Wrecked (Clayton Falls) (8 page)

“Hey, man,” I half hugged my best friend, Cole. “What are you doing here?”

“What the hell else do I have to do?”

I laughed. “Still no luck with the job hunting?” Cole had just moved back to town that summer. He was one of the few friends I’d talked to since the accident.

“Nothing. I guess no one’s looking for a new accountant with no work experience during a recession.”

“You could always talk to my dad. You know he’d find something for you.”

“Yeah, I might have to. I just hate doing that.”

“He won’t mind, but it’s up to you.”

“I’ll find something. Until then, I’ll be right here annoying the hell out of you.”

“Lucky me.” Truthfully, I was glad to have him. Cole usually managed to make every situation more interesting.

“You said Anderson and Mitchell were sticking it out, where are they?”

“They’ll be here. Mitchell’s been cool, but Anderson definitely doesn’t like answering to me.”

Cole laughed. “Anderson always hated you.”

“For no apparent reason.”

“You gave him hell, and he couldn’t do anything about it.”

I grinned. “Yeah, we got away with a lot back then, didn’t we?” Cole was the tight end when I was quarterback in high school. The team needed us, and we knew it. We pushed the limits every chance we got.

The shouting and laughing started before I could even see the team. I had this. There was no reason to be nervous about talking to a bunch of kids about football. I waited impatiently as they filed onto the field.

Mitchell and Anderson joined us. I nodded toward Cole. “Cole’s going to help out, too.”

“Whatever you say, Coach,” Mitchell said with a smile. When I’d met with them to discuss plays, he’d seemed genuinely excited to have me on board. I don’t know if it was because he liked me, or that it meant less work for him.

I took a few steps toward where the team waited and it suddenly became quiet. Nice, I could command attention. “All right, guys. I know things have been messed up with Coach Wilkinson out, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a good season. For those of you who don’t know, I’m Jake Mathews. Or I guess you should call me Coach Mathews.” I glanced at Cole. He was loving this.

The team just stared at me.

“I’m new at this, and I can’t promise miracles, but we’re going to figure it out. You obviously know Coach Anderson and Coach Mitchell. This is Coach Mays. I’m assuming Coach Wilkinson still runs things the way he did when I was here—and I’m going to stick to that for now. So let’s get moving. Start with two warm up laps then break into teams.”

The guys took off, and I shook my head. It was going to be a very long season. I was trying not to let my nerves show with the players, but I knew how much was riding on me. The team meant everything to the community and the kids. I couldn’t screw it up. For the millionth time, I wondered why they’d been crazy enough to trust me with the job.

***

“I don’t know anything about football. Was that a good practice?” Molly climbed down from the bleachers after I sent the guys into the locker room.

“It was fine. I think.” I clasped my hands behind my head. I was exhausted and stressed. I wanted a drink. Scratch that, I needed one. There was only one thing I wanted more. “Are you busy right now?”

“I’m going to drive you home…” She looked at me funny.

“Is there any way I could convince you to drive me to Wilmington?”

“It depends on whether you have a good reason to go.” She took a seat on the bottom row.

I sat next to her. “It’s to see a girl.”

“A girl? Between recovering from a collapsed lung and getting a DUI, you managed to meet a girl?”

“I met her because of that…”

“Wait. Oh my gosh. It’s the nurse, isn’t it?”

“How’d you know?”

“I just did. You were totally checking her out at the hospital.”

I smiled. Leave it to Molly to notice something like that. I think girls are just more perceptive. “Does that mean you’ll drive me?”

“Have you seen her since you left?”

“A couple of times.” I kept the details to myself.

“How? Did she come here?”

I nodded.

“How the hell did you manage that?”

I grinned. “My charm.”

She stood up. “She’s really pretty, and she seemed sweet. I’ll take you, but we’re stopping at your place first.”

“Why?” I looked at my watch. It was after five. If I wanted to see Emily before she went to work, I had to move fast.

“You need a shower.”

“No I don’t. I didn’t play.”

“Jake, you’re taking a shower.”

“Fine. Then let’s go.”

