Page 20 of Coach Me
Well, Dex Larsen sure is a prickly man. I could feel tension radiating off him at the coffee shop, but I just assumed it was because of the obvious cleat chaser and being in a hurry.
But now I think I just got a little bit of the same attitude he gave that barista. Surely he doesn’t think that was my intention…yeah, he’s hot, but I wasn’t trying to hit on him. I really wanted to help.
Maybe it isn’t me, per se. Will being traded to the Blues was a little bittersweet, considering the only reason the trade even happened was because of Dex’s retirement after last season. As happy as it makes me to have my brother close and playing on my favorite team, I’m not entirely convinced that Dex’s retirement was the choice he wanted to make.
Maybe that’s the reason for his prickliness—finding out I’m Will’s sister. I probably should have told him at the coffee shop who I was, but I mean, cut me a little slack. I may not have been hitting on him, but I was definitely fangirling in my head.
“Lucie, I have a question.” Miles’s inquisitive tone is so sweet.
“Shoot,” I say, angling my body toward him. The announcer starts introducing the first pitch, but Miles deserves all of my attention.
“Do you like being a teacher?”
Oof, it’s a little salt in the unhealed wound, but Miles doesn’t know that, nor does he need to.
“I do. Being a teacher is what I’m meant to do.”
Miles cocks his head to the side. “It is? What am I meant to do?”
“Well, that’s up to you. You get to decide what you want to be when you grow up. As you get older, you’ll learn more about yourself and that decision will be much easier.”
Miles looks out to the field, his eyes searching. “Do you think I’m meant to be a pitcher like my dad?”
“Maybe. Trying is really the only way to find out.” I follow Miles’s gaze just to see Dex walk onto the field. He pulls his ball cap on his head and crosses his muscular arms over his chest as the general manager starts talking to him.
It feels a tad wrong to ogle him after our interaction. I’m a weird mixture of trying to decide how to feel about what just happened and how I really can’t blame a single cleat chaser when the player is as good looking as Dex—when they’re single…which Dex is.
I blink rapidly, pulling myself out of that twisting haze. I’m watching his son, and his fun energy could be exactly what I need to perk up my sour mood—not lusting over his hot dad.
“So, you think you want to be a pitcher? What about the other positions?”
Miles wiggles in his seat, then looks up at me. “No,pitcher only. That way I can be just like my dad, and then Callie will love me too.”
Ah yes, I’ve heard all about this little crush Miles has from Callie and my brother.
“Is that so? You know…Callie really loves homemade gifts. That might help too.”
“She does?” Miles’s eyes light up and he quickly leans over to give me a hug. “Thank you, Lucie!
Invisible strings pull at my heart as I place an arm around Miles. “You’re welcome. If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.”
Miles sits back up as the crowd cheers at the first pitch. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Will you told me.”
Now I chuckle. I probably shouldn’t be aiding in this crush of Miles’s, but he’s so precious about it. I’ll let my brother be the bad guy because I know there’s no way he’s letting Callie go, no matter who tries.
“If that’s the deal, then I’ve got some stuff on Will too.”
“Oh yeah, like what?” Miles gives me a mischievous smile.
“Has he ever mentioned why he rides a motorcycle?”
For the entirety of the game, Miles talks to me about everything under the sun. We talk about Will and Callie for a bit—my childhood stories about Will definitely put me at the top of Miles’s favorite list.
But then it changes into questions about the sky and why the clouds always look different. Commentary on the plays that Miles actually pays attention to comes in very heavy detail, and when he doesn’t know something, he makes an elaborate story up anyway.
He tells me jokes, and I follow up with funny stories that my siblings got me caught up in growing up. With eachinning, I forget all about the past week. There’s no loss of job mentioned or the abandonment by my sister. I don’t think I even check my phone, I’m having such a great time.
Now, with the game ending, a small pit forms in my stomach at the idea of talking to Dex again. Maybe Callie will meet me instead.
