by Jaci Burton
She was celebrating hard, clapping and hugging everyone around her. When she turned to search the field, she found him, grinned, and waved.
Yeah, that felt good. He wanted to see her. Locking gazes with her before halftime had left him with a jolt of need to get close to her.
He smiled and nodded to her, and reluctantly filed that need away for later, because he had business to attend to first. He walked off the field toward the locker room, Wilson right by his side.
The celebration going on in there was akin to winning state. Except they hadn’t won state. Not yet, anyway. They still had half the season to go. But he understood their enthusiasm. Homecoming was always a huge celebratory week, infusing everyone in the school with excitement and spirit. It always fired up his players, and now that they’d won, they felt like kings of the world. He’d let them have this, at least until practice on Monday.
Then he’d bring them back down to Earth.
He walked into the locker room. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands to quiet down the rowdy boys. “It was a good win tonight. Everyone was firing on all cylinders.”
He looked around the room. “I’m proud of all of you. You played hard, and it showed. I’ve got a couple of game balls to give out. First ball goes to Macintosh for that interception.”
A round of applause and yells went out as he came up to get the ball.
“Second game ball goes to Robertson for a perfect throwing percentage and four TDs tonight.”
Lots of woo-hoo’s on that one.
After Robertson took his seat, Zach picked up another ball. “Last ball tonight goes to Fine.”
Paul shot his head up, looking shocked.
“Not only have you improved in your position as wide receiver, but tonight you caught six passes, went over a hundred yards and one touchdown. Well done.”
Paul got up and made his way to Zach. Zach handed him the ball.
“Good job tonight,” Zach said, smiling at the kid.
Paul grinned. “Thanks.”
On his way back to the bench, he got claps on the back and good-natured shoves. Zach could tell Paul was enjoying the attention.
Great for the kid. He needed to feel good about himself. He’d worked hard this week.
“Okay, that’s it. Have fun the rest of the weekend. Don’t burn anything down.”
Everyone laughed. Wilson barked at all of them.
Wilson ended up getting a lot of attention from the players. One of the team parents had made him a scarf to wear that was emblazoned with the Eagles logo. His dog wore it proudly. Plus, he looked damn cute in it.
Zach briefly talked over next week’s practice scheme with his assistant coaches, but he knew everyone wanted out, so he kept it short. The locker room emptied in a hurry.
He went to his office and cleaned up the paperwork he’d left askew in his hurry to get out to the field. His phone buzzed, so he grabbed it to take a look.
There were several congratulatory messages from his friends, and an invite to a “private celebratory party” from the mother of one of his students who somehow had gotten hold of his number. He shook his head and deleted that one.
There was also a text from Josie that said, Congrats on a great game! Going to Bash’s bar to celebrate. Come join us.
Then there was a follow-up text from Josie. Oh, and Bash said to bring Wilson with you.
His lips curved. He stood, shoved his phone in his pocket and grabbed his keys.
By the time he got to the No Hope At All bar, the parking lot was full. Which didn’t surprise him since it was ten o’clock on a Friday night. Plus, a lot of people from the game were likely here.
“Okay, buddy,” he said to Wilson, attaching the leash to his harness. “Everyone in here is friendly, and you’ll get to meet Lou, Bash and Chelsea’s dog. She loves every dog who comes in here, so the two of you are going to get along great. You ready for this?”
Since Wilson hadn’t yet met a stranger he didn’t like, Zach didn’t think a full bar was going to be a problem. Still, he intended to stick close to his dog.
He opened the door and was greeted with several rounds of cheers and applause.
He grinned. Wilson barked, and Lou came running over to greet his dog. They did a mutual sniffing, and Zach released Wilson from his leash. Lou ran off toward the back room, and Wilson followed.
So much for sticking close to his dog. It was as if as soon as Wilson had met Lou, Zach had ceased to exist.
“I see our dogs have met,” Bash said, coming up to shake Zach’s hand.