“Okay. I have to call Ben. He’s going to love this.”

“He already knows about her.”

“How?” She put a hand on her hip. “You told him first?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It came up at work.”

“Came up? Oh. You were talking sex, weren’t you?”

“We’re not having this conversation.”

“Let’s go.”

We got in her car and were at my house a few minutes later.

Molly waited in the den while I showered. When I got out, she was grinning.

“What?”

“Ben says we can use this as an excuse for a date. He’s on his way over.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. What did you expect me to do while you took out your nurse?”

“Her name’s Emily.”

“I know. Sorry.” She really did look sorry. As much as Molly loved riling me up, she was a nice person.

I heard Ben’s truck pull up out front. I grabbed my keys even though I only needed the one to my house, and we got in Molly’s car. Thankfully, Ben didn’t force me to ride squashed in the cab of his truck with them.

“Already needed to see her again, huh?” Ben taunted as he pulled out onto my street.

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No. I just think it’s funny.”

“Funny?”

“Have you ever made this kind of effort for a girl before?” He glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

“No. But I’ve never wanted to see one so bad.”

Ben moved his seat back, crushing my legs. I made a mental note to sit behind Molly on the way home. “I’m just waiting to find out what’s wrong with her.”

“Nothing’s wrong with her.”

“Something has to be wrong with her to make so much effort to see you.”

“Maybe I’m just irresistible.”

Molly snickered. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Hey, even you admitted to having a crush on me.”

“In middle school. I can’t account for my bad taste back then.”

“Maybe your taste only got bad after that.”

Ben laughed. “I’d say something in response, but I’m actually enjoying you two being back to normal.”

“So am I.” It was weird having Molly nice to me, especially after she found out what a jerk I was in high school. She should have hated me.

Ben put an arm behind Molly’s seat. “Where and when are you meeting her?”

“I don’t know. I need to call.”

“What?” Molly turned around to look at me. “She doesn’t know you’re coming?”

“Nope. She has to work at seven thirty, I think. I’ll call now.”

Emily picked up after two rings. “Hey. I was just thinking about you.”

“In a good way, I hope.”

“Definitely.”

“Any interest in seeing me?”

“I wish I could, but I have to work tonight.” She sounded disappointed.

“What if I come to you?”

“You can’t…”

“I’m about five miles outside Wilmington right now. Ben and Molly are driving me.”

“Really? What if I didn’t pick up or I said no?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

She laughed. “I already ate dinner, and I only have an hour. But we could do coffee, I guess. Do you guys know the city well? Want to meet at Port City Java?”

“We’ll find it.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.”

“I can’t wait.” I hung up.

Molly shook her head. “You’re unreal. She must seriously like you to agree to a last minute date like that.”

“I cut it close. She only has an hour.”

Molly turned around again. “You’re going to have to find something to do for longer than that. We’re going to dinner.”

“You mean I’m not invited?”

Ben pulled off at the exit. “Not a chance in hell.”

I laughed. “Just drop me off at Port City Java.”

“Not a problem.”

We found the coffee shop and I hopped out. “Thanks for the ride. Give me a call when you finish dinner.”

“Have fun.” Molly smiled. I think she enjoyed having me at their mercy.

“You too. Don’t get in too much trouble,” I yelled before slamming the door.

I peered through the window, but Emily wasn’t there yet. I decided to wait outside. I glanced at my watch. Emily definitely wasn’t an early bird type. I paced, hoping she was just late again.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.”

I glanced up. Emily looked incredible. She was beautiful in anything she wore, but there was something about the tight jeans, fitted blue t-shirt and cowboy boots that caught me off guard.

“Wow, you should be illegal.”

“I assume that’s some sort of compliment.”

“Yes. Definitely a compliment.” I stopped ogling long enough to pull her into a hug. The feeling of her body close to mine was amazing—she fit so perfectly.

“And here I thought you’d be disappointed I didn’t dress up for you.”

“You don’t ever have to feel like that. I like you in anything.” Or nothing. I kept that thought to myself. “You look cute with a ponytail.”

