Page 71 of The Way We Win

“I want to see those kicks all the way to the nose!” She shouts out orders, while I turn away to see what Jack has sent me.

Sir

I know this is hard, but trust me. I’ve got this.

It’s very hard, but I do trust you.

Sir

I’ll see you tonight, but I won’t stay long. Busy day tomorrow.

Game day.

Sir

I think about you. All the time.

Happiness sparkles in my stomach, and I try to hold back the grin splitting my cheeks.

It won’t make sense for me to be smiling like I won the boyfriend lottery when my son is on the sidelines feeling forgotten.

Same.

Sir

Bring mea beer tonight, so I can touch you.

Another thrilling zip shoots through my middle.

I’ll bring more than one.

A whistle blasts, and Garrett yells at the defensive line. My eyes lift, and I see Jack watching me from across the field. Adrenaline surges in my muscles, leaving me weak.

I want to wave. I want to skip over to where he is and throw my arms around him. But I can’t do any of that.

All I can do is give him a little smile and return to the drill team. Just a few more hours, and I’ll bring him all the beer I can carry.

“What areyou doing with these guys?” I enter the kitchen at Cooters & Shooters and walk over to where Dylan is all suited up in her mask and plastic gloves.

“I’m using them for tonight’s Dare dish. Cubanelles stuffed with salsa and cheese.”

Pulling my chin back, I frown at her. “And what else?”

“What do you mean?” She grabs another large green pepper, slicing it down the center.

“I mean, like, is there another pepper in there? What’s the warning?”

“Cubanelles are hot! I bit into one this morning, and I had to eat two cups of vanilla ice cream to stop the burning. I almost stuck my tongue in the coconut oil!”

Her eyes are wide, and she carefully scrapes the seeds from the thick, fleshy fruit.

“Okay, gross, but I feel like I’m missing something here.”

Craig sashays into the room, jumping to the side when he sees me holding up one of the green peppers.

“What’s that?” He grabs a towel, holding it up like a shield. “Why are you touching it with your bare hands?”

“It’s acubanelle.” I tilt my head at him. “It’s the Dare Dish tonight.”

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