Page 7 of I Got You

A knock on my door has me peering up, and Cole Matthews stands in my doorway.

“Hey, coach. Do you have a minute?”

I nod for him to come in, although there isn’t anywhere for him to go beyond the doorway.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for inviting Maggie to the field without asking you and the other coaches first. I’ve talked to Coach Cavanaugh about it in the past, and he’s had her come out before. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

I pull my glasses off and set them on my desk. I don’t know this kid. I know that he has a great arm and mind for the game. He seems to have a real knack for leadership, and the team respects him, which tells me a lot, but I’m waiting to see if he’s earned it or riding his dad’s coattails.

“I’m not exactly sure I understand what she was doing here. At first, I thought she was someone’s girlfriend. I’m sure you can see why we can’t have a bunch of fangirling at practice.”

Cole drops his head and rubs his face like what I just said is bad. “She’s not anyone’s girlfriend. She’s my sister.”

Well, shit, that hits differently. I had no idea The Rocket had a daughter. “Your sister?”

“Yeah, she teaches dance here.”

Tim “The Rocket” Matthews’ daughter. I wasn’t expecting that, but things might be starting to make more sense. Maybe.

“And you asked her to check out the team?”

Cole’s shoulders drop, and he gives me a look similar to the one his sister gave me earlier, like I’m dense. “Do I have permission to speak freely?”

His cautiousness piques my interest, so I rest back in my chair, crossing my arms. “This isn’t the military.”

“All the same, sir, you are in a position of authority, and I take my role on this team extremely seriously.”

“Ok.”

“I asked my sister to come today because she has a really good eye for spotting deficiency. She came out last year, pulled a couple guys into her class, and before we could even blink, they were performing better, faster, and with fewer injuries.”

“And by class, you mean ballet?” Cole pulls himself tall again, stiffening like he might’ve taken offense to my question.

“She teaches dance, but her expertise is in ballet. The guys tend to show up at her barre classes in the gym, though. It may seem silly to you, but it works. They're stronger, and they can move.” He pauses, and I see him reel in his frustration. “She’s good. She knows what she’s doing, and she knows football.”

“Do you take her class?” I raise an eyebrow, wanting to know if he’s too good to take his own advice.

“Man, I’ve been in ballet shoes and tutus since she could dress me up. She’s had me working on third position and pirouettes for years. I don’t take her class, but believe me, if she thought I needed to be there beyond the yoga and pilates I already do on my own, she’d be the first to tell me, and I’d be the first one in her class.”

Despite his attempt at humor, I can tell he takes this seriously and believes in his sister’s ability. “Ok. We’ll see what she can do.”

He nods and turns to leave but stops. “Am I still allowed to speak freely?”

I want to groan. This kid. I give him the go-ahead, my arms still crossed.

“I’m not exactly sure what was said between you, but I saw my sister's face. I know that look. You said something offensive. I’m going to guess that since you thought she was fangirling, it was something demeaning even if it was meant to be harmless.” He lets out a breath and looks me in the eye. “She’s my sister, and I don’t like it when some guy, any guy, says something offensive or makes her feel inferior. I’m sure you’d feel the same about your sister.”

He has balls. I like that. “I don’t have a sister, but you’d be right.” I’ll give him that.

“Mine is the best. She didn’t have to come today except I asked her to. She didn’t have to, but she did when she already has a load so full that she had every reason to flip the both of us off.” He doesn’t drop his gaze. “It’d be really nice if you could apologize to her because… she deserves it. Also, once you see what she does with these guys, you’ll want her on your side.”

He gives a quick nod and leaves the doorway. I’m not sure what to think about his little rant, but despite what most people think of me, I wouldn’t stand for someone offending my sister if I had one.

And even though I’m a man of few words, I probably have a couple I could say to Maggie Matthews. Maybe.

Chapter 3

MAGGIE

---