Page 45 of Redemption
There’s a nagging feeling in my gut, warning me that Tanner is more like Langston than I want him to be. I might have failed my brother, but I won’t make the same mistake twice.
Hayes is standing in the end-zone on the other side of the field, and I angle my body his way. My mouth goes a little dry as he watches me approach. He’s wearing athletic shorts and a t-shirt that clings to every muscle he has. The man looks like every girl’s dream, and I’m stuck between ogling him or glaring at him. My head says glare, but my hormones say ogle.
It is unfair how handsome he is.
I pray my face doesn’t give my dilemma away.
Today, we need neutral.
Meeting him on this football field doesn’t feel neutral. Every single memory of Langston is searing into my skin, and unfortunately, those memories override my common sense.
“What are you doing here?” Hayes asks as I approach.
“Wondering why you didn’t mention being the football coach before that board meeting.” It comes off as accusatory, my voice cracking with pain.
And dang it, if that one slip didn’t just reveal my hand to this man.
“And when would you have liked me to mention that?” he asks, cocking one eyebrow. “When you broke my nose or when we were visiting your brother’s grave?”
“Any time between those,” I say, shrugging my shoulders to release some of the tension I feel building.
Neutral. I need neutral.
This conversation isn’t about the past; it’s about the future of a boy we both have the power to help.
The muscles in his arms bunch as he crosses his arms and looks down at me. “Why are you here, MJ?”
“I guess I could ask you the same thing, Hayes. But, you know what, I won’t because that’s not why I’m here. We no longerowe it to each other to know why the other makes a decision. In fact, I think it’s best we keep our interactions to a minimum. But since you are the coach and I’m the school nurse, this is one interaction we can’t avoid.”
Hayes’s lips twitch, but everything else about him stays cool and professional. “Let’s hear it then. What is it you need? I have a practice to get to and don’t have all day. We are already behind since they hired me late.”
I run my fingers through my hair, pulling it off my neck to ward off it sticking to me in this heat. Hayes’s eyes track the movement, so I release my hair and do it again to mess with him. His eyes snap to mine, and there’s danger burning there that I provoked. Dropping my hair again, I let it rest against my shoulders.
With a puff of air, I get to the point. “Look, I’m worried about Tanner.”
“Why? Is he injured?” he asks, concern wrinkling his brow.
“Not in so many words.”
“How about you use your words and explain what you mean then.” He’s getting agitated, and it annoys me.
How are we supposed to work together to help this kid? We couldn’t even manage it when we actually got along.
Steel enters my spine when I think about failing someone else who needs my help.
“He came in for medicine today. He had a headache, and normally, I wouldn’t think much about it. But that paired with the amount of headaches he had last year in addition to the concussion he received —and well, I’m worried.”
“I haven’t noticed anything in practice.”
“No offense, Hayes, but how many of Langston’s coaches noticed something was wrong with him?”
He runs his hand over the scruff on his jaw. “None.”
“Exactly, and why didn’t they notice?”
He glares at me because he knows I’m right. “Because Langston was good at hiding it.”
“And you’re saying that Tanner can’t be?”
