Not likely. A muscle in my jaw ticks as I type my response, thumbs flying over the screen.
Me: Whatever you’re thinking Ginny, NO THE FUCK YOU’RE NOT!
Irritated, I put my phone away, and Coach walks us out.
“You know,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You two should swap house keys. Just in case one of you gets locked out or there’s an emergency. It never hurts to have a trusted neighbor close by, especially when the leasing office is closed.”
Ava’s eyes nearly bug out of her head, and it’s all I can do to stifle a laugh. “That’s a good idea, Coach. We’ll have a think on it.”
It’s noncommittal, but he seems mollified. For now, anyway.
We say our goodbyes, and Coach disappears inside, clearly trusting me to ensure his daughter gets into her car safely.
That’s got to count for something, right?
It’s the bare minimum, but I’ll take what I can get.
Ava opens the door to her SUV, clearly intending to make a run for it.
“Can we talk?”
Her eyes are wary as she checks to confirm her father is nowhere in sight.
“Don’t worry about Coach.” I gesture to the dark front windows. “He’ll be in the kitchen cleaning up. The man is a total neat freak.”
Her expression softens. “What do you want, Knox?”
She sounds tired. I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms and hold her, but after tonight’s revelations, I’m not sure it would be a welcome move. Not in Coach’s driveway, anyway.
“For starters,” I say, resting a hand on the door to her SUV, “I’d like to know why you weren’t straight with me about your job?”
What the hell, St. James?
I know, I know. We have far more pressing concerns. But it’s been gnawing at my brain all evening, and I need to know.
“I didn’t lie. Technically, Iama mental health consultant.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I just didn’t specify what kind because people can get weird about it. They ask if I can introduce them to athletes and get tickets and— Well, you know how it is.”
I do. Eventually, your relationships start to feel transactional. It’s one of the reasons I’m selective about who I let into my circle.
Which brings us back to the real issue.
I shove my fingers into my hair and pace as I order my thoughts.
Okay, so we both skirted the truth about our careers, but for valid reasons. Definitely not a deal-breaker. The only real deal-breaker is Coach. He’ll flay me if he knows I’m sleeping with his daughter.
Fuck.
For the first time in my life, I truly understand the phrase “Between a rock and a hard place.”
There are no good options here.
Piss off Coach, the only family I have, and possibly get benched, or worse, disowned.
Give up Ava and the future we might have, which is no fucking option at all.
There has to be a way to make this work. A solution I haven’t thought of. Preferably one that doesn’t end with Coach breaking my fingers.
I stop pacing and turn to Ava. “What are we going to do about you and me?”