Page 16 of Home Town Advantage (Fourth Quarter Fever #1)

Coach rolls his eyes. “There are roughly three total photos of me from the entire year of 1991, yet you have a hundred of your mutt from yesterday.” He harrumphs. “Pft. Your generation and their photos. Always having the damn phones ready to snap away.”

Daylen twists his lips. “Not true, Coach. It’s more like two hundred of my daughter . And she’s not a mutt. She’s a purebred. ”

I chuckle as Coach sighs.

Daylen smirks at me before asking Coach, “How’s Pierce?”

Coach has a seventeen-year-old son, Pierce Jeffries. He’s a sweet, happy kid, often found hanging around the locker room over the past ten years. Coach is an awesome, hands-on father.

Coach smiles. “He’s great. He’s about to start his senior year of high school.” He sighs. “It’s hard to believe that in just over a year, he’ll be leaving for college.”

Daylen asks, “Is he planning to play football in college?” We know he’s the star quarterback on his high school’s team.

Coach shakes his head. “Nah. He’s a nice player, but I never pushed him in that regard.

Between you and me, he doesn’t have the killer instinct that Kennedy has always had.

And he’s not half the athlete she is. It’s always come naturally to her.

Too bad those women’s flag football leagues didn’t exist when she was younger.

She has a rocket of an arm. If Pierce had her arm, hand-eye coordination, and grit, it might be a different story for him. ”

Daylen mumbles, “I guess Pierce got the personality and Kennedy got the talent.”

Coach chuckles. “Yep, she’s a handful. God help the man who marries her one day. I’m just happy to have her back in town.” He swallows. “Whether she’s happy to be back or not.”

He has a bit of a pained look on his face. I wonder what that’s about, but it’s not my business to ask.

He continues, “She indulges me now and then with a game of pickleball. The old fuckers at my club never see her coming. She wipes the floor with all of them,” he announces with pride.

“Anyway, check out the new plays. We’ve never had the type of running back we now have in Champ.

I want the three of you to work as a unit.

I’ve drawn up a few creative plays. Have them memorized before our next round of OTAs start. ”

I salute him. “Yes, Captain.”

Coach looks around, appearing to make sure we’re alone. “And keep an eye on Reece Sanders. Set him straight if needed. You didn’t hear me order the code red, but I’m ordering the code red.”

I nod, knowing exactly what he’s talking about. Reece wouldn’t high-five Champ at practice today. In fact, he goes out of his way to steer clear of Champ. It’s unacceptable behavior.

A code red is a reference to Coach’s favorite movie, A Few Good Men .

It’s a military term where platoon mates discipline each other within the group.

It might be time for Reece Sanders to experience a Beau Fudd uninhibited tackle.

Three hundred pounds of solid muscle crashing into his sub-two-hundred-pound body should do the trick.

Or we could do something old school like putting hot sauce in his jockstrap.

After a quick stop to pick up BJ, we’re in Daylen’s custom Jeep Gladiator, his quarter-of-a-million-dollar gift to himself when he signed his new contract, heading down to Maryland.

He texted Ashleigh that we’re coming for dinner.

She texted back that she’d make porterhouse steaks, Daylen’s favorite food on this planet.

I shove BJ’s head off my shoulder and toward the backseat. Wiping my shirt, I snap, “Stop drooling on me, you fucking big, saliva-producing oaf. D, your dog is disgusting.”

Daylen scratches behind BJ’s ear as she happily nuzzles into his neck. In a voice he reserves only for BJ, he coos, “Don’t listen to grumpy Uncle Vance, baby girl. He hasn’t gotten laid in months. His best chance at getting laid is ghost wanking.”

I foolishly ask, “What’s ghost wanking?”

Daylen gives me his goofy smile. “When you sit on your hand until it falls asleep and then jerk off. It feels like someone else is jerking you off.”

I can’t help but let out a laugh. “What the fuck? Is that a real thing?”

He smirks as he picks up a celery stick and begins to chew on it. “Sure is. Just be careful how long you sit on your throwing hand.” He scrunches his face. “Actually, don’t do it. Your hand and arm are too valuable. Or try it lefty? ”

I shake my head. “I don’t think I could jerk off lefty.”

He straightens his shoulders with pride. “I can. I’m a very talented ambidextrous masturbater. Jerking off in a multitude of ways is my superpower. I even did it once with my own feet.”

“Congrats, Captain Jerks-a-lot.”

