She smiled shyly and sipped on her milkshake as I finished off my burger. “I'm glad we have you as our coach,” she said. “I wasn’t just saying that the other day. I do feel like you're bringing out the best in me. And, knowing that you’re going to be fair motivates me to work even harder.”
“Then I'm doing my job properly,” I said with a smile, trying not to stare at her. Even with her eyes a little swollen from crying, she was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever laid eyes on.
We finished off the rest of our meal in silence. When we were done, Eryn went around the apartment to make sure everything was turned off and locked up before we headed out.
“Thank you again for your help tonight,” she said to me as we got to the parking lot. “I really don't know what I would have done without you.”
“Like I said, I was just doing what any decent human being would do.” I walked her over to her car. “I really hope your mom is going to be okay,” I said.
“Thanks. Me, too. Besides my sister, she's the only family I've got. I'm very close to her.”
“I can see that. But try not to worry too much; she's in really good hands. I'm sure she'll be fine. Remember, we have a very big game on Saturday, and you need to get enough rest and be in a good state of mind to perform at your peak. I know that’s easy for me to say, as I'm not in your shoes right now, but just try to relax and not stress too much.”
“Thanks, Wade. Now it’s my turn to tell you not to worry; I'll do what I can to keep my mind focused,” she offered me a wide smile. The first I’d seen since I’d arrived at her mother’s apartment several hours before.
“Thanks again,” she said as she opened her car door. “You really are a life-saver.”
“I don’t know about all of that, but I did take CPR a few months back,” I joked. “So if you ever need mouth to mouth-” I stopped myself, but it was too late. I had already inserted my foot in my own mouth. No amount of CPR was going to help.
She cocked her head to the side a little and a half-grin turned up one side of her perfect lips. “Is that so?” she held back her amusement.
“Not exactly how I intended that to come out, but… I suppose,” I tried to play it off as best as I could.
But the way she was looking at me, there was no denying the pull between us. The stare held for a while. The tension was almost palpable. There was more emotion in her gaze than I could deny, and it wasn't going anywhere. But we both also understood it was something that couldn't happen.
Chapter Eleven
Eryn
I was incredibly excited to be playing my first game as a starter for Florida State, but it was overshadowed with a bit of sadness and disappointment, too. The people I'd wanted most to be at this game to cheer me on weren't going to make it. Not through any fault of their own, of course, but the fact remained that their absence was noticeable.
My sister, with her family and demanding job, couldn't just fly across the country to come watch me play, and my mom had only just come out of the hospital and had to stay at home to recover.
The game was set to kick off in just under an hour, and I was warming up courtside when I heard my phone ringing in my gym bag. I went over to see who was calling, wanting to make sure Mom was fine and didn’t need anything.
It was my sister Anne, and I couldn't help but smile. “Hi, sis!” I said as I picked up the phone.
“Hey, Peanut!” she replied with her nickname for me.
“How are you?”
“I'm great, but more importantly, how are you?! Are you nervous?”
I couldn't help but smile; she sounded so happy and excited for me. “Umm. Yeah. A little,” I replied. “But more than anything, I'm stoked. I just wish that you and Mom were here to watch.”
“I know,” she replied. “I wish I was there, too. I just spoke to Mom, she said you'd been there earlier helping out. The timing sucks, and I'm really, really sorry I'm not there to help out with Mom. It's just with juggling the job, and the two little ones, and keeping up with the mortgage on the house, and all the bills-”
“I know, Annie, I know; you don't have to apologize.”
“But it shouldn't be all on your shoulders. I've been talking to my boss about getting a couple of days off soon. I told him about Mom, and he understands. Once I've finished up this major project we're working on, I'll be able to fly out there for a few days. Hopefully within a week or two.”
My face lit up. “That's great! I can't wait to see you! Just wish it could have been today.”
“Sorry to interrupt, Eryn.”
I spun around at the sound of Wade's voice and found him standing behind me. I hadn’t even heard him walk up.
“Is that your sister you're talking to?” he asked. “Don't worry, I wasn't eavesdropping or anything. I was just walking past and happened to hear part of your conversation.”