Page 5 of Beneath the Stands (Sugarlake 2)

I back up, my hand rushing to cover my now throbbing nose.

“Whoa, you okay?” a deep voice rumbles. His breath whooshes over the strands of my hair.

My eyes are watering because seriously—ouch—so I don’t look up as I respond. “Other than a bruised nose and a broken ego, I’m fine. Sorry about that. Watchin’ and walkin’ is a learned trait I haven’t mastered.” Lifting my head, I attempt a grin.

My smile drops with a quickness when I see whose chest I greeted with my face.

Elliot Carson.

The man. The myth. The legend.

But to me… he’s just the asshole who got too big for his britches and abandoned my best friend.

4

Becca

“You,” I gasp.

Eli’s eyes bulge and he stumbles back a step. “Becca. How… what…” His hand runs through those honey-blond locks, so similar to his sister’s.

I hope he thinks of her every time his stupid ass looks in the mirror.

“What are you doing here? In Florida? I mean... in Coach Andrews’s office?”

I snort, both at his audacity to question me and at his posh, decidedly un-southern accent. “What am I doin’ here? What are you doin’ here?”

“I work here.”

Nausea punches my gut. Coach Andrews walks from behind me, slapping Eli on the shoulder with a gigantic smile on his face. The sick feeling grows, my breakfast teasing my throat.

Fuck my life.

“Becca, you know Eli? Our team’s been needing someone like him for a long time,” Coach Andrews preens. My eyes swing just in time to see Eli wince at his words.

My sharp tongue lashes out before I can stop it. “Oh, really? Might wanna hold on tight there, Coach. Eli has a nasty habit of runnin’ from the people who need him most.”

Eli tenses, his eyes narrowing as they darken to a stormy blue.

Coach clears his throat, shifting on his feet. “Right. Well… how do you two know each other?”

“She’s my little sister’s best friend,” Eli provides.

I snort. “Surprised you remember her.”

Coach’s brows raise. “You guys are from the same town? I never would have guessed.”

My thoughts exactly, Coach. I cock my head, fingers tapping my hip. “Yeah, Eli. What happened to that nice, southern drawl you used to beat my eardrums with?”

Eli shrugs, a painful smile gracing his face as he speaks through his teeth. “Time away from home makes you lose the dialect, I guess. I haven’t really thought about it.”

I purse my lips as I watch him lie out of his ass. No chance in hell his accent just up and disappeared. I’m sure it’s buried underneath the thousands of other lies he tells himself so he can sleep at night.

Coach claps his hands, rubbing them together. “This works well. Since you’re already acquainted, I’ll have her report to you for basic training.”

Eli turns his head, the line between his eyes creasing. “Basic training?”

“Becca’s our new student manager, and in order to keep that title, she needs to learn the love of the game.”

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