Page 26 of The Perfect Pass
“Oh, stop.” She gave him a playful swat, which was wholly ineffective against his solid form. Still, she was grateful he’d lightened the mood with a joke.
They started walking again, and Bishop pushed himself to his feet with a grunt.
Calla regarded the bulldog. She’d seen him at games plenty of times, but she couldn’t remember any of the other coaches bringing him along anyplace else. “Are you sure Bishop actually likes this? He seems more of a couch potato type dog. I’m no expert like my dad, but he doesn’t look all that enthused.”
Jackson gave her a lopsided grin. “I’m not sure of anything where this dog is concerned. Whenever I’m away from the house, he gets destructive. I’ve been watching dog-training videos online in between game tapes. Walking is supposed to help.”
“Has it so far?”
A playful glint flickered in his gaze. “No. Not at all, actually.”
Calla laughed again, and as they reached the end of thetown green, she realized she’d had every bit as much fun walking home with Jackson as she had at the mum party. Maybe even more.
This isn’t good.
She didn’t want to like Jackson, and she especially didn’t want to be attracted to him. But it just might’ve been too late.
“This is me,” she said quietly, gesturing toward the street where her childhood home stood on the corner. Dad had left the porch light on, and their Go Bulldogsyard sign was plainly visible in the moonlight. “I moved back in with my dad after Ethan passed away. He and my mom split up after Ethan got injured, and I’ve felt pretty protective of him since then. I didn’t want him to be lonely.”
“That explains the yard sign,” Jackson said, eyes glittering in the darkness.
How did it feel so normal talking to him about things she always kept locked up inside? She had no idea, but it was going to be the death of her.
“You know, my dad might be able to help with Bishop’s separation anxiety. His vet clinic is just off Bulldog Avenue,” Calla said.
His handsome face flooded with relief. “Thank you. I just might take you up on that offer.”
“Honestly, you’d be doing him a favor. He’d love it if you stopped by. It would totally make his day.” Calla’s heart warmed at the idea, although the last thing she needed was for her life to get any more entwined with Jackson’s.
You’re doing this for the dog, she told herself.And for your dad.
But the longing that wound its way through her as hishand accidentally grazed hers told her that just might be a lie.
“You’re sure you don’t like football?” He narrowed his gaze at her as their pinkie fingers linked together. “Not even a little bit?”
Calla bit back a smile. The sport might’ve been growing on her, but she wasn’t anywhere near ready to make such a daring admission—least of all to herself. “Nope.”
“That settles it, then. You were right earlier.” A slow grin spread across his face, and her heart turned over in her chest. “We clearly can’t date.”
No, they couldn’t. But here, in this moment, she couldn’t quite remember why it was such a bad idea.
“Good to know we’re on the same page,” she said, and her voice had a breathy quality to it that she didn’t even recognize. The baseball coach had never made her feel this way. Notever.
“Absolutely.” He tugged her closer until Calla’s breath caught in her throat.
She took a trembling inhale and tipped her head up to fully meet his gaze. His irises had tiny flecks of silver that she’d never noticed before, and her head whirled like she was caught in a meteor shower. “Right. Not only would it be unprofessional…”
“…but we’re also completely incompatible.” His eyes drifted to her mouth.
And heaven help her, she’d never wanted to be kissed so badly in her life.
All she had to do was rise up on tiptoe and his mouth would be a mere whisper away. And she very nearly did it. She was right there, teetering on the edge of somethingdangerous and delicious, and even though her head was saying one thing, her heart was screaming another entirely.
Live a little, Calla.
It’s what Ethan would’ve said. Her brother had lived every single day of his life with passion, and no matter what happened, he’d never regretted it. Not once—not even when he’d had to wheel himself onto the field in his chair instead of running through the victory tunnel. Calla couldn’t fathom it, but here in the moonlight, with Jackson looking at her like that, she wanted to understand…
Oh, how she wanted to.