“Yeah. Wilson seems taken.”
“Don’t worry. Lou will keep him amused. Congrats on the great game.”
“Thanks.”
“First beer’s on me. There’s a table in the back corner.” Bash motioned with his head to the southeast corner of the bar where all his friends were seated at an oversized round table.
“Got it. Thanks.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He started in that direction, smiling when he saw Josie tilt her head back and laugh at something Chelsea said.
Her laugh got to him, the way she let go so fully with her friends. She gave all of herself in everything she did, from her work to her playtime. He’d really like to engage her in another form of playtime and see how much she let go.
And before those thoughts went any farther, he dismissed them and made his way to the table.
“Hey,” Deacon said, standing up to shake Zach’s hand. “What a great game.”
“Thanks. Where’s Hazel?”
“Will and Jane took her home with them since she and Tabitha are best friends,” Loretta said. “She’s having a sleepover there tonight. So we’re taking advantage and having a kid-free night.”
“Which means we can actually have adult conversation,” Deacon said.
Zach had taken a seat—luckily the empty one next to Josie. He grinned at Deacon. “Got some cussin’ to do?”
Deacon laughed. “No, but conversation at our house tends to revolve around things a nine-year-old finds interesting.”
Loretta leaned into Deacon. “Hey now. Said nine-year-old likes a lot of the same things you do.”
“That’s true. She does like football and soccer and baseball and all things construction.”
Loretta looked over the group. “She also likes the Vamps.”
“Who?” Chelsea asked.
“It’s a music group,” Deacon said. “And she talks about them all the time.”
“Oh.” Josie looked over at Zach, who shrugged.
“Well, aren’t we all officially old,” Chelsea said.
Bash laughed. “Hey, I knew who they were.”
Chelsea arched a brow. “Really.”
“Yeah, really. We do play music here at the bar, ya know. And a lot of it is contemporary.”
“Huh,” Chelsea said. “I guess I never pay attention to the music playing.”
Josie looked over at Zach. “How about you?”
“Don’t look at me. I’m a classic rock guy.”
“Really.”
“Yeah. Why? Does that surprise you?”
She twirled the wine around in her glass. “Kind of. I guess I saw you as a country music kind of guy.”
He laughed. “Nope.”
“You’ll have to share your favorites with me.”
“I’ll do that. And what about you?”
She shrugged. “I like music. All forms.”
“So you’re saying you’re easy.”
She had been taking a drink and swiped her mouth as she laughed. “I did not say that at all, and you know it.”
“That’s too bad.”
She leaned over and laid her hand on his forearm, the contact burning through the material of his shirt. “Nice try, though.”
He’d noticed Jillian and Jeff weren’t there, and asked Josie about it.
“They begged off,” she said. “Jillian said they wanted some alone time.”
&
nbsp; The heated look she gave him made him want some alone time, too. With Josie.
They ended up ordering some appetizers to munch on because everyone was hungry. Everyone rehashed tonight’s game, which didn’t hurt Zach’s feelings at all.
“So, undefeated so far, Zach,” Bash said, sliding back in his chair after checking on things behind the bar. “Does that feel more like smooth sailing to the end of the season or more pressure?”
Easy question to answer because it ate at him after every game. “More pressure. They know they’re good, and they’ve got a shot at making it to state this year. If they fail, it’ll crush them.”
“But they’re good,” Deacon said. “So you just have to keep telling them that, and work with them the same way you have been doing. They’ve got this.”
Zach nodded. “That’s my intention.”
Josie gave him a concerned look. Her fingers crept closer to him, but she didn’t make that move. He understood why. They weren’t a couple, and she wasn’t ready to take that step to make whatever it was between them public.
“Are you going to the homecoming dance tomorrow night?” she asked.
He nodded. “Chaperoning. Figured I could keep my eyes on my players that way.”
“Me, too. Though I don’t have players, of course. But it’ll give me a chance to go to a homecoming dance.”
