Breaking into a jog across the field, I can see the scowl forming on Coach’s face.Great.I stop a couple of feet away, nodding to a few of my teammates.
“Coach,” I say in greeting.
“What’s this I hear about you going out drinking last night?” the older man says sternly, folding his arms across his chest.
“Aye, I went to Paddy’s last night. Had a couple of drinks with my girl, then walked her home.” I hold my head up proudly. No, I don’t usually drink before a match, but I don’t regret any part of last night.
Coach lifts an eyebrow and shoves his hands in his pockets. “You weren’t partying with Mac and the other idiots?”
“No, sir. I was there at the same time as them, even spoke with them, but I wasn’twiththem.”
“Good,” Coach nods. “If we weren’t playing Duke today, I’d bench all of their sorry asses. Be prepared for extra laps if we don’t pull a win.”
I respect Coach’s methods of discipline. It sucks, but if a couple of guys do something stupid to blow the game, he makes the whole team run extra laps so that the offending parties will feel the team’s wrath as well as Coach’s.
“Aye,” I nod, stretching an arm across my chest.
“So who’s the girl? I wasn’t aware you were seeing someone,” Coach says casually.
A grin spreads across my face. “It’s a recent development, but one I’m hoping lasts. Her name is Norah. She’ll be here later.”
“As long as she’s not a distraction, Kennedy…” Coach cautions.
“No, sir. If anything, I think she’ll be a motivator.” I grin again.
“Alright, back to your warm-ups. I want you hustling out there today.”
Half an hour before game time, the team is in the locker room getting ready for Coach’s pep talk. I hear my phone ding from my locker and open the door to turn it off, but I see a text from Norah. Opening it eagerly, my breath catches at the selfie she sent of her in the stands, wearing a Seahawks jersey with my number on it. As proud as that makes me, I can’t take my eyes off of her face and those wide, blue eyes. She’s so stunningly beautiful. The sun gilds her hair, transforming it into a halo of fire and her smile is shy. It has me wanting to be right there kissing the life out of her. Below the picture, she’s sent a message.
Norah:I’d say ‘break a leg,’ but I’m not sure if theater well wishes are the same for soccer. Either way, I’m cheering for you! xoxo
I chuckle quietly as I quickly text her back.
Eamon:How could I not play well when the most beautiful lass here is cheering for me?
Powering off my phone, I turn back to the team to see Ro staring at me questioningly.
“You ready, mate?”
I clap a hand on his shoulder, feeling on top of the world. “Oh yeah. Let’s do this.”
Norah
My heart flips as I read the text Eamon sent back. I was nervous about sending a selfie, but Layla encouraged me. Out of all of my friends, Layla enjoys soccer the most, so it made sense to bring her. Her brothers are both soccerplayers in Texas. Thankfully, she has the day off.
“What did he say?” Layla asks, peeking over my shoulder.
I angle my phone towards her and giggle, feeling my cheeks turn pink.
“Oh, girl, you’ve got it bad!” She laughs, bumping my arm with hers. “He’s good with his words. Makes you wonder what else he’s good with, doesn’t it?”
I blush even more and turn my head away from her pointedly.
“Norah Grady!” Layla shrieks. “You better spill, and I meanright now!”
Covering my face with my hands and still giggling like a schoolgirl, I peek through my fingers. “Shh! I’d rather not tell the whole world, thank you very much. But if youmustknow…he kissed me last night.”
I try to control the grin on my face, but it’s futile. Eamon makes me happy, and it’s really, really nice to feel happiness instead of anxiety.
