Page 3 of Crazy for the Coaches

“I knew it!” Steve looked at me, his excitement visible. “You like her, too.”

“I do, man, but let’s not scare her away.”

“Maybe she is looking to be in a menage.”

“Or maybe she has four men at home in a larger poly arrangement, or maybe she has a wife. We know little about her.”

After she contacted us about this meeting, Steve had found a profile for her at the college, as she was a TA while getting her masters. Other than her brother Eli, nothing personal was mentioned.

“I feel kind of creepy that we looked her up.”

“Not me. I liked her voice on the phone when she called to say she was coming instead of Eli.”

I shook my head. Steve always put himself into new situations 100%.

“Ok, Mr. Romance. Let’s finish packing.” But I knew most everything was packed. I had a list for it. I had a list for everything. My Mom was a scared single mom for a long time before she met Steve’s dad. Lists helped me find order and calm when I needed to, even if I was just making a mental list.

Maybe I needed a list on how to win over Mandy.

“I can’t believe the movers finished already,” Steve said Monday morning.

“I sent them sketches of where everything was going to go,” I said, looking at how our furniture looked so small in our new townhome. “Plus we didn’t have much. The washer and dryer are coming tomorrow.”

“I turned on the utilities last week when we closed,” Steve said.

Good thing. It was a cool day, and the heat felt good. My injured shoulder and knee were twinging. I barely remembered the play where I got hurt. First I was hit by the ball, then I fell badly. I remember the slight rain and the slippery ground and the ball coming at me, then nothing until I woke up from knee surgery.

“We have three hours before we meet Mandy. Should we go to the stadium?”

Steve was in his element at the stadium, shaking hands with the coaches, who seemed to know him already.

“This is the workout room,” Tom, one coach, said. “We still need some equipment.”

He wasn’t kidding. How could they be ready for their first game in six weeks? I’d started reading up on the other teams in our new league. We’d signed a few league veterans but mostly had a brand new team. I hoped many were coming off successful college careers. A couple were still graduating and would join us in June.

“We’re getting more equipment,” a man with brown hair shook my hand. “I’m Eli, one of the owners. You met my sister Mandy. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. It’s so busy right now and I’m still working at my firm.”

He seemed frazzled. Steve elbowed me as Eli walked on to talk to another coach.

“Maybe you could show him some To Do apps.”

I nodded slowly. I was actually developing an app that would work as a to do for athletes with workout metrics too. Maybe it would help our new boss.

The rest of the stadium was similar. Terrific new facility, but not set up to where it should be yet. They seemed to emphasize suite seats, merchandising, and food. We met the new mascot, Cruise, running in his bear costume around the bases, minus the head.

“Getting a feel for it,” he said, of the bulky bear costume. “I’m Garron. I’d shake your hand, but…”

I liked that guy. What did it say about a team when the person I’d seen working out the most was the mascot? What had I gotten myself into?

Chapter Three

Mandy

I went home to change after a meeting with the head of PR at the stadium. We’d Zoomed with the college interns we’d hired who were still at their schools, and I liked all the plans for summer events. Eli should have gone to that meeting, but I already had a report in to him about what we needed for various games and promotions.

I didn’t want to think about why I went home to put on a cute denim skirt, red cowboy boots, and a white scoop neck shirt. I knew I couldn’t stop thinking about Steve and Aaron.

“We have our work cut out for us,” I heard Aaron say as I walked up to them in the bar a little while later. “I now have a list of my lists.”

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