Dirty Talker (Filthy Dirty Summer)

Her eyes widen, and her cheeks turn pink. I hold my hand up. “I mean, you don’t have to eat with me if you have other plans or anything, you can of course eat with whoever you want... I just mean.... forget it.” I hold both hands out, palms up. “Look, I’m more than happy to take Ty to Georgia, and I would love to have you with us. You won’t be putting me out at all, and I’d appreciate the company, but if I make you uncomfortable or...”

She shrugs her shoulders and turns away from me. I start to worry that I’ve freaked her out until she picks up her purse and turns toward me. “I’m ready.”

My eyes get big. “You’re ready?”

She nods. “Yep, I just need to lock up, and we better go before I realize how crazy this is and change my mind.”

I pick up her suitcase and usher her out the door, pulling it closed behind us. I turn the knob to make sure it’s locked and follow behind her to my truck. I stow her bag away and listen as Ty excitedly asks if Megan is coming with us. He’s a good-hearted kid, and it’s obvious he loves his mom. When I come around to the side of the truck, I look for her on the passenger side so I can open her door, but when I look through the windows, I see her sitting in the driver’s seat. I chuckle. Oh yeah, she’s driving.

I get in and hand her the keys from my pocket.

Ty’s in the back and watches his mom. “You sure you got this, Mom? It’s definitely bigger than our little Camry.”

She rolls her eyes before looking at me. “Yes, I got this. Are you nervous, Coach?”

I just sit back with a smile. “I’m not nervous at all.”

Ty and I talk about the upcoming tournament, and when we get out onto the highway, Megan chimes in, “Honey, put your ear buds in or something. Coach Kade has some work he needed to do.”

She nods her head at me, and I can tell she’s wondering if I made the whole thing up. I turn to Ty. “Can you hand me that bag?”

He hands me the bag, and I tell him thank you before opening it and pulling the laptop out. I open the computer and turn it on. As I sit here and try to work, I can’t help but notice everything about Megan. She’s driving with both hands on the wheel, and every now and then, she looks at the screen showing the GPS. She’s clearly a little nervous about either driving my truck or regretting that she committed to this, but thankfully, it’s too late to turn around now.

I work for around an hour updating proposals, making some phone calls, and answering emails. All things I’d been putting off. When I’ve made a dent in my to-do list, I pack it all up and move it to the back seat.

Megan looks over at me. “You done already?”

I turn in my seat. “Yeah, for now anyway. I’ll do some more later tonight. You doing okay?”

She nods. “Yep, you want to drive now? I’m pretty sure the next vehicle I buy is going to be a truck. This is nice... safe.”

“I’m completely fine with you driving, but if you want a break, I can take over.”

She scrunches up her nose and shakes her head. “I’ll keep at it if you’re sure you’re okay. I don’t want to mess with your rep or anything.”

She laughs like it’s a joke, but I’m sure she’s talking about everything she’s read online about me. I can understand her hesitancy in getting in the car with me. Heck, she was probably not happy with the fact that I was going to be the one picking up Ty either. The media had me labeled as a male gigolo that went from one woman to another. But that’s not me. I try not to let it bother me, but I can hear it in my voice, and I’m sure she does too. “That’s not who I am.”

Her eyebrows lift, and she looks over at me. I’m gazing at her with complete sincerity. I’m hopeful she’ll give me a chance to prove it to her, but I know she’s got a kid that she needs to protect too. But her reply surprises me. “You know what, Coach Kade? I’m beginning to learn that you can’t believe everything you read.”

I let out a breath in a big whoosh. If nothing else, we’re off to a good start. Now if I can just convince her that I’m not the guy she thought I was and she’ll always be safe with me. Her and Ty both.

Chapter 4

Megan

Hours later when we arrive at the hotel, Ty goes to the pool because some of his teammates are already here. Kade and I are following him, yet we’re going a little slower, almost as if we aren’t ready for our time together to be over just yet. The last few hours were great, and Kade really surprised me. Just the fact that he brought Ty and me with him I think says a lot about him.