Page 14 of Hot Four Teacher (The Lawson’s #4)
Chapter fourteen
That makes Two of Us
Dane
I am a Marine. I have been put in some scary-ass situations in my life. But I don’t know that much compares to being stared at by a dozen high school girls. Girls who are hoping that I will be their new amazing soccer coach.
I already feel like I’m about to let them down, and we haven’t even gotten into anything yet.
“Hey, girls,” I begin.
I have all of them in my classes, so we are already acquainted, but this environment is completely different. In my classroom, I’m an expert on the material. I’m the one who has something to teach them.
But out here on the soccer field? No matter how many YouTube videos I watched or how much I read, I’m sure all of these girls know much more about soccer than I do.
If I try to act all high and mighty, they’re going to see right through me. And they’ll eat me alive.
Maybe I can try a different approach.
“Alright. I know we already know each other, so I think we can skip the pleasantries. I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know a ton about soccer.”
That earns me a ton of eye rolls and heavy sighs.
Trying to get them back on my side, I go on, “Because of that fact, I’m going to need your help.”
That seems to get the attention of a couple of them.
“The past couple of years, you ladies had a pretty decent record so whatever you were doing was working. I’m not here to reinvent the wheel. I’m here to listen to your input, and we can all try to tweak things to make the team better.”
A sophomore named Eve is the first to speak. “So, you want our input?”
She seems shocked.
“Why wouldn’t I? You guys are the ones actually playing the game. Not me.”
“Our last coach hated everything we were doing and tried to change all of it.”
“Well, I’m your coach now.”
Good lord, that sounded cheesy.
I try to recover “Look, my job here is to bring you guys together and keep this team moving forward. We’ll have good days and bad, but we’ll get through them all together. Now, why don’t we start practicing? You ladies can show me what you’ve got.”
That gets them all to jump up, ready to get to work.
Okay, then. Let’s go.
***
A few hours later, I’m back home, lounging in my recliner and willing myself to go take a shower.
Soccer practice was exhausting.
And I wasn’t even the one practicing.
I told them to do what they typically would during practice, and they did. But they also talked ninety miles a minute, yelled at each other, and ran every single idea past me.
At times, I found myself running up and down the field with them to get a better look at what they were doing. I wouldn’t say that I’m in terrible shape. Am I as fit as I was as a Marine? No. I have a bit of a dad bod now. But I still try to stay active as much as I can.
Apparently, that’s not enough to keep up with a bunch of high school girls.
Go figure.
I’m glad I have a couple of days off to recover. Once we move onto six days a week filled with games and practices, I’m sure the exhaustion will be even worse.
Lord, what did I get myself into ?
I reach for the remote, but it’s just out of arm’s length.
Fuck it. I didn’t need to watch TV anyway.
I could probably fall asleep right here and now.
“Go shower,” I mumble, trying to will myself to stand up.
But it doesn’t work.
My phone starts ringing about six inches from my face. I consider letting it go to voicemail, but when I see on the screen that it’s Michelle, I suddenly find the energy to sit up.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hi…Dane,” she says as if a little unsure.
“Hey, beautiful.” At first, I regret saying it, worried I’m going to scare her off, but when I hear the smile in her voice, my doubts fade.
“What are you doing?” She asks.
“Not much. Long day at work.”
“I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to make sure we are still on for tomorrow.”
“Absolutely. I figured I’d pick you up around seven.”
“Seven sounds great.”
“Okay.” I can’t stop myself from smiling. “Do you need to go? I know you don’t want your daughter to have any idea.”
“I’m good. She’s in her room, already passed out. I guess she had a rough day at school.”
That makes two of us.
“Well, how was your day?” I ask.
“Not bad. Definitely ready for the weekend.”
I’ll say it again. That makes two of us.
“I’m ready to see you,” I tell her.
“Me too. Well, I’m ready to see you, not me. ”
It’s cute how nervous she gets.
“I get what you’re saying.”
She pauses a moment before saying, “Honestly, I’m a little nervous. I haven’t dated in so long.”
“I’m not a dating savant, so I’m a little nervous too, but we’ll have a good time. No pressure. Just two people getting some dinner and getting to know each other.”
I swear I hear her exhale a sigh of relief, but she tries to play it off. “I promise not to get super drunk this time. I don’t want to throw up again. Just the one time was embarrassing enough.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. We’ve all been there.”
“I’m sure you didn’t take your clothes off like a crazy person.”
“Do you want me to take off mine to make it even?” I joke.
She actually thinks about it for a moment. “May not be a bad idea.”
I laugh. “Whatever will make you feel better.”
“Speaking of which, exactly how much of my nakedness did you see?”
“Oh…not very much.”
“So, all of it?” She giggles.
“I did see some, but I did my best not to look. I didn’t want to be an asshole.”
“I appreciate that.” She hesitates a moment. “From what you did see, what did you think?”
I grin. “Let’s just say that I hope there’s an encore.”