He shot her a curious glance. “What do you mean?”
“I never went to my own. Or prom.”
“No kidding.”
“You didn’t go to prom?” Chelsea asked.
“No. I wasn’t into that kind of thing in high school.”
He saw Josie’s lips close up tight, realized there was more she wanted to say, but didn’t.
“Well, honey, you definitely have to go to this one,” Chelsea said. “Bash and I will go, too, won’t we, babe?”
“Sure. Wait, what?”
Zach grinned at Bash’s deer-in-the-headlights look.
“Come on, you always wanted to take your pregnant wife to the homecoming dance, didn’t you?”
Bash gave Chelsea a smile. “Anything for you. I’ll arrange for Dave to cover here tomorrow night.”
“Perfect. I’ll squeeze my pregnant belly into a killer dress and sparkly sandals since I can’t wear heels. And we’ll tell Jane she’s going, too. We’ll all chaperone.”
Josie nearly quivered in her chair. “Oh, now it’s going to be fun, won’t it, Zach?”
Not exactly the one-on-one date he was looking for, considering there’d be more than a hundred teens there, plus faculty eyeballing the two of them. But he might be able to sneak a dance with Josie. And that would be a start.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun.”
Chapter 16
* * *
JOSIE SPENT THE better part of Saturday hanging out with Chelsea and Jane because Chelsea insisted if they were going to the homecoming dance, they had to get manicures and pedicures and decide on clothing options.
Plus, Chelsea said she needed the moral support more than anyone because she couldn’t decide what to wear that would make her look pretty in her very-pregnant state. So Josie and Jane went over to her house while Bash disappeared to do some things at the bar.
“I don’t know why you’re worried,” Josie said. “Even as far along as you are, you’re still gorgeous.”
Which was true. With her red hair, intense blue-green eyes, and a body that, despite the pregnancy, still smoked hot, Chelsea had nothing to be concerned about.
Chelsea stood in her bedroom, hands on her hips. “My ankles are swollen.”
Jane looked down at her feet. “Only a little, honey. And you had tiny ankles to start with, which is why you could wear those tall heels all the time.”
Chelsea waved her hand at Jane. “Pfft. Anyone can wear heels. It just takes practice.”
Jane was lounging in the oh-so-comfortable-looking oversized chair in Chelsea’s bedroom. “Uh-huh. Wait till you have a toddler to chase after. Those heels will quickly lose their appeal.”
Chelsea raised her chin. “Heels will never lose their appeal to me, and I can chase after my kid no matter what I’m wearing. I will not be defeated by a tiny replica of me.”
Josie laughed. “I can already picture an adorable redheaded toddler.”
Chelsea sighed. “Me, too. And she’ll likely have Bash wrapped around her little finger.”
Josie could picture that. “Doesn’t she already?”
“Yes. He reads to her in bed every night. Well, he reads to my belly. And sings to her. It’s kind of adorable. I have it on video to show her someday.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Josie said.
“Will does the same thing,” Jane said. “He’ll talk to our baby and sing songs, and no matter what he’s reading, even if it’s a sports article, he’ll read it to my stomach.”
Josie couldn’t imagine what that must be like. She never knew her father, so having that kind of bonding with a father figure had to be … incredible.
Josie looked over at Jane. “Does he want a boy or a girl?”
“He’s stepped up and been such a great father to both Ryan and Tabby, and I’ve seen him with both of them. He’s just as happy taking Tabby to her dance recitals as he is taking Ryan to football games. He’s so excited about this baby that he doesn’t care about the sex.”
“And your kids are okay about Will having a child of his own?” Josie asked.
“Since my ex is out of the picture forever, they already think of themselves as Will’s kids. He is their father in every way. So this is just another sibling to them.”
She was so happy life had worked out so well for Jane and Will. “Perfect. I’m so excited for all of you.”
“Thanks. Me, too.”
