Authors: Kimberly McKay
Paige dipped her head back, and barely let out a whisper, asking, “Maya?”
He chuckled and lifted his head to find her eyes in the dark. “Nope, from what I hear she’s not the marrying type.”
Paige’s mouth twitched. “But, everyone says she’s the fun one.”
Nick sent her a sexy smile, saying, “You’re the only one I’m interested in, Paige Knight. And from what I can tell – I have it pretty bad.”
As Katie peeked through the curtains, she saw her dad wrap his arms around Paige, and instantly looked away, feeling like an intruder.
“Are they kissing?” Conner chuckled from behind her.
She blushed and reached for a dish towel from his hands. Their fingers brushed, which sent a jolt up her spine. She instantly looked up to Conner, who seemed unaffected.
“You think she likes him?” She asked, hoping her father’s heart wouldn’t get broken again. There was a lot on the line. It wasn’t just her father who could get hurt here – but Katie was also invested.
“Yeah. I mean … from what my dad says they’re a perfect match.” Conner nodded nonchalantly, turning the water off.
Serena grinned at the direction of the conversation between the kids and took a few dishes from them to load the dishwasher. Curious about Nick’s intentions, she turned to Katie.
“So tell me … how long has your dad been divorced? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“It’s been over a year. Long enough …” Katie’s eyes darted toward the floor. Although she missed her mom, she knew her dad needed someone who could love him wholeheartedly.
Serena nodded, knowing it was a sore subject.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry …” Her voice dropped.
“It’s okay.” Katie brought her eyes up to meet Serena’s and did her best to smile. “Water under the bridge – so to speak.”
Serena sent her a wistful smile before turning back to Conner. “I’m leaving you in charge. Just finish loading everything in the washer.”
Conner nodded as his grandmother left the room. He turned back to Katie only to catch her staring at him. He cocked his head, unsure of what was going through her head.
At first glance, Katie didn’t reflect the glamor that the other girls their age did. She was more of a tomboy. And it’s not that she wasn’t pretty because she was. She was just what most would consider best friend material versus girlfriend material.
“What?” He asked, taken aback.
“I saw you running after school today.” She smirked.
“Yeah, your dad had me doing extra laps.”
She laughed. “He told me.”
His eyes twinkled. “Yeah, well did he tell you why?”
“No, I just assumed you had to run a lap for each missed pass from last week’s game.” She sent him a look. She knew the reason but didn’t want to hear him gloat.
Conner raised an eyebrow and shot a sly grin in her direction. “No, it was because I got caught flirting with the captain of the cheerleaders.”
“You were running your mouth when you should have been listening to your coach,” she snapped and handed him the last dish to load.
Instead of being offended, Conner found humor in how quickly she smarted back. “You sound just like your dad.”
He grabbed some silverware from the sink and dumped them into the washer, laughing.
She rolled her eyes and laughed despite herself. “Like father – like daughter, I guess.”
“You’re on the practice field every day with him after school. Don’t you have other things to do? Like, hang out with your friends?”
Katie shrugged. “I don’t know. Being the new kid, I only have a few of what I would consider friends. Most of them have been friends since grade school. It’s hard getting to know people when you don’t fit in. And if you haven’t noticed, I don’t look like the other girls.”
Conner thought she could look really pretty if only she’d improve upon what she already had going for her. She had clear skin and long thick lashes that perfectly framed her dark eyes. He bet if she had a stylish cut and wore a bit of makeup, she’d be a knockout.
“Well, maybe you could ask a couple of girls for some advice or something.” He thought it was a good suggestion.
“Do you ask your buddies for advice on how to throw the ball? Maybe if you did, that would help you too.” She felt like tossing a dish at his head. How dare he?
He frowned, thinking she wasn’t as endearing as he thought she was.
He stared her down, and said, “I don’t need help in that department.”
“Says you. Seems to me, if you weren’t so afraid of getting hit, you’d complete a few plays and we’d have started the season with a bang.” Katie glared in return.
