Page 8 of Third and Ten

CHAPTER 3

TENLEY

“So,” Ethan starts as I pull away from the football field.

“So?” I question hesitantly. An awkward silence fills the cab for a minute before he bursts into laughter. “What’s so funny?”

I totally don’t get teenagers. But, then again, I’ve never really acted like one myself.

“Oh, nothing.” But the fact that he’s wiping his eyes leads me to believe it’s something.

“What could I have possibly done that’s so embarrassing?” I ask defensively. “I barely even said anything.”

“You really don’t know what happened back there, do you?”

I shrug.

“Coach JD obviously thought you were a snack,” he says, cracking up again at the end.

“Wait, what does that even mean? And why does it sound so inappropriate?”

I eye him, and he raises his brow innocently. “It’s not like that. I just meant he seemed…very interested in you.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice. I thought he was just being polite.”

Okay, so I’m not that stupid or unobservant. I could tell the guy was checking me out, and he did seem kind of awkward throughout our exchange. But I don’t know JD Bourgeois well enough to know if he’s single, much less to surmise whether he’s acting any certain way toward me. Sure, I vaguely remember him from high school, but he was a couple of grades behind me, and we barely ever interacted back then. And watching someone play football on TV doesn’t exactly equate to knowing him, either.

“Seriously? He was totally mid as soon as he saw you,” Ethan declares, gaping at me like I have three heads.

“Are you even speaking English right now?”

He sighs impatiently. “Look, I’ve never seen Coach JD act that dumb in front of anyone before. Normally, all he has to do is show up and smile, and everyone drools over him and gives him whatever he wants. Old ladies, principals, football dads…they practically worship him around here. I mean, he’s super cheesy, but people love it.”

My eyebrow shoots up. “Just because he played a little college football and looks like a Hemsworth, everyone seriously treats him like a god?”

He narrows his eyes at me. “Wait, you think he’s hot, too, don’t you?”

I recoil. “Whatever, I wasn’t even looking hard enough to notice.” I glance back at Ethan’s expression. He isn’t buying it. “I mean, he’s generically good-looking, I guess. But not really my type. Besides, if he’s the player you say he is, why would he bother getting nervous around me?”

“First of all, you’re the one who just called him a Hemsworth. I’m pretty sure those guys are everyone’s type, Aunt Ten.” I roll my eyes at him, but he has a point. “Secondly, I don’t think Coach JD is a player or anything. He could probably get with any of the women around here, but he’s not like that. He’s just really likable, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

Ethan turns to face me from the passenger seat to elaborate. “He’s actually a good guy. He doesn’t ever brag about what he’s accomplished, and he goes out of his way to be an awesome coach. He gives me a ride back from practice all the time, and some days we stop for food on the way home, especially since Pop’s been sick again. He figures Mawmaw hasn’t had much time to cook. He’s even come over to help me mow the lawn.”

“Wow. That’s all…very nice of him,” I reply, feeling guilty for not coming back home to help sooner.

“He just does that kind of stuff all the time. Besides, I spend enough time around him to know whether he has a girlfriend, and I’ve never seen him with anyone.”

I glare at him from the side. There seems to be some ulterior motive here. “Are you…you’re not telling me this because you’re trying to set me up with your coach, are you?”

“Oh, no, ma’am, I swear.” He puts his hands up defensively. “I just thought you should know that he’s not a creep or anything.”

I nod silently.

“So,” he begins, clearing his throat, “just to be clear, would you say the vibe is more Chris or Liam? He’s totally giving Liam, right?” He barely gets the rest of it out before breaking into a fit of giggles again.

I reach out to shove him playfully in the shoulder. “You’re too canaille for your own good, you know.”

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