Page 107 of The Long Game

“Of course you do,” I muttered.

Cameron was obviously happy about her praise for the stupid boots but also, who wouldn’t like beautiful and fun Maricela Reyes?

“What are you two whispering about?” my mother said, holding the two glasses and shoving them into our chests. “Drink,” sheordered. “Then, you can tell me what your intentions are with my Adalyn.”

I spat out the water. “Mom.”

“Siempremom this, mother that.” She waved her hand in front of her. “Soy tu madre, I say it like it is. I didn’t go through a ten-hour birth to bat the bush around.”

“Beat around the bush,” I corrected her.

“I like batting better,” she answered, nonchalantly. “It comes from hunting times, you know. I read it in a magazine,” she explained, looking over at Josie like she was her new best friend. She pulled up her arms. “They used to hit at bushes and trees, and you know what they used? Sticks. Now what’s just like a stick to hit on things? A bat. No offense, but some of these things you say don’t make sense.”

Josie clicked her tongue. “Oh my God, she might be right.”

“I…” I released a deep breath, readying myself to ask her what in the world was she doing in Green Oak, but a couple I recognized as parents of one of the kids on the team came into the café, a very enthusiastic nine-year-old dashing right behind.

For the first time, I took in the inside of the café, noticing how crowded it was for this time in the evening, how loud and excited the chatter was.

I shot Josie a questioning glance. “What’s happening here?”

She blinked. “I told you on the phone,” she said, but I must have been frowning at her because she immediately elaborated. “One of the teams leading the Six Hills was disqualified.” She clapped her hands, and my frown deepened even more. “A whistleblower called theCounty Gazette, they apparently had thirteen-year-olds in their roster. Every team in the standings is climbing up a spot. So that means that—”

“The Green Warriors are in the final,” I finished for her.

Josie gave a delighted jump, and I could only blink at her.

The Green Warriors are in the final.

For an instant, I was too stunned to speak. Or move.

And then, I was moving. Just like that day all those weeks ago,when I’d turned my life upside down. Only this time, the dam had broken for a completely different reason.

I launched myself at Josie. With a shocked laugh, she wrapped her arms around me. We squeezed each other, and when I released her, I turned on my heels.

Cameron’s eyes were on me, just like I’d known they would be, wrinkling at the corners with a smile. I threw myself at him, too. And when I landed against his chest, his arms were already open. Laughter rolled off him, and it was deep and rich and it traveled right into my heart.

I was happy. Ecstatic.

“We made it, Coach,” I said into his neck. And I didn’t care that my mother was there, or Josie, or the whole team and half the town. I didn’t even care that this was just some recreational team with a roster of kids. I didn’t even care that we hadn’t won anything yet, or that I was celebrating some other team being disqualified. I could only think of how happy my kids would be. How big María’s smile would be. How good this would be for the town. “We freaking made it!”

Cameron’s mouth came to my ear, and he said low, so low only I could hear, “I could fucking eat you right now.” Which only made me giggle.

“Mira, mira.Look,” I heard my mother say with a laugh. “They totally banged. Do you think they’re past thesituationshipstage?”

Josie’s laughter reached my ears. “I sure hope so, Maricela.”

Cameron let out a grunt that I interpreted as a promise.

I extracted my head off his neck, but he didn’t release me. I guessed that that was okay, social cues had never been his thing. “Where in the world did you learn that, Mom?”

“I have a TickTack now.”

“TikTok?”

She rolled her eyes. “A clock always madeticktack-ticktack, so if anything, that name is wrong.”

Oh God.

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