The song “Waterfalls” by TLC begins playing through the speakers, as it does every single time we’re in his car. It’s on his go-to playlist and his absolute favorite song in the world. He knows every word, including the rap verse. Who the hell knows that?

Daylen Humblecut does.

He begins dancing in his seat and happily singing along. “Don’t go chasin’ waterfalls…”

I shake my head. “Your obsession with that song is so fucking weird.”

He gasps. “Best song ever. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to themselves. Doesn’t it automatically make you smile?”

I scowl at him. “How often do you see me smile?”

He scratches his freshly shaven face. “You smile when you watch Ms. Sullivan O’Shea play ball. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve seen your teeth in ten years of friendship. I think you’re in looooooove with her.”

I shake my head. “You don’t get it. Playing in the WNBA was her dream since she could walk. It meant a lot to Finn too. Seeing it come to fruition means something to me. Knowing I had some part in it is very fulfilling.”

“Even if she doesn’t know you had a hand in it? Maybe you should tell her.”

I shrug. “Who cares about me?” Why are he and Tanner obsessed with me telling her everything? “This is about her and her dream. Wanting her to realize her dream is one of the last things he ever said to me.”

His face turns serious. “ I care about you. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Not everyone is your responsibility to take care of. You need to do a better job taking care of Vance.”

I turn my head and look out the window. “You and Tanner need to stop conspiring. At least be smart enough to use different words when you try to manipulate me. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Hmm.”

We ride in conversational silence the rest of the time. Conversational because Daylen sings the whole damn time. “Waterfalls” plays no less than five times. I think he has it as every sixth song on his playlist.

It’s early evening when we pull into his dad and Ashleigh’s house.

It’s an upper-middle-class home within a nice subdivision.

It’s very cookie-cutter, with all the houses looking exactly the same, but it’s still impressive.

His father, Hank Humblecut, is a well-respected Federal judge and makes a comfortable living.

He and Daylen are endearingly close. Aside from losing his mother, Daylen had a very American-pie upbringing.

The door opens when we pull in, and Jagger comes running out.

At first, I think she’s excited to see Daylen, but it’s BJ she embraces.

She falls to her knees as BJ licks all over Jagger’s face, and she giggles in glee.

It’s very wholesome, though I chuckle as I notice that Jagger no longer is.

She’s in a short plaid skirt and a midriff-bearing, tight white T-shirt.

Her blonde curls are wild, and she’s got on way too much makeup for her fifteen years.

And her height. She must have had a huge growth spurt since I last saw her.

He better not bring her around the locker room. The guys will crucify him.

Daylen pouts. “What about me, Jag?”

She smiles as she stands and holds out her arms for him. Jagger looks more like Ashleigh but has Daylen’s larger-than-life grin. They share it with their father, one of the happiest human beings I’ve ever met in my life.

They embrace like they haven’t seen each other in years, with him twirling her around, even though I know it’s only been a few weeks.

Daylen goes out of his way to spend time with his little sister.

She was the reason he was willing to accept way less money from the Camels to stay close by.

It was Tanner and I who encouraged him to play hardball.

Daylen didn’t have the stomach for it, but Tanner wouldn’t let him settle, and it worked.

Ashleigh comes into view in the doorway, and I have to bite back my smile.

What can I say about Ashleigh Humblecut?

She’s a piece of work. She’s an attractive forty-year-old woman but has gotten a little carried away with the fake boobs and Botox.

Her body looks like she must spend a lot of time in the Pilates studio, and she more than loves showing it off.

Her barely there tight red cocktail dress is kind of ridiculous for a family dinner at home in the middle of the week.

She offers a big smile and holds her arms open in invitation. “Come say hi to Mommy.”

I can’t help but bark out a laugh as Daylen rolls his eyes and leans down to give Ashleigh a quick hug. She reaches up and messes his hair like he’s a child before squeaking out, “I’m so happy to have our baby boy home. We’ve missed you.”

My stomach is shaking while I try to hold back my laughter. She’s so ridiculous.

I give Jagger a warm hug. “It’s good to see you. You’ve gotten so tall.”

She smiles with pride. “I know. I love it. I’ll be taller than Daylen one day soon.”

Unlikely, but I love that she’s confident in her height. I remember Sulley being so uncomfortable about it in her youth. It’s such a contrast to how she holds herself now. I love the type of woman that Sulley has grown into.