Page 59 of Timelessly Ours

“At least I didn’t pretend to hate my crush for five years the way you did.”

Guiltily, he glances at his girlfriend, who shoots us a pointed glare through her search for chocolate treasure.

Just when I thought the heat in my cheeks couldn’t get worse, the back door squeaks open and Royce enters the foyer leading to the kitchen.

“Coach,” Nick calls cheerfully.

My stomach drops.

He looks tired. No. Dreadfully tired and maybe a little bit resigned. He’s in the suit he wore to the game. It’s a little more wrinkled and disheveled now and I subtly breathe in to see if I can pick up the scent of alcohol.

Nope.

“What’s…going on?” His eyes sweep past each of our uninvited guests and land on me.

My mouth opens but I don’t know what to tell him. Thankfully, Nick steps up and pats his shoulder. “We were worried about you, Coach.”

He brushes it off and takes off his jacket. “A phone call would have sufficed,” he mutters grimly. He gives a quick, warm smile to Cora, then sighs and walks over to the cabinet Angel tries to rearrange.

Reaching for the top shelf, he pulls out a plastic bag and hands it to her. “Here. Can you all go now?”

“Coach, come on, talk to us,” Jace urges, his serious voice taking the stage.

“Not in the mood.”

“You heard the man, get out,” I hiss at my friends, who I know only meant well by stopping by.

Jace leans down to me and winks. “Why, you two want to be alone?”

I shake my head and slap his arm with a forced chuckle. “Stop.”

Royce’s eyes pierce in our direction. “Something funny?”

“No,” I say quickly, then instantly feel bad. Because it almost feels like I’m making him an outsider in his own home. But can I admit to what Jace was teasing me about? If I try to cover it up, does it only make me look guilty of it?

Would it… be so terrible if I actually said it?

“They were just teasing me of how ironic it is that I ended up working for you…when there were a few months a while back where I kind of had a little crush on you—but I mean, who hasn’t, right?” I laugh nervously.

Coach’s scowl doesn’t alter as he ponders on what I’d just said…out loud…for some dumb reason. He reaches for a bottle of water. “Doesn’t seem like an appropriate conversation between my employee and members of my team.”

Ouch.

Jace seems annoyed at his response and shoots me an apologetic look.

“Told you guys you’d get me in trouble. Now finish up and leave.”

“That’s alright. I’ve lost my appetite,” Nick says, then nods to the rest of them toward the front door.

On the way out, Angel leans down and whispers, “Smooth.” before following the others out—full bag of chocolates in hand.

I can’t say I’m surprised by my best friend's nonchalant attitude toward my so-called crush on her dad. I know she’s caught me staring on more than one occasion.

But she never called me out on it. Probably because she didn’t want to tell me he’s out of my league. Or something crueler, like “Yeah, if my supermodel mother couldn’t hold on to him, you don’t stand a chance.”

But like the good friend she is, she’d turned a blind eye and kept her mouth shut.

I lock the door after the last one steps out and silently sigh, wishing I could follow them. But I have one angry Coach to face and probably a lecture on appropriate topics of conversation.

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