“Yeah? I didn’t feel like messing with my hair.”

“I can’t imagine ever having to mess with hair.”

“I can tell.” She reached up and tousled mine.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I teased.

“No comment.”

I held open the door to the coffee shop and she went in. I followed right behind her as she immediately went up to the counter.

“What’s your coffee of choice?” I asked.

“Just good old black coffee.”

“Really?” I’d been out with girls who liked nonfat macchiatos or chai teas, but never one who liked her coffee black. “That makes two of us.”

“I guess it’s an easy order.”

“I guess so.” I ordered our drinks, and Emily went to claim us a table. I joined her. “Do you like country music?”

“That’s random.”

I gestured to her boots. “Your footwear made me wonder.”

“What’s wrong with my boots?”

“Nothing. They’re pretty sexy actually. I’m just curious.”

“Maybe I do listen to country.”

“But what kind? There’s good country and bad country.”

She took a tentative sip of her coffee. “This I have to hear.”

“Bad country is the easy one to define—anything twangy.”

“Anything twangy?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m a huge Blake Shelton fan. I also love Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks.”

“Okay. That’s reasonable.”

“Reasonable? What do you listen to?”

I took a careful sip of my coffee. It was still piping hot. “Good stuff.”

“Such as?”

“The old classics. Nothing will ever beat Zeppelin. Or if you want something mellow, I’d go for Ben Harper.”

“Interesting.” She held her cup in her hands like she was trying to get warm.

“Interesting?”

She took off the lid of her coffee, probably trying to cool it. “You can tell a lot about someone by their taste in music.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about coffee.”

“Oh? What does my coffee choice say about me?”

“It says, ‘I’m cool, laid back, and awesome.’” I followed her lead, removing the lid from my cup.

“Is that because it’s how you drink it?”

“Partly. But it’s even cooler because you’re a girl who likes it.”

She shifted in her seat. “Why is it different?”

“I don’t know. It just is.”

She shook her head. “No double standard or anything.”

“Just saying.”

“I think you’ve been around the wrong girls.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

“Let me see. Did the last girl you dated drink hers with skim milk and Splenda?”

“How’d you guess?”

“Because you’re the kind of guy who goes for health conscious girls who are afraid they’ll look high maintenance if they order a specialty drink.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Oh, so you have my type figured out, huh?”

“Don’t I?” She crossed her arms, challenging me. All that did was pull the fabric of her t-shirt tight across her breasts. Yeah—I didn’t need that distraction.

“No.”

“Then what is your type?” She sipped her drink. My attention moved to her lips, which wasn’t any better.

“You.”

“Very suave.”

“It’s true. I just didn’t know it until I met you.”

“You’re working hard considering you know I’m not going home with you tonight.”

“And how do I know that?” I loved how easily we teased each other. Sometimes it was awkward when you saw a girl after you’d had sex. It wasn’t at all with us.

She laughed. “I have work in an hour, and your house is nowhere near here.”

“Maybe I’m working on an invitation to your apartment.”

A look of panic crossed her face.

“I’m joking, but why wouldn’t you want me to see it?”

“It’s a mess.”

She was obviously lying, but I decided to let it go. She still looked upset. I needed to change the conversation fast. “Is there anyone back home I need to be worried about?”

“Back home?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you going home this weekend?”

“Oh, no. No guys back home.”

“No high school sweetheart waiting to whisk you off?” I couldn’t help but think of Ben and Molly. They’d been broken up for five years, but less than forty-eight hours after she came home they’d hooked up again. We’d agreed to be exclusive, but a lot can change in a weekend.

“No.” She looked away.

“Hey, did that upset you?”

“No. It’s fine.”

I’d somehow struck a nerve. Hopefully, it had nothing to do with another guy.

Jake’s phone call made my day. I didn’t want to leave without seeing him. I’d been thinking about him since I left his place that morning. I also knew it was time to tell him about Noah. If he broke things off, so be it. I only wanted to be with him if he could accept me completely. I’d almost told him when he asked about a high school sweetheart, but I wanted to enjoy a few more minutes, in case it was the last date we had.