Page 4 of The Coach's Twin (The Off-Limits Ladies 2)

I set up cones in front of them.

“Are y’all ready to play Volcano?” I ask them in a really excited voice.

The girls jump up and down and scream, “Yeah!”

They have no idea what this game is, but I love how happy they are, anyway.

I show them how to play. I dribble the ball, weaving around the cones, until I’m in the clear. I tell the girls that the cones are volcanoes, and the goal of the game is to not hit the cones with the ball.

They shook their heads up and down when I asked if they understood.

“Who wants to go first?” I ask.

Chapter Three

Judah

Busy is way too intense for a girl her age.

She definitely does not get that from me.

I watch as she cautiously controls the ball through Coach Nora’s little cone-obstacle-course game.

She is the first girl to not hit a single cone.

“Great job, Busy!” Coach Nora says, leaning down and offering her hand for a high five.

Busy slaps her hand a little too hard.

Coach Nora shakes her wrist out, pretending like it hurt. But who knows? Maybe it did.

One of the moms next to me says, “You must be proud, Judah. Busy is a natural.”

“I am,” I say, feeling just a tad bit guilty.

I have spent most of this practice watching Nora.

Tryingnotto watch Nora.

And then watching her again.

She moves in this incredible, direct way. And her body? Well, it’s an athlete’s body, to be sure. I want to wrap my hands around her waist and–

“I wish my kid was more focused like Busy,” the mom keeps talking to me. I tune back in, again, feeling guilty. “If she is going to get a college scholarship, she needs to do better than this.”

“But… she’s four,” I say, stating what I believe is the obvious.

The mother looks at me like I said something crazy.

“It is never too early to take soccer seriously,” she says with a completely straight face.

I nod. I don’t understand it, but I nod despite myself.

Then, I turn my attention back to Coach Nora and Busy.

I may be imagining it, but Busy seems glued to Nora. She orbits around the woman, listening to her every direction, standing beside her in every huddle.

It makes me happy and extremely sad all at the same time.

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