Page 28 of Courtside

She met David’s eyes and held his gaze. “Last night,” she started.

David shifted Daisy into the crook of one arm and held up another hand to stop her. “I’m just glad you made it home safely,” he said. His expression was kind, his brown eyes watching her carefully.

“David. I complimented your butt,” she argued, not sure why she was bringing up something that would be better forgotten.

He laughed, lifting his hand up to scratch at his jaw like he was trying to hide his smile. “Ah, yes you did.” He cocked a dark brow at her. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

She shook her head. “No more butt talk.”

“You started it,” he retorted, still grinning.

“Well thanks for being nice about it,” she said, starting to back away from him. She needed space; it was like every second she let herself be around him made her feel farther away from their current reality, where they worked together and were going to spend hours and hours in each other’s company.

He must have been able to read her body language, because he ducked his head and gave Daisy a gentle scratch before looking back at her. “See you later, Sage.”

She gave him a wave. “See you around, Coach.”

As she walked back up the stairs to her apartment, she could almost feel the ghost of a palm on her back, ready to catch her if she fell. She blinked, shaking away the image.

* * *

Sage showed up to the rec center about an hour before the Southeastern team was scheduled to arrive. The back seat and trunk of her Corolla were stuffed with the t-shirts and basketballs they were going to give to the kids who came to the after-school camp.

She’d dressed practically, as her job was going to be carrying boxes and running around making sure everyone was in the right place and doing what needed to be done. She wore navy blue leggings with a Southeastern t-shirt, and, of course, a big green hoodie with the Southeastern basketball team logo in the middle. She might or might not have found it in a corner of the equipment room. Of course, she washed it before wearing it.

The rec center had a big double court, which was nice for a facility that otherwise was pretty standard. She got everything set up on the metal bleachers that were tucked along one wall, and then settled in with her most recent Western romance.

She was completely lost in a scene where the male lead, a cowboy who had to step up to manage his family’s ranch, was arguing over ranching practices with the female lead, the daughter of the ranch foreman, making her effectivelyoff limits.Sage was about halfway through the book, which meant that at any moment things were going to escalate from snappy banter to making out against a barn.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed when the team showed up. Stashing her book in her bag, she got up and grabbed the clipboard where she’d divided the guys into smaller groups to run drills with the kids.

The players jumped to attention when she started directing them to set up cones and ladders, responding to her barked commands with a respectful earnestness that made her want to laugh.

She was vaguely aware of David showing up, wearing basketball shorts and a black polo that somehow made his upper body look even bigger than usual. She definitely wasn’t watching him.

When the kids showed up, it was a madhouse. A perfect explosion of chaos trapped in an enclosed space full of one hundred and fifty kids shrieking and bouncing balls. As she ran from drill to drill to make sure the guys were instructing the kids somewhat effectively and not cursing, Sage felt a wave of emotion rise in her chest.

She’d forgotten about this part of basketball. The enthusiasm and messiness before the game became so skilled and calculated. Kids trying moves for the first time, and then ten reps later executing a layup with the correct footwork.

There was so much potential and optimism in the room that she thought she might choke on it.

An hour and a half flew by, and then they were handing out t-shirts and balls to all of the kids, some of whom were asking the guys on the team for autographs. It was adorable, and Sage watched as David gathered the guys together as the last of the kids left. She started to clean up, and was pleasantly surprised when the team and David joined her, collapsing the now-empty cardboard boxes, gathering the university’s balls into the large mesh bags, and picking up any trash that was left in the bleachers.

“Alright guys,” David called out, but his voice was so hoarse it came out like a harsh rasp. Sage wasn’t the only one who couldn’t hold back a laugh as David coughed and tried again. “We’re all good here. See you boys at pick-up tomorrow.”

Sage accepted a few fist bumps and high fives from the guys as they left, and then stopped to dig through her canvas bag. Finding what she was looking for, she called out to David as he walked toward the door. “Coach!”

He paused, and she ran to catch up with him. She held out the yellow and green wrappered lozenge to him, pressing it into his palm when he offered her his hand. His skin was warm to the touch. “Throat lozenge,” she said, pulling her hand away from his.

He looked down at the lozenge and then up at her. “Ah, thank you.” He smiled, almost hesitantly. “For this, and for today.”

“Happy to help,” she replied, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “The guys were good today.”

“They really were,” David said with a smile that carried a hint of pride. “Now I’ve just got to figure out how to put them all together and make a winning basketball team.”

“Isn’t that your job?” Sage teased, falling into step beside him as they walked toward the front doors.

Rather than laugh at what she’d thought was an obvious joke, David’s face fell into a frown. He looked blankly in front of him, his mind obviously a million miles away.

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