“Me, three,” Chelsea said. “But in the meantime, you both have to help me choose a dress.”
Fortunately, Chelsea had an extensive closet. There was a mauve short-sleeved dress that was modest enough for a high school dance, but fit Chelsea perfectly and was drop-dead gorgeous on her. And she had a pair of sparkly gold sandals that were just the right touch.
After that, they had some tea and butter cake that Chelsea had picked up from Megan’s bakery that morning.
Josie bit into the cake, and she swore it simply melted on her tongue. Delicious.
“What are you wearing tonight?” Chelsea asked them.
“Probably a tarp from the garage,” Jane said.
“Please,” Josie said. “You’re petite and adorable, and you barely even have a belly.”
“I have enough of a belly that none of my clothes fit anymore.”
“You’ll wear something from my closet, then,” Chelsea said.
Jane’s eyes lit up. “Ooh. I accept.”
“What? No arguing? Usually you argue.”
Jane shrugged. “I’m pregnant and nothing fits and I’m frustrated and I need a pretty dress. No arguing today.”
Josie grinned. After seeing Chelsea’s closet, she didn’t blame her at all.
They ended up agreeing on a beautiful copper dress for Jane with scalloped sleeves and a scoop neck that fit her perfectly. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.
“Will’s eyes are going to bug out of his head when he sees me in this.”
“I’ll be his eyes do that all the time.”
She turned to Josie and grinned. “Well, yeah. They do. What can I say? He loves me.”
“You’re just mushy in love, Jane,” Chelsea said. “It’s disgusting.”
“Oh, and you’re not? Last time the four of us went out to dinner, you and Bash were nuzzling up to each other so much I blushed throughout the entire meal.”
“Hey, we’re newlyweds.”
“Uh-huh. But not new to each other.” Jane looked over at Josie. “Seriously. He had his hand on her neck, she had her hand on his lap doing—God knows what?”
“Well, it wasn’t that. I was rubbing his thigh.”
Jane held up her han
d. “Don’t even want to know.”
Josie laughed. She could tell these two had been friends for a long time. Their banter was like a comedy show.
“What about you, Josie?” Jane asked. “What are you wearing tonight?”
“Oh, I haven’t thought about it yet. I have a nice black dress. I’ll probably wear that.”
Chelsea arched a brow. “Is this one of those standard black dresses you wear to weddings and funerals?”
Josie cracked a smile. “Maybe.”
“That’s what I thought.” Chelsea gave her the once-over. “We’re about the same height.”
“Yes, but you’re way curvier than I am.” In other words, Chelsea had boobs. Josie definitely did not.
“This is true, but I have a couple of dresses I think would look amazing on you.”
“Oh, it’s okay, you don’t—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Chelsea had disappeared into that huge magical closet.
“No point in arguing with her,” Jane said. “When she wants to outfit you, you kind of don’t have a choice.”
Josie relaxed. “So I’ve noticed.”
Chelsea came out with three dresses, all stunning and not one of them the kind of dress Josie would wear. Josie’s tastes ran more along the lines of vintage and hippie wear. But when Chelsea threw a cream-colored sparkly dress at her, something about it captured her attention. She couldn’t resist trying it on.
“It has a vintage feel,” Chelsea yelled at her from the other side of the bathroom door. “It’s always been a little tight on me at the bust, so it should fit you perfectly.”
It fit her like it had been made for her. And the sequins over the lace had a faded pearlish look that made them look vintage, which was right up her alley. Plus, the long sleeves came to a bell at the wrist, which lent a seventies vibe to the entire outfit. And she had the perfect shoes to go with the dress.
She opened the door and stood in the doorway.
Jane gasped. “Wow.”
Chelsea grinned. “I knew that dress was perfect for you. With your short black hair and your lithe body, it’s like the dress has been sitting in my closet all this time just waiting for you to wear it.”
Josie lifted the tag from inside the cuff. “I noticed it still had the tag on it.”