Conner spun on his heels and promptly left the room, saying, “Dad, can we go now?”
Katie heard Sam answer from the other room. “Sure, son. Your sister is asleep anyways.”
As she overheard their goodbye’s from the other room, Katie looked out the window once more where her dad and Paige were now sitting on the steps talking. She wondered if instead of going to a movie with Paige next week for her birthday, she could take her to the mall.
Serena quietly snuck up to join Katie, softly laying a hand on her shoulder.
“Are they playing nice?”
Katie quickly wiped a tear from her cheek before spinning around. “Seems to be. He really likes her you know.”
“You think it’s too early for either of them?” Serena voiced her concerns. “They’re both recently been burned.”
Katie shook her head. “No, dad would be the first to tell you that my mom left us a long time ago. She never really wanted kids. She only had me because he wanted to be a dad. His injury and retirement were just the final nails in the coffin.” She sent Serena a dismal look.
Serena’s heart went out to this young girl, who so seemed so grounded considering the heartache she’d probably suffered her whole life.
“I’m so sorry. It must not have been easy for you.” She took Katie’s face in her hands and stroked her cheek.
Katie froze, unsure of how to react. She wasn’t used to such a maternal gesture. Her mother always left her to her own devices. As she looked into Serena’s warm eyes, she melted just a little. Her gesture just meant she cared, and that was a good thing.
She reached up to cover Serena’s hands, saying, “My dad has always been enough, but it might be nice for him to have someone around who could give their heart to him. He’d be really careful with it like he is with mine.”
Serena looked into her serious eyes, with relief. Her baby might be in good hands after all, and who knew maybe having Katie as part of the package was just what she needed. She nodded her head and said nothing.
Chapter 21
Nick’s head dropped with defeat, as they lost the second home game for the season. He looked to his quarterback, knowing what he had to do – and he hoped it didn’t cause any hard feelings with the Knights … especially Paige.
He walked over to the bench and knocked on Conner’s helmet, saying, “After I address the team, get cleaned up and see me in my office.” He saw the fear that flashed through his eyes.
Conner groaned after Nick was out of earshot. He knew what was coming. He’d felt it coming for the last few weeks, and Katie’s comments the other night only cemented his intuition. He knew he’d not been cutting it as leader of his team. He watched as Katie filed down from the bleachers and followed her dad off the field.
After the coaching staff had finished their pep talk in the locker room, and after most of the players had changed and left, Conner quietly found his way down the hall to Coach Granger’s office. He tapped lightly on the glass and stepped through. Quietly he sat, expecting the worst.
Nick stared across his desk and clamped his lips together for a few seconds before saying anything. He knew Conner had the potential to be something great, but just hadn’t reached it yet.
“Coach, just say it. I’m out, right?” Conner’s heart dropped.
Nick raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to be?”
“No! I want to play.”
“Why?”
“What do mean?”
“Well, seems that you have the means to be a great quarterback. You’ve got the goods - a great arm, a good head on your shoulders, and the ability to lead. But where are you leading your team, Conner?”
“I’m leading them on the field, coach.”
Nick knew he’d have to spell it out. “Seems to me there’s one of two things going on. You’re either hesitating to show me your full potential or your heart isn’t really with the game.”
“It is!”
“Really?” Nick hesitated but knew he had to cut deep to get Conner to invest. “Because it seems to me that you’re playing the game for what the game can do for you … like getting the attention of cute cheerleaders or the gaining recognition that comes with being my QB.”
“Well, yeah. Who wouldn’t?”
“Do you want to win, or just get by?”
“I want to win!”
“Okay - because I need a player who wants to play for what he can give the game – not for what the game can give him. I need someone who leaves every ounce of passion for the game on the field, and if they do that, then his team will follow. I don’t need a QB, who plays just to play. I need one that will play as the heart of the team understanding how that could change the game. Be the game changer, Conner.”
