Page 12 of Dirty Coach To Go

“Same here,” I say. The truth is, I’ll probably spend the whole summer pining over him. Yearning after a man I can’t be with. While the other girls of Sunnyside are busy frolicking around with the boys our age, I’ll be wistfully wishing I could kiss the lips of the man I’ve fallen in love with.

“I’m sure you and Nicole will find some sort of trouble to get into,” he jokes. His smile warms my heart. If only he knew he’s all I could think about when I was away at school. I impatiently waited both semesters to be reunited with him again. I should tell him right now. But I’m too afraid that I’ll embarrass myself. He’ll probably think I just have a school girl crush. But this is more than that. This is love.

“Maybe,” I laugh. Suddenly, the bad mood Bobby put me in goes away. Coach always knows how to make me feel better. “Thanks for offering to take me home,” I say.

“It’s no big deal. I saw what Bobby did to you, so I know you wanted to get out of there badly,” he says. He’s like a superhero, ready to save my day.

“Yeah, he’s an immature jerk. He’s just mad because I wouldn’t let him get past first base,” I admit.

“Did he try something with you?” Mason asks with much more bass in his voice. He sounds like he’s ready to rip Bobby a new one. I’m a bit nervous to tell him the truth, but I’m kind of hot from his passion. I hesitate, but at the end of the day, I could never lie to those crystal blue eyes.

“He tried to pressure me into having sex with him the night we went out on a date,” I confess. The fury in his eyes burns brighter than the sun. I’ve never seen him so angry before.

“That boy needs to be taught a lesson, and I’m gonna be the one to teach it to him,” he says, seething in the driver’s seat. His protective demeanor makes me swoon in the seat next to him. I bite my lip as I gaze at my gallant knight, who’s describing how he plans to rush to my defense. I know Bobby is no match for the brawny man, especially while he’s in this fit of rage. The puny teen’s body would fall to pieces in the hands of Mason, and although I think Bobby should get exactly what he deserves, I don’t want Mason getting into any trouble over me. If something happened to the softball coach, I would feel like it was all my fault.

“No, it’s okay. I’ve got it all under control,” I say. I think after I pushed him into the pool, he got the picture. He knows not to mess with me anymore. I’m usually not an aggressive girl, but Bobby is a pig. I couldn’t let him get away with untying my bathing suit.

“He gonna get it the next time I see him. He has no right to touch you,” Mason says, still in a rage.

“Thank you, but trust me, I won’t be having any more trouble out of Bobby Frazier. Not if he knows what’s good for him,” I reassure him. He mulls over my words for a bit. Our ride together is coming to an end soon, and the last thing I want to talk about in our last few moments alone is the pigskin-toting teen.

“What did you end up studying at Trinity?” he asks.

“Accounting,” I reply. “My dad thinks it’s a good career path.”

“But what do you think?” he asks, catching me off guard. No one has ever asked me what I want. If they did, they would’ve known numbers aren’t my thing and that I want to open up a bakery here in Sunnyside.

“I think I hate numbers,” I giggle. He laughs too, and his laugh warms my heart, sending butterflies fluttering through my stomach.

“Didn’t you used to love baking?” I blush at his mention of my secret passion. He remembered. I’d told him that the kitchen was my happy place two years ago, and he remembered. I swear, he knows me better than anyone else in the world.

“I still do,” I admit.

“Then you should bake. If that’s what you really love, then go for it. You don’t want to live a life full of regrets because you never went after the things you wanted in life.” His words strike a nerve. Opening a bakery isn’t the only thing I’m considering trying my luck with.

“I wish I had the courage to go after the things I want in life,” I say. “But I’m afraid.”

“A beautiful girl like you has nothing to be afraid of. You can have anything and anyone you want in this world,” he pauses. “I’ll bet those college guys were all over you at Trinity,” he says. The truth is the boys there did flirt with me a lot, but none of them had interested me. None of them had compared to Mason. He’s the only one I’ve ever wanted.

“There were a few, but I wasn’t into any of them,” I admit.

“Why not?” he asks with a puzzled look on his face. I want to tell him that I’ve been in love with him since I was sixteen and that he’s the only man I want to be with. I want to tell him exactly how I feel, but I’d just die if he were to tell me that he doesn’t feel the same way. It would shatter my heart into a million pieces. I mull over how I want to answer this question. I can’t lie to him, but I also can’t tell him the truth. I guess I’ll just omit parts of the truth like I do with Nicole.

“Hmm,” I say. “I think the guys at Trinity are too young and immature for me. I need a real man.” I make light of my honest answer. He laughs again. If only he knew I wasn’t joking.

“Understandable. Those young boys can be a handful,” he says. He raises one of his bushy eyebrows. “What are you looking for in a man?” Without hesitation, I know exactly what I want. I mean, heissitting right next to me after all.

“Someone who will protect me and be there for me when I need him most. A manly man with a huge heart who’s loving and passionate. The kind of guy who builds me up with his words and never tries to tear me down. A hunk who only has eyes for me and loves me exactly the way I am,” I blurt out in one really long breath. He’s silent for a bit. Oh no. He must think I’m crazy. Maybe I should’ve just kept my mouth shut. My face is probably turning a bright red right now, which makes me feel even more embarrassed. I need to get rid of the awkward silence floating around in his pickup truck. “But maybe I’m asking for too much,” I nervously laugh.

“I don’t think you’re asking for too much,” he says, easing my nerves. “You deserve all of that and much more.” Phew! For a second, I thought he was thinking I’m a complete psycho. “Maybe I can help you find the man of your dreams that you’re looking for,” he says.

“Maybe,” I say half-heartedly. Heisthe man of my dreams. I don’t need to look any further. Why doesn’t he know? Can’t he tell? I sink into the passenger seat as a wave of sadness comes over me.

His pickup truck slowly comes to a stop in front of my childhood home. My time alone with Mason is over, and I didn’t tell him how I feel. This sucks. All I want to do is tell him I’m in love with him, but I’m too afraid. He’s right; I need to get over my fears and go after the things I want in life, starting with him. Here goes.

“Thanks for the ride home, Coach Mason,” I say as I gently place my hand on his shoulder. “You’re always looking out for me. I love that about you.”

“Of course,” he says, placing his hand on top of mine. “You mean a lot to me, Tessa.” My heart races as I stare into his ice blue eyes. God, this man is gorgeous. I feel tingly on the inside, and every bone in my body is screaming for me to kiss him.