Conner is walking by the camera now. He’s in the same clothes he pulled on yesterday when we left me naked in his bed to go to a special team meeting. He looks hot, but… upset. His jaw is clenched. His hands jammed in his pockets and his shoulders forward. “Nothing.”
Oh. Okay.
I blink. I’m not one to hinge the worth of my new relationship on an Instagram video but it does sting a little when every other player in a relationship is mentioning their significant other.
And then it shifts to another clip. Not a player but… my dad? My mouth falls open. He looks at the camera and shoots it one of his trademark cocky grins. “I miss my family. My wife and my amazing daughters.”
“Why is my dad hanging out with the Riptide?” I ask Shelby but it’s Heather who answers.
“He’s their new coach. As of yesterday.” She drops her phone and huffs out a breath of disgust. “Honestly, Mackenzie, do you even live in reality?”
“Shut the fuck up Heather,” Shelby grabs my arm and pulls me away from Heather. But not before Heather says, “Mackenzie, Beck said you might be thinking of staying in Silver Bay. Don’t. I’m not being mean but you really seem to need a fresh start and we don’t want you here. No one does.”
I stop dead in my tracks. Shelby is trying to tug me along but I turn back to Heather. “Does it make you feel good about yourself?”
“What?”
“Being so vicious to people?” I clarify and, although I feel humiliated, every word is giving me confidence. Standing up formyself is long overdue. “Because if that’s where you get your self-worth then you’ve got more to worry about than who I’m dating. Also, don’t look at Beckett to boost your confidence. He’s not exactly an empathetic partner. Conner is but sadly for you he really is taken.”
I turn back to Shelby who is smiling at me. Then she looks over at Heather again. “What she said. Also, fuck off.”
Heather finally retreats, disappearing back into the hospital. Once the doors have swooshed closed behind her, Shelby eyes me with concern. “Are you okay? Did you really not know your dad is Con’s new coach?”
“I… no. My dad wanted to get together but I was working. I guess he’s trying to surprise me with the news because he knows I don’t pay attention to the league,” I shake my head. “Also, I never told him about Conner and me. So… well, this is a whole pile of confusion now.”
Shelby nods. “Are you going to call Con?”
“Yeah. And my dad.”
I stop and look at Shelby again. “Is it complicated that my dad is Conner’s coach now?”
“Yeah. Probably a little,” Shelby admits, but she gives me a reassuring smile. “But you guys seem to have it pretty bad for each other. I’m sure that you’ll navigate this just fine.”
“I guess I should tell my dad about Con now.”
Shelby laughs. “Yeah. That might help.”
I give her a quick hug and head to my car. The whole drive home I'm debating what to say to my dad. I really don't want to do this over the phone, but how long do I wait? Has Conner said something? That would be the worst possible scenario if Dad heard it from someone else. He's protective of me and he's also got a very soft heart. He'll be hurt if he thinks I kept it from him.
I pull up to my apartment and see that Conner’s new Range Rover is parked by my door and my heart leaps. He’s here! Theidea of seeing him brings instant relief, my stress dissipates with every step I take toward the front door. He no longer has to sneak the key out from under the silly garden gnome because I gave him an extra set last week when he gave me the extra keys to his place.
But I don’t find him inside. I find him leaning against the wall by the door, staring off at the vacant acres of land that someone farmed at some point a long time ago, but that Jordan and Jessie grow wildflowers and summer vegetables in now. Because winter hasn’t let spring takeover yet, it’s still a white tundra at the moment.
“Hey!” I smile at him and hurl myself into him, wrapping him in a hug.
“Hey,” he repeats with far less enthusiasm. “Sorry to just show up. I got a new phone but we’re leaving on a road trip this afternoon and I needed to talk to you. In person.”
“Okay…” Something tightens in my chest. It feels like I’m suddenly in a corset and someone is tying it way too tight. Conner’s got circles under his eyes. He hasn’t had that since December. And he didn’t really hug me back. Not with both arms. He used one dropped lightly at my waist and the other stayed in his pocket. “Is this about my dad? I just found out he’s your coach.”
His eyes finally find mine. “You didn’t know?”
"He mentioned a few times that someone was poking around about a potential coaching job, but he never told me what team," I explain. "And I never dug for details because, for one thing, my father is super closed-lipped about work. Legal and privacy issues and also he's superstitious."
"So he's tight-lipped about work the way you're tight-lipped about boyfriends?" Conner says and that imaginary corset around my rib cage tightens half an inch.
“You told him? About us?”
Conner shakes his head, his light brown hair hanging over his eyebrows before he reaches up and shoves it back with his fingers. “No. I lied. I could tell you hadn’t said anything.”