Page 121 of The Secret We Keep
“We could double date.”
I swing my head to Sarah. “Oh, God, not you too.”
Sarah’s shoulders bob up and down. “I don’t see what’s wrong with him,” she laughs.
My hands fly up in the air when number seven makes a run down the wing. He tries his best to keep the ball in, but it rolls across the sideline.
“Oh, unlucky,” Holly says, clapping her hands together. “Five minutes left,” she then adds.
My head twists as the ball goes to the other end of the field and the other team narrowly miss scoring a goal.
The crowd quietens, but as if stirring them all up again, Paddy runs along the length of the pitch encouraging them to make more noise by raising his arms up and down.
I see Evie holding up her banner to him in the front row.
“He’s still the best player, regardless of most of these men looking like they need an IV line,” Holly remarks.
My eyes follow him. “He is, isn’t he?”
“Did he play in school?” Sarah asks me.
I lean in closer so she can hear me. “He and Danny both did. They and their other friend, Jake.”
“Is he here?”
“No. I haven’t seen him yet.”
Her eyes track Danny.
“You should talk to him after the game,” I add.
“Really?” She beams a wide, infectious smile.
“Yeah. If you want to date him, then you should go for it.”
Sarah snickers, and Holly chuckles beside me. “I’ll think about dating him. Mostly, I just want to get underneath him.”
I’m sure neither of my friends hear my gasp over the noise of the cheering crowd.
With my mouth popped open in shock, I turn to look at the game just in time to see a player a little older than Paddy and Danny, pass the ball across the field and into the box.
Paddy’s boot is locked and loaded. He strikes the ball with a thud, and it sails through the air, hitting the back of the net in the top left corner.
The crowd erupts in unison, arms up together, frantically waving and celebrating Stoney Grange’s win.
“They did it,” I cheer, watching Paddy celebrating with his team on the field.
He runs to Evie and wraps his big arms around her, bending over the railing at the front of the stand.
My heart bursts seeing them together, his mum and his dad jumping up and down with him.
Sarah taps my arm. “You should go down there.”
So I do.
You know it's a love story, right?
Paddy
