Page 24 of Sideline Sweetheart
A boisterous laugh escapes him. “I bet she was.” Liam scrubs a hand over his face. “Please tell me she didn’t ask you to report to her on a weekly basis.”
I laugh and take a step forward, lowering my voice. “She’s your mom, and mom’s worry, it’s their job. You know, as well as I do, I can’t disclose anything to her without your permission or under extreme circumstances. There’s something else I want you to remember, I also held her hand through one of the most terrifying times in her life. We became friends and sometimes women need to talk to their friends.” I lean in for effect and pat his arm. “So, newsflash, our conversations don’t always include you.”
Liam’s chin drops to his chest before he looks back up at me. “I’m sorry, Doc. I shouldn’t have considered you’d report to my mom, even if she asked.”
I shake my head. “It’s fine, Liam.”
“No, it’s not,” he says knocking his helmet against the side of his thigh. “I should be thanking you instead for befriending her. I know being a single mom wasn’t easy for her. She sacrificed a lot to get me where I am today, even when it meant not having nights out with friends like other moms do. So, thank you, Doc.”
“Seigle,” Coach O’Neil calls, “you’re in.”
Liam shoots me a wink as he puts on his helmet and then jogs back onto the field.
A few minutes later, I catch sight of Bryce out of the corner of my eye. He makes his way over and pulls a drink out of the cooler. He twists off the top and tips the bottle back downing half of its contents before stepping up behind me.
“Mackenzie,” he says before taking another drink.
The low rumble of his voice sends a shiver through me. Never have I enjoyed the sound of my own name as when he says it. “Coban. Left shoulder doing okay? Rosner’s tackle looked brutal.”
“I’ve had worse,” he replies as he tosses the empty bottle in the trash, voice devoid of emotion.
I turn in time to see the muscle in his jaw tick. “Is there a problem, Bryce?”
His head drops as he keeps his voice low, words falling next to my ear. “You trying to make me jealous, Mackenzie?”
I turn so I can fully face him. “Jealous?” The word comes out louder than I intend so I close my eyes, take a breath and blow it out slowly before I continue. “Who pray tell am I supposed to be using to make the great Bryce Coban jealous?”
He takes a step forward keeping his voice low. “I saw you laughing it up with the rookie earlier.”
My eyes narrow as I seethe, and struggle to find control. “Liam? Are you kidding me? Seigle is like my nephew. His mom is one of my best friends. Hell, I was in the room when he got the call about being drafted.”
Bryce closes his eyes and exhales a breath before his regret filled eyes find mine again. “Mackenzie…”
“No. You don’t get to apologize to me on the fly. You want this thing to work out between us, there are two things you had better think long and hard about. First, in the time we’ve spent together, have Ievergiven you a reason to be jealous. Because trust me Bryce Coban, green does not look good on you. The second thing you had better think about is if you can truly handle a red head. Because this anger I’m throwing your way, is the tip of the iceberg. When you can answer those two questions, you know where to find me.”
I shoulder check him and storm off the practice field and stalk back into the facility. I enter my office, slam the door and toss my tablet on my desk before letting out a frustrated growl. I pace back and forth, wrecking my hair as my fingers run through the red strands and pull.
A knock sounds as the door opens and I round, my anger still near the boiling point. “I swear, oh, sorry, Jamie. What can I do for you?”
Jamie takes in my appearance. “Woah! Who pissed you off?”
“Who do you think?” I snap as I drop into the chair behind my desk.
Jamie takes a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of my desk. “Oh, god, what did he do?”
I slam my hands on the top of my desk. “He accused me of flirting with another player and trying to make him jealous.”
Jamie tilts her head and asks, “Which player?”
I throw my hands in the air. “Does it matter?”
“Well, yeah, it kind of does. I mean if it’s Greer he’s talking about, there would be a huge scandal because everyone knows the guy is completely in love with his wife and would never do anything to jeopardize his family. But if it’s one of the single guys on defense, it would be a different story.”
I release a frustrated sigh. “Liam Seigle.”
Jamie barks out a laugh and then slaps a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. Everyone knows he’s like your little brother.”
“Right? Apparently, I was ‘laughing it up with the rookie’ which triggered the green-eyed monster to make an appearance.”
