“So guys, speaking of Dean.” My pulse dances in my throat, and the back of my neck grows damp with sweat. Archie doesn’t look up because he’s lined his mouth up with the plate, slurping the rest of his fried egg into his mouth. Rawley’s focused on me, and Tanner is, too.
“If he came over here at night and slept on the couch for a while, would that be totally weird?”
Tanner snorts. “Yeah, that’d be weird as hell.” He strokes a hand through his hair, considering. “But cool. I mean, Coach Dean is cool. Plus I know you guys are like, dating or whatever."
I shake my head, then nod, confusing them. “Well, yes, we are… dating," I say, hating that I go flush in front of them at the admission, but hell, I’m still so excited that I am dating Dean McAllister. “But it’s not because of that. I mean, if he were staying here because things with us were progressing, he’d sleep…” Oh Jesus, why did I think this would be easy? I clear my throat. “He’d stay in my room with me, I mean, if that’s why he was staying over.”
Tanner looks confused. Rawley looks suspicious.
“So why would he be crashing here if it’s not because you guys are… getting serious?” He pauses, realizing then that he isn’t sure of that second question, and wants an answer. “Are you guys getting serious?”
I lick my lips and level my gaze. “Yes.”
He nods, and I look between the three of them. “How do you guys feel about that?”
Tanner takes the jug of juice from his brother and takes a long drink. “That’s cool. Coach is a good guy.”
“It wouldn’t alter any of your football stuff,” I say, noteven really sure what I’m saying or promising, but whatever the message is, Tanner gets it. He scoffs.
“I know that. Coach Dean isn’t like that. But anyway, I could see you guys like… married.”
I look at Archie, ignoring the way Tanner’s vision for us makes my heart race. “Would it be okay with you if Coach Dean stayed here for a while? Maybe a week? Two? I don’t know for how long.”
Archie wiggles his fingers, and Tanner passes him the jug. “I love Coach Dean,” Archie says, then starts chugging orange juice while three clean, empty glasses sit in front of us.
“You didn’t answer the question,” Rawley says, still fingering parts of his pocket motor. “If it’s not about you two, why would he be staying here?”
He’s fumigating his house.
He’s rented his place out like an Airbnb.
He’s been hearing noises and is frightened to be alone.
He’s…
None of those are right. Because none of those reasons are the truth.
I clear my throat and stare into the swirling dark surface of my coffee. “Troy called me. Twice. He’s back and he’s expressed his desire to stay in Bluebell to… manage Tanner’s football career.”
Silence sweeps the table. Archie, unaware and oblivious to the severity of this talk, slips out of his seat and runs into the backyard, eager to pick a peach to take to school. I feel relieved that he’s outback, because this talk is really meant for the older boys.
“Tanner’s in high school. He doesn’t have a football career,” Rawley says, his voice already creeping higher, irritation and pain wiggling in.
Tanner folds his arms over his chest. “He saw the article in the paper?”
I shrug. “One of them, maybe, yeah. I don’t know.”
“So he’s been here the whole time? He must have been if he saw the papers,” Tanner says, anger throttling his normally sweet tone. I hate seeing my boys angry and rattled, because it goes against who they are at the core.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe someone told him? I don’t know, I just… I don’t know, guys.”
“We don’t want him back,” Rawley says flatly.
“No, we don’t,” Tanner agrees.
I look between them, and Rawley’s face softens. “That’s why you want Dean here? In case Troy shows up?”
I nod. “It was his idea.”
