Page 22 of Home Field Advantage
“Where are you from?” I ask, not ready to tell him how young I am.
I mean, I’m twenty-five and I’m an adult, but I don’t know how he would feel if he learned that I am ten years younger than him.
He shakes his head. “I’m originally from South Carolina. I grew up in a large coastal town before moving to San Francisco after college. So, Bluestone Lakes is a culture shock for me, to say the least.”
I chuckle at that. “We’re definitely different from the rest here.”
“Have you lived here your whole life?”
“Born and raised,” I answer proudly, lifting my chin and grinning. “It’s home for me. My family and my job are here. And the best part? You get the most immaculate views in every direction, no matter where you are.”
His eyes bore into mine as if taking in everything I’m saying and trying to process something in his head.
“I can tell…about the views,” he says, pausing again. “My favorite has been the coffee shop and this bar.”
“That’s…” My voice trails off because…is he talking about me? I feel my cheeks heat up when I don’t even know the answer to my own question. Instead, I clear my throat. “So, why did Tucker call you Coach?”
“I’m, uh…” He pauses, adjusting himself in the seat before straightening his spine. “Well, I coach a baseball team. Did? Do? I don’t know anymore.”
“Not just any team,” Tucker cuts in like he’s been eavesdropping. “This guy coaches the San Fran Stags, baby!”
“Would you keep your voice down?” Dallas whispers, but he’s also laughing.
Tucker is very dramatic, and you can’t help but laugh at him. He drives me crazy, but he’s like a brother to us.
“I don’t know who they are,” I admit.
Dallas angles his face to look at me fully, and his smile stretches so wide that it forms a crinkle around his eyes. It makes me blush, and my stomach fills with butterflies. Even if I know nothing else, one thing about him is that his eyes can make me melt on the spot. They’re the color of dark chocolate—smooth, rich, and dangerous.
“Thank god,” Dallas murmurs.
I spit out a laugh, snorting, and quickly thank the heavens I wasn’t currently taking a drink.
Dallas almost frowns in response, and I instantly feel hot with embarrassment.
Was that too obnoxious?
Does he think I’m weird now?
“Sorry,” I say.
“For what?”
“That was…really obnoxious. And, like, was it that funny? Nothing was funny enough to laugh like that.”
And now I’ve taken my awkwardness to the next level and want to crawl into a hole. I’m not the type of girl to get nervous like this around a man because I always know it’s going to lead to nothing.
Why can’t this be like every other conversation with a friend I’ve had?
I angle my head down, facing my drink, when Dallas reaches up, brushing the curtain of hair falling out of the way and tucking it behind my ear. The delicate touch of his fingertips as he trails them along the side of my face, around my ear, and down my neck sucks all the oxygen out of my lungs.
“I’d love hearing you laugh like that anytime, Poppy.”
My name out of his mouth sends shivers through my body, but that statement, paired with his deep, gruff voice, makes me feel like I’m back in middle school when I liked a boy and my stomach would flutter when he smiled at me.
The smile on my face comes naturally. “That was clever.”
He shrugs casually, angling his body to face me more fully. Giving me his full attention. “Seems to come naturally when I’m talking to you.”
