Page 76 of The Ex Next Door
“Good to see you, too.” With no extra seat, he crouched beside Amy.
Usually, Declan stayed close to the action, observing as if he couldn’t tear himself away from the game.
She was flattered he’d come to find her.
“Hey,” he said, taking her hand in his. “Missed you.”
She squeezed his hand. “Me, too.”
She was still living on the memory of their lazy Sunday together and for the first time since the divorce looking forward to when the kids went to see their father. Safe to say she would no longer be crying herself to sleep or falling asleep in her daughter’s bed. It had been a tough time, grieving the loss of a marriage and partnership, but now she was on the other side of it. And while she’d never expected this with Declan, she would luxuriate in the sharp sweetness of the moment.
“So, Declan,” Bianca said. “Mark and I were talking. Can we hire you for private coaching lessons? We want Matthew to go all the way with this. He shows such promise.”
“Is he having fun out there?” Declan asked, looking at the field.
It was not lost on Amy that he’d carefully avoided answering the question. She didn’t see when he’d have time to coach but he’d already made such a difference with David simply in his casual spare time.
“Oh yes!” Bianca went on, her back still to the game. “We’re signing him up for Little League, for sure. Mark is talking about pitching clinics and camp. What do you think is the best-rated one in the area? Should we go to Houston?”
“You could do any of those things, but why not just let him have fun for right now?”
“Yeah, fun’s great but competition is stiff. Nine is really a good age to start training, isn’t it?”
“It can be, with the right kid. Unfortunately, I’m not goingto be available for private coaching. Looks like I’m going back to teaching and coaching at the high school level.”
“Really?” Amy whispered. “You’re going back?”
He nodded. “If the employment offer comes through as expected, I should start in the fall.”
“In… Houston?” she hesitated, worried about him dealing with big-city high school booster politics.
“Actually, right here in Charming. Funny, right? Our old alma mater.” He grinned. “They’ve been wanting to talk to me for a few years, but I wasn’t ready until now.”
“Declan, that’s perfect.”
Both of them would be teaching right in Charming, he at the same school where they’d first met.
“Thanks, Tinks.”
“Yeah, that’s awesome,” Bianca said, getting the answer to the burning question of whether or not Declan would bartend for the rest of his life. “That’s where Matthew will be going to high school. Hopefully by then he’ll be one of your all-star players.”
Loud male voices rose from the field.
“Are you kidding me, Coach? He’s not out! Is there something wrong with your eyesight?”
“I hate when parents get out of control like this,” one of the mothers sitting behind them said. “And it’s always the dads.”
“Girl, wait until they get to Little League,” another one said. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Bianca had turned her entire body to watch the scene play out. It washerhusband reading the riot act to the poor harried coach.
“Oh, Mark,” Bianca said, covering her face with her hands. “Nooooo.”
Declan stood. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched as he strode purposefully toward them right into the middle of the melee. He shoved his big body between the coach and Mark, who was still angrily pointing from Matthew to the plate.
“He’s been under a lot of pressure at work,” Bianca said. “This is so humiliating.”