Nick stood up and slid to the corner of his desk, and continued, “You know your teammate, Brad, transferred in this year from another school, where he played in your position. He may not be as good as you, which is why you’re still my number one guy. But I promise you if I put Brad in the game he’d play better than you, with less completion than yours.”
“Huh?” Conner’s face was twisted with emotion.
“You may get the ball where it needs to go more times than he would, but he would try harder, and he doesn’t flinch at the thought of getting hit. That’s where you have to trust your team. Brad wants this and if I put him in – we might lose more games, but I’d have a player who went down swinging. And that, in turn, would inspire his guys, who would give more of their heart protecting their quarterback. Showing that kind of passion for his position, would, in turn, give his receivers the desire to run that much faster and his linemen the motivation to block that much harder.”
Conner sighed, finally understanding. He nodded and slowly stood.
“Do you want to put him in next week, coach?”
“The question is, do
you
want me to put him in next week? Because if I don’t see some serious improvement out there on the practice field with your level of commitment, I will.”
Conner’s gut burned. “I’ll do it. And you’ll see a difference. You won’t be sorry.”
“It’s not just about your commitment to your position but to your team. Be the leader. Instead of relying on your team, teach them that they can rely on you. Stop focusing on your flirting skills, and focus on attacking the game.”
“I will. I promise.” He stood humbled, knowing his coach was right. He knew how valuable Nick’s advice was, especially with the career he’d had.
“You could be the difference this team needs to turn this season around. Trust me – I’ve been there.”
“I know. Thanks, Coach.”
“Don’t thank me. Show me.”
Conner eagerly nodded and pushed his way out the door almost knocking Katie over. He stumbled, hopping on one foot, as he kept her from falling on the floor.
She quickly separated herself and took a step back, saying, “Watch it!”
“Yeah, sorry,” he mumbled, as he disappeared down the hall.
Katie pushed her way into her dad’s office with a grin. Whatever her dad had said to Conner must have rattled him, which was fine with her. She thought he needed his cage rattled to get his head in the game.
“You ready?” She stepped in, sliding her sweater on.
Nick’s face lit up when he saw his daughter. With closer inspection, he noticed she was wearing lip gloss and some blush. He wondered what spurred her decision to start wearing makeup over the last few days, but thought it was becoming and probably overdue. Most girls her age seemed so much more advanced, but he was okay with that. To him, she would always be his little girl. It was a bittersweet feeling as he watched her slow approach toward becoming a young woman.
He grinned to himself thinking he’d done well in teaching her how to throw a spiral, but would never be able to coach her on how to do her hair. There weren’t many girls with her kind of arm, but he knew at this point she’d feel more secure with wardrobe advice than how to snap the ball.
“You look pretty.” He smiled and drew her in for a quick kiss on top her head. “Let’s go.”
“What’d you say to your quarterback?” She asked, unwilling to say his name. She was still humiliated by their last conversation. “He looked like he was running scared when he left here.”
Nick raised his brow. “Good. Then I did my job.”
“You always do a good job.” Katie walked out the door as her dad turned out the lights and locked up.
“Thanks. Want to toss the ball around with your old man?” He grinned from ear to ear.
Katie normally would have jumped at the opportunity, but she had a phone call to make.
“Not this time. After you left the field, I ran into Paige.”
Nick’s heart lifted. “She was here?”
“Yeah – she was with a friend of hers, who came to town for a visit. Skylar or something like that. Anyway – they were going out after the game, and I told her I’d give her a quick call on the way home to go over our birthday plans.”
“Are we still going to dinner with her family after she takes you to the movies?”
“Um, there might be a slight change of plans, but we’ll still have a family dinner afterward. I promise.”
As they reached his truck, he unlocked and opened her door. He rounded the front of his truck and slid in, realizing just how much he had come to depend on Paige in their life in such a short time. He started the engine, curious to who she was with.
“Did you say she was going out tonight with a friend?”
Katie grinned, wondering when he’d get around to the morsel she’d dropped for him.
“Yup. You should call her.”
Nick started the engine and grinned through the dark to his daughter, saying, “Maybe I will.”