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“How did you two get here so fast? I wasn’t expecting you to get here until almost midnight.”

I bite my bottom lip, trying to decide if I should tell her. “He got seats on a private plane.”

Marsha’s expression morphs into one of pure happiness. “Dang, girl! That sounds amazing.”

I wave my hand, trying to get her to stop getting too excited. I don’t know who’s going to be outside the door and when. No need to have listening ears hear something that they’ll spin out of proportion.

“He only got me a ticket because I missed the flight too.”

“How was it?” Marsha asks, reaching out for my hands and squeezing them.

“So nice,” I say with a sigh. “And now I’ll have to go back to regular flights and know what I’m missing out on.”

“Or you can hang out with Charlie and take more of those.”

“Funny,” I say, with a dry humor. “Let’s just focus on the camp and the tournaments this week and move on.”

It’s easier to keep up the outward facade even when my inner self is moving down the feelings spectrum. Because there’s a one in a million chance Charlie would want to date me, so I’ll just have to take things one day at a time.

16

CHARLIE

Being the only male in this house has its trials. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been around this many teenage girls and didn’t realize the high-pitched level of screaming is a normal thing.

It’s nice when the girls finally fall asleep, but then I get no work done as I’m exhausted from the day. It was fun traveling with Ava. I rarely travel with people, but I also got nothing done today.

After a couple of quick phone calls, Paul and Steve have things under control, which means I'm lost on what I should be doing. I don’t think I can make a habit of watching reality TV, even if my niece loves it.

The next morning I wake up to a quiet house and realize that the girls heading to the camp are already gone. A loud snore from the upstairs loft tells me the rest are still asleep.

I guess I should ask what my role is supposed to be while I’m here. Just another guardian making sure the girls don’t do something dumb?

I didn’t even wish Emily good luck. Future Worst Uncle Award recipient.

I’m pouring myself a glass of orange juice when the door opens. Ava walks in, touching the earbuds and pulling them out of her ears. She’s got a light layer of sweat on her forehead.

Marsha and Whitney come in behind her, panting. Their faces are a bright red with small splotches of white mixed in.

“Can I get you some juice?” I ask, holding up the carton.

“Yes, please,” Marsha says.

“I’m good. I’ll head for the shower right now,” Ava says. It’s hard not to let my gaze follow her until she disappears. From what I’ve learned about Marsha, she’s good at seeing everything.Maybe she can teach me some of that so I can better take care of Emily.

“Did you two go for a run?” I ask, sliding the glass over to Marsha.

She chuckles a bit and says, “My run is more of a walking jog. Ava runs circles around me.”

“How did you get her to coach the team?”

Marsha takes a long swig from her cup. She stares at me for a few extra moments and I’m trying to figure out where her line of thinking is going.

“I remember her going off to college and then when I heard she came back, I figured we’d ask her. The previous coach wasn’t great and moved to another state just a few weeks before Ava came back from the east.”

“And she just said yes? I mean, aren’t most coaches old and have kids on the team?”

“I’m sure that happens a lot, but there are some college-aged girls who’ve coached different teams over the years. It’s just nice having one who is rooting so much for the girls.”