Page 11 of Third and Ten

I sense movement behind me and check my rearview mirror to find that Tenley has pulled up right behind us. I watch as she gets out of her fancy car, lugging her purse and dragging her feet. I figure I should wait for her to make it to the house before leaving, mostly to be polite and only somewhat so that I can check her out.

She barely glances at me as she passes, but then she surprises me by calling out over her shoulder while she trudges up the steps. “Hey, Coach.”

“Uh, hi, Ms. Tenley.”

Can’t I even manage a non-awkward hello?

She turns to face me. “Thanks for bringing Ethan home. I got stuck at the hospital and couldn’t make it back in time, but he texted to say that you offered to give him a ride.”

I smile. Technically, Ethan asked me for a lift first, probably hoping that we’d make it home around the same time as Tenley and she and I would be forced to see each other.

My mini wingman.

“Yeah, of course. It’s nothing. I don’t live much farther down the road, and I always enjoy hanging out with E,” I say smoothly, leaning out of the open window to talk to her.

Attaboy. Nice and easy. Don’t say anything stupid this time.

“Sure, you do,” she says, narrowing her eyes at me. “I’ll bet you’re just itching to spend some quality time with the kids you deal with all day at school, in addition to the three extra hours at practice.”

I swallow, pulling my arm back into the cab with me. Maybe this isn’t the day for a nice conversation, after all. “Well, you know, I don’t mind helping out when I can.”

She cringes. “I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean to be a jerk. I’m just so tired that it makes everything sound sarcastic. What I should have said is that I appreciate your help because I can imagine you’re ready to get home by now. I’m sure teachers and coaches don’t get paid overtime.”

“No worries,” I reply automatically. But her apology instantly goes to my head, as if it makes a difference that she cares enough to be nice to me. I’m sure she’s just grateful for the help in general, but my ego takes it as an open invitation to flirt again.

“And hey, I may not get paid a whole lot, but there are a few other job perks. You know, summer vacations and holidays off, free school lunches, an unpaid moving crew at my disposal…invitations to dinner and home-cooked meals courtesy of my favorite student’s grandma and maybe even his very cute aunt…” I trail off, smirking playfully.

She crosses her arms and eyes me from the front-porch steps, totally ignoring my compliment. “Is that so? Wouldn’t some of that be considered unethical? At least, the part about the student’s family bribing you with food?”

“Louisiana law says it’s not a bribe unless the cost of the meal exceeds twenty-five dollars. I always make sure I eat exactly twenty-four dollars’ worth of your mom’s famous gumbo when I’m invited to stay.”

“Uh-huh,” she replies, holding back a smile this time.

I know Ethan just said that she’s not interested, but her responses are encouraging, and I can’t pass up the chance to make my intentions clear now that we’re sort of alone. I turn my ball cap around smoothly, then lean a little farther out of the window again, sticking out my left arm and resting my palm on the top of the frame so that my muscles are on display. I absolutely need to play up my advantages here.

“Never even been tempted to eat more.”

“Right.” Her smile grows wider, and despite her obvious exhaustion, she seems interested in keeping up the conversation. “And if my mama’s gumbo couldn’t tempt you, nothing else will.”

Though her arms are crossed, she keeps her body turned toward me and takes a step down, creeping closer. And hot damn if her eyes don’t flicker to my arm. I flex involuntarily, but she looks away quickly once she realizes I’ve caught her checking me out.

No, no, it’s okay, look all you want. Hell, I’d get out of the truck right now and take this whole dang shirt off if you want to see more—

I clear my throat, trying to bring myself back. “Oh, I don’t know, Ethan’s been talking up your culinary talents lately. From what I’ve heard, your pork stew and corn bread might be able to push me over the line of ethical appropriateness—if I were lucky enough to score an invite, that is.”

She throws her head back and laughs, and I can’t help but think about how badly I’d like to put my lips on the parts of her neck she’s exposing. I take a deep breath and exhale softly, trying to hide the evidence of my attraction. She’ll undoubtedly freak out if she guesses what I’m thinking about her, and rightfully so. I’ve never really been the type to undress a woman with my eyes, but Tenley Robin is doing something really strange to me.

“Coach Bourgeois, you are shameless, aren’t you?” She glares at me with an annoyed expression, but I can tell she’s still enjoying our back-and-forth.

“Just JD. No need to be so formal when you’re about to ask me over for dinner later this week.”

She rests her hands on her hips again. I love the way it shows off her figure. “Well, Just JD, as much as we all appreciate everything you do for Ethan, I’m afraid corn bread and stew aren’t on the menu this week. But I’ll be sure to send you a bowl of leftovers the next time I make it.”

I press my lips together, forcing a smile. She’s letting me down gently, and I can’t blame her. We barely know each other, and she’s made it clear that dating isn’t a priority. But none of that means that I have to stop trying to change her mind.

And I may be impatient, but it’s apparent that I’ll need to set my sights on building a friendship first.

“All right, I’ll take what I can get, I suppose,” I reply after a beat, bringing my arm back into the cab and getting ready to make an exit with the sliver of pride I have left. “Just make sure you write your name and number on the container, so I can return it later. Wouldn’t want anyone to think it was a gift and bring the total past the legal limit, you know.”

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