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He nodded. “That’s why we’re going to take it all the way this year, because we’re the best this team has had in years.”

Franny snorted. “What makes you say that?”

“I can feel it, Coach. Can’t you?”

He was grinning again, and it was so infectious that she couldn’t help but return it. “I think I feel it.”

“Oh, come on, you gotta believe it more than that.”

“I believe it!” She spoke with all the conviction in her heart.

“That’s right.” Alonzo nodded like he’d just taught her something. And maybe he had.

“Go on, boy.” She laughed again. “Give this pep talk to your teammates too while you’re at it.”

“I just wanted to come say hi. I’ll see you at practice tomorrow, right?”

“I’ll be there.”

It was ridiculous how much her spirits seemed to lift as she watched the boy walk back to his seat. He’d crossed the room just to talk to her because he’d noticed her sitting there. Maybe it was silly, but it made her feel incredible. If even one person on the team felt like she belonged there as much as she did, that could be enough for her.

There was a renewed sense of purpose inside her that ached for a call to action. So, when she saw the waitstaff reenter the room with carts full of cake and sparkling juice, she made her way over to help distribute. The two college kids in bow ties seemed happy for the help as Franny followed their lead, placing a plate and a long-stemmedglass in front of each person as one came behind to pour the juice. She was still feeling good by the time they got to the coaches’ table. Then she made eye contact with Jade for the first time that night, and something else joined the mix of emotions swirling in her belly.

Jade kept her eyes on Franny as she helped serve Landry and the others. Her gaze was dark and hot, and the smirk across her full lips was simply wicked. Franny blinked once, and her mind immediately conjured up the image of Jade all up on her in that dingy club bathroom. Franny recalled the way the other woman’s lips felt on hers—hot and dewy and powerful. And she remembered how wet she’d been, dripping all over the fingers Jade pushed in and out of her. The memory came back in full force, with enough strength to make her forget where she was for a few moments.

She dragged her gaze away from Jade’s as her chest began to heat up. Once again, she felt the immediate urge to flee. This time because the space was suddenly too crowded and enclosed. Franny swallowed hard in an attempt at keeping her breaths steady. Without thinking, she glanced up again, hoping for a split second that Jade had found something more interesting than her to turn her attention to.

But the smirk was still there waiting for her, and the moment their eyes met for the second time, it turned into a full smile. With Jade’s wolfish teeth bared and her eyes hot, all Franny could imagine was what it would feel like to have those teeth sink into her skin. Anywhere. Her lips… her neck… the insides of her thighs.

That last one was enough to make her body twitch involuntarily, and her bodily instincts made an attempt at extracting her from the situation. Only her uncoordinated movements sent one of her arms out, knocking into the glass of sparkling juice in front of Landry, propelling the liquid right into his lap.

“Ah hell!” The man jumped up, grabbing at his crotch in surprise.

Franny looked on in horror. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry, Coach,I… Here, let me…” She snatched up a napkin from the table and, without thinking, tried to go about cleaning him up.

Landry scrambled back even farther. “No, no. Absolutely not,” he said, taking the napkin from her. “I’ve got it.”

He trudged off somewhere in search of the bathroom, and Franny was left there mortified as she looked up to see the entire room watching her. Her cheeks flushed, and her stomach roiled with the urge to spill the contents of her dinner out onto the floor.

The sudden screeching of a chair scooting across the hardwood seemed to grab everyone’s attention. “If Coach comes back in here busting out of a pair of the mayor’s running pants, I better not hear a peep out of y’all,” Jade’s voice boomed, and the laughter that followed was even louder.

Franny may have known logically that those chuckles weren’t aimed at her, but that knowledge did nothing for her humiliation. Giving in to the urge to disappear, she sank slowly into a squat right in front of where Landry’s chair had been, resting her forehead against the clothed edge of the table. She took a few deep breaths as she planned her exit. From the dining room and possibly the state.

“You know,” Jade began, “I have to admit, when I came here tonight, I considered finding a way to make a fool out of you like I did at bingo that time.” She shook her head, returning to her seat. “Turns out, I was thinking too hard, because all I had to do was wait for you to do the dirty work for me.”

“It was an accident.”

Jade shrugged. “Accident or not, it was funny.”

“You know that was your fault,” Franny growled.

“How do you figure?”

“You know what you did, Dunn.”

“All I did was sit there.” Jade smirked again. “It’s not my fault the mere sight of me throws you off.”

Franny hated how right she was. “You’re a fucking nuisance, you know that?”