Page 54 of Say Yes to the Nemesis

I sip my coffee just as the waitress comes over for our order. She tops off Coach’s mug, then hurries off to the line cook, calling it in.

Coach sips and gives me a once-over. “Well, you look terrible. What happened to you?”

“Thanks,” I say sarcastically. I know Coach T hates sarcasm, so I try to pivot. “You still mad about that offsides call last week?”

He grunts. “It was bullshit. But you know what else is bullshit? You trying to bait and switch. I asked you here to talk.”

I’ve always been good at pivoting. When I was a kid, I learned fast that if you change the subject fast enough, people stop asking about bruises or empty cupboards.

I shake my head and try to deflect. “Is it the hockey team? The league giving you problems?”

Yes. Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about anything other than the girl I almost kissed and definitely can’t stop thinking about.

I press my lips together and sigh. “No. I’m doing a side gig of sorts. I got a call fromThe Last Kissreality TV show. They wanted me to be the bachelor this season. Offered a nice chunk of change, so I’m filming the show during the summer break.”

His brows go up. “I didn’t know you were doing that. Isn’t that a lot of stress?”

I wave away his concern. “It’s really not stressful. It’s just… you know. I’m supposedly dating all these women. They’re all driving me nuts.”

I pause and stare into my coffee mug. “Jay’s little sister is on the show, too. One of the bachelorettes.”

Just saying it makes something twist inside me. She’s not supposed to be here. Not in my space. Not tangled up in my head.

Coach knows who Jay is. Jay does a lot of charity work with middle and high school hockey teams, so Coach just bobs his head. “You don’t get along with that girl, if I remember correctly.”

“She’s always been a thorn in my side. Sharp, sarcastic, impossible. Now we’re on the show together. There are cameras. There are dates.”

Wren herself. All sharp edges and soft eyes. She sees too much. Feels too much. She’s everything I avoid, wrapped in the one person I can’t push away.

I hesitate. “The other night… I sort of kissed her.”

Even saying it aloud feels dangerous. Like I’m naming something that shouldn’t exist. Coach’s silence is heavy. Not judging. Just waiting.

Coach raises an eyebrow. “For the cameras?”

It started that way. Or maybe it didn’t. Hell, I don’t know anymore. She messes with my head. I can’t see straight when she’s around.

I slowly shake my head. “No. Off camera.”

“And she wanted you to kiss her?”

I think about the way Wren looked at me, how her fingers curled in my shirt and pulled me closer.

“Yeah,” I say eventually. “I’m pretty sure she was into it.”

“Well, you’re a big boy. You’re a grown man. You know what you’re doing. Just be careful. You don’t want to mess around with her and break her heart. She’s Jay’s little sister. He’ll probably kick your ass if you do.”

It stings more than it should. Not because he’s wrong. But because he’s right. Because I don’t know if I could stop myself even if I wanted to.

“Yeah. I know. I’m handling it. I think,” I lie.

Coach nods slowly, thoughtful. Then he changes the subject. It’s like he can feel how close I’m getting to saying too much.

“How’s the money?”

I tense. I don’t like talking about this. Not even with him. Money always makes things weird. But I’m not going to lie to Coach. He knows me. He’s probably the only person who can understand.

“I’ve got like two million on hand.”