Page 44 of The One I Want
I go and gather my things and wait as my team files out of the conference room. When it’s clear, I head up to the front, where Coach McAvoy, along with Coach Davis, are waiting. If you were to look at our team and didn’t know one from the other, you’d probably think they were players. They could be if they wanted. Hell, Coach McAvoy is two years younger than me. Davis, I believe, is right there with him. But not once since the moment the two of them took over have I felt like they were unqualified.
Nope, they are innovators. Hunter McAvoy is the youngest head coach in the league for a good reason. The man’s football mind is brilliant. And with Davis as his offensive coordinator, our team has rewritten how you score points in the league. I’ve been proud to be a part of it.
“How are things?” Hunter asks. “Everything okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. The kids just like to tell me goodnight before they head to bed. If I can give them that little bit of comfort, I’ll do it.”
“Absolutely,” Davis says. “I’m expecting a call from my little one at any minute. She gets very sassy if I don’t answer.”
“Being a girl dad is something,” I say. “Too bad this guy won’t get to know that.”
Hunter holds up his hands. “Not my fault. Though I do think the universe knew that the combination of my wife and I did not equal parents who would know how the hell to raise daughters.”
We share the laugh as Davis’s phone rings. “That’s my cue. See you guys later.”
We nod to him, but Hunter doesn’t move. I had a feeling he wasn’t done talking to me.
“You didn’t answer me before,” Hunter says.
“Which question was that?”
“How things were. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in a minute. You think the move was the right choice?”
We each take a seat. I’ve been in this situation before. When Coach McAvoy wants to catch up with you, it’s not a short conversation. It’s one of the reasons his players love him so much.
“Honestly? I can’t imagine it going better.”
“That’s great.”
“I’ll admit, I was worried at first, wondering how I was going to do it all myself. I know I had my family and friends, but you can only ask them to do so much, you know?”
He laughs. “Unfortunately, I don’t. Between my in-laws and my parents now living here, we are never wanting for childcare.”
I laugh. “Well, that’s good. And I’m sure my parents would have done if it, but I didn’t want to ask them to. Bringing Betsy on to be the full-time nanny was the best thing I could have done. She’s been a savior.”
Hunter’s eyes grow wide. “Betsy? As in Whitley’s friend, Betsy?”
“The very one,” I say. “I sometimes forget that you know her.”
“Oh yes,” Hunter says. “Did Betsy ever tell you how they met?”
“No.”
“They were both competing to be Miss Teen Alabama.”
Good thing I’m not taking a drink, or I might have choked on it. “Betsy was in pageants?”
Hunter laughs. “Oh yes. Whitley won, and Betsy came in second. I think the other girls thought Betsy was going to push her off the stage. Instead, Betsy made sure her tiara was on just right. They’ve been inseparable ever since.”
Now I really need for things to be right again. I’m going to need proof of this era of Betsy’s life.
“Betsy was always my favorite of Whitley’s friends,” Hunter continues. “She had every chance to be a spoiled rich kid from the old money part of Birmingham. But she wasn’t. Did she have her fun? She absolutely did. One weekend they visited me at Alabama when they were in high school, and I was pretty sure I was going to have to beat up about six guys she was hitting on.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, refusing to even picture the scene Hunter just painted.
“So yes, was she a bit crazy? Sure. What teenage girl isn’t? But at the end of the day, she’s had my sister’s back at every step, and that’s who you want in your corner. And she’s the one who made sure that Whitley and Jake got their shot. Those are the kind of people you want in your circle.”
I let Hunter’s words sink in. He’s right. She’s the kind of people you want around. Yes, she has her quirks. Yes, I think, at least according to her stories, I might almost be the longest job she’s had. But at the end of the day, like my mom said, she’s good people. She’s the kind of people you want in your life. In your kids’ lives.
