Page 10 of Romancing My Grumpy Goalie

“Mom!” Nolan calls.

And as I plummet to my muddy destination, Lucas turns and stares at me. I don’t try to break my fall with my arms since I’ve been taught it could break my bones. So, I land, screaming, face first into the mud with my hands wide, out to the sides. I turn my head to the side just in time, and mud soaks into my ear. Moisture seeps all the way to the skin through my shirt, which was once white with tiny pink flowers and flouncy ruffles. At least I have dark pants on. The one silver lining in this situation. It’s always important to look on the bright side, right?

“Are you okay?” a deep voice growls near my ear. The one that’s pointing up. Not the ear getting a mud spa treatment.

I pull my head from the ground with a loud sucking sound. “Ugh.” Now I’m the one grunting. I sit up, and my gaze falls right into Lucas’s. He takes my hand to help me up.

“Mom, what happened?” Nolan asks.

“My shoes tried to kill me,” I say.

Lucas twists his neck like he’s trying to get a good look at my feet, and I fight the urge to tuck them away from his sight, but there’s nowhere to hide them. He raises his brow but doesn’t comment. Somehow that makes it worse because now I have no idea what he’s thinking.

Heat floods my face, which I hate because it’s proof that I care about what he thinks.

The last thing I want is to care.

FOUR

LUCAS

I’ma sucker for a woman in heels, and this woman is missing one like a girl from a fairy tale. A dainty foot with pink toes is mostly covered in mud, and even coated from top to bottom, she’s gorgeous.

I reach out to help her up, and she hesitates, her vulnerable eyes focusing on me.

“Did you come over here to gloat?” she accuses.

I keep my face neutral—though it’s not easy because she looks like Two-Face fromBatman. One side of her head is caked in mud, the other is normal. It’s honestly impressive.

"No," I say, deadpan. "I’m here to rescue the damsel in distress."

She grabs my hand with the clean one—at least she’s considerate—and I pull her up. The second she’s steady, she yanks her hand away like I’ve licked it.

I don’t know why that bothers me for half a second, but it does. Not that I care. She’s just a mom in tragic shoe choices whose kid my brother coaches.

“You ought to get cleaned up. Jace and I can keep a watch over Nolan while he practices,” I say in a low voice. I wasn’tplanning to come today, but Jace needed an extra helping hand. He’s still exhausted from being sick.

“Thank you.” She nods and turns to Nolan. “I’ll be back soon to pick you up.”

“Okay, Mom.” His brow furrows. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m a mess, but nothing hurts too much. Beyond my pride anyway.” She smiles ruefully and nods to the field. “Your practice is starting. You should go. I’ll be fine.”

Nolan hesitates, like he wants to argue, but then he nods, turns, and runs toward Jace.

“Do you have a towel you can sit on in your car?” I ask.

She frowns and knits her dainty eyebrows together. “Oh, I didn’t think of that. I don’t think I do.” A chunk of mud slides off her cheek onto her shoulder. She stands there completely unfazed, like it’s a normal Tuesday.

“I have one you can use,” I offer.

She narrows her eyes. “You carry a towel in your car?”

I cross my arms. “Would you rather I air-dry?”

Her nose wrinkles, and she takes a step back, like just thinking about putting my used towel on her skin might infect her.

“You want me to use a dirty towel?”

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