too.”

Her pink painted lips quirked into a grin. “And this is my mom, Cheryl.”

David turned to the willowy woman who stood beside Brinley. He recognized her from the conference tournament. Bracelets covered her thin wrists, and her silver-blonde hair was pulled back in a braid. Her dress reminded David of butterfly wings, fluttering around her slender body.

“It’s a real pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fogerty.” David offered his sweaty hand.

Her eyes narrowed, but she returned the handshake. “Mr. Hughes.”

He saw so much of Sage in the roundness of her cheeks and the stubborn glint in her green eyes.

“And,” Brinley said loudly, obviously trying to interrupt whatever silent weighing was taking place between David and her mother, “This is my boyfriend, Rohan.”

The two men exchanged a quick handshake, and David immediately liked him. He was tall, handsome, and had a bright smile that practically shone against his warm brown skin.

“Well, I’ve got us all seats,” David said, itching under the continued hostile looks coming from Cheryl Fogerty. “Should we head inside?”

Cheryl turned to her daughter. “Brinley, why don’t you and Rohan head inside. I’d like to have a quick conversation with Mr. Hughes.”

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