Page 42 of Love on the Sidelines

Her question throws me off and while the rest of the group is practically comatose in the back couple of rows, I still would rather avoid this subject now and in the future. This is why I don't get involved with people related to the players. Then I'm off my game and it's awkward for the next seventy years.

I turn up the music a bit, hoping that the girls with their nose in their phones won’t overhear.

"What do you mean?" I ask, turning on my blinker and changing lanes. I might as well dig for any information she’s got.

"Do you like him?"

My heart beats faster as if to shout yes, while my brain is trying to be logical and smother that answer.

"He seems like he's got a lot on his plate," I say, trying to be evasive.

"Yeah, he definitely does. I know he likes you, though."

I snort, actually snort, and wish I could crawl into a hole and die. I'm supposed to be a cool example of what could happen in their future and here I am looking like Sandra Bullock inMiss Congenialitypre-transformation.

"I doubt that."

Emily shakes her head. "I've seen him with a lot of women over the past few years."

That makes me feel even worse. Am I falling for a playboy type? He's done all the right things, but is it because he's got a routine down for how to reel a gal in and then cast her back out to sea?

"And he's never paid attention to any of them but you."

Shaking my head, I say, "I'm your coach, Emily. I try not to date anyone's relatives."

"I was hesitant at first for you to be together, but I think you might be good for him."

"Yeah, him and his gajillions of dollars. Is the house we're staying at his?"

She tightens her lips into an almost imperceptible line before she gives a quick nod. "I knew it!" I say, louder than I should've.

"Don't tell him I told you."

"Well, I already overheard him say he's basically the owner of the new hockey team coming to town. It's kind of hard to wrap my head around that."

"He had a plan with my grandpa that they would own a team one day. Charlie's been so focused on it he almost forgets about missing Grandpa."

And now I’m the complete jerk. He wasn’t lying about that, he just wasn’t upfront either.

What would that be like? I've learned to not miss my parents, to not expect them to come back into my life after all these years. But to hear of a family who worked together, who was going to do something great together, is completely foreign.

We pull into the drive of the house and I let the girls all go in before I even turn off the van.

It's fine and noble that Charlie has donated so much money to this team, that he’s let us stay at one of his houses (he probably has more than this), but that just means something is going to pull him away once I let the walls around my heart come tumbling down.

There’s a knock on the window that makes me jump. Charlie is standing there, giving me a half-smile that sends my insides twisting.

I twist the key to roll down the window, trying not to look into his eyes again.

“We should probably talk,” he says, running a hand through his short hair.

“What’s there to talk about? I’m grateful for your help with this team so far. And letting us use your house.” I take that moment to look right at him, enjoying the look of dismay on his face.

“I didn’t lie about it. I mean, I am my own close friend, right?”

I roll my eyes and lay my head down on the wheel. It honks for a few seconds and then stops, leaving us in an eerie silence.

“Ava, I’m sorry. I promise I wasn’t trying to lie to you about it. I just like the idea of having a moment of anonymity. That doesn’t happen often.”

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