Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Caleb

I was as ill-suited for the role of pseudo-parent as I was for the acting job of pretending like nothing had changed with Tony. And at Thursday night's football meeting, almost two weeks after the Fourth of July, my shortcomings in both roles were on full display.

"We've got a season to save!" John waved his arms wildly, almost taking out Cosmo. The cafeteria at the high school was half-full of parents and football players. I was younger than the parents but older than the students. Add in my lack of athletic prowess, and I might as well have had a glowing arrow over my head showcasing my lack of fit with this crowd.

However, I wasn't here for me or even for Tony, who'd texted me about this meeting and was sitting alarmingly close to Scotty and me. I was here for Scotty, who continued to scowl like he'd rather be anywhere else. I'd had to listen to his lengthy list of complaints the whole walk to the school, so I wasn't surprised when he let out a loud groan in response to John's enthusiastic pep talk.

"If there's no football season, I'm going back to Portland." Scotty's blue eyes darkened as he scrunched his face up more.

"You will not," I hissed, trying to keep my voice down but getting more than a few heads turning our direction anyway.

"Watch me." Scotty crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in his red plastic cafeteria chair.

"No one's going anywhere," Tony interrupted, voice stern. I shot him a sour look for getting involved. I could handle Scotty, thank you very much, even if all the evidence was to the contrary. But Tony simply ignored me and gestured widely at all the kids gathered. "The team needs all of you."

"And you're the best quarterback option we've had in years," Cosmo piped up from the other side of Tony. "You and John are gonna be an unstoppable quarterback-receiver duo."

"Maybe." Scotty pursed his lips, but at least his tone was thoughtful, not surly.

"Come on, man. You can't quit on us now." John brought all his enthusiasm to stand directly in front of us. "We might actually be good enough to lure some recruiters to our games."

"I'm not a quitter." Scotty's eyes flashed, expression going hot and angry. "But how are we gonna afford everything? Buses for away games? Equipment? That shit is expensive."

"We were discussing increasing the participation fee." One of the moms, a fussy woman in a matching pastel-pink shirt-and-shorts combo, had been pushing for that option since the informal meeting had begun.

Scotty swiveled his head in her direction, all that fire finding a new target. "You can't just increase the fees per student. That ain't fair to the students whose folks can't pay."

"Absolutely." Impressed by Scotty's rare show of caring, I spoke up for the first time to the whole group. "We have to find a way everyone can play."

"Agreed." Tony's sister, Angel, was nominally in charge of the meeting, but so far, she'd seemed content to sit back and let others talk. But perhaps Angel had merely been biding her time because she clapped her hands together, voice going authoritative. "We'll have to fundraise."

"More than a carwash or two." John's tone was pragmatic as he glanced over at his dad. Eric had come straight from a shift to the meeting and was still in uniform. Expression weary, Eric nodded in support as John continued, "I wish we were as good at fundraising as the band. Their funding got slashed as well, but they held some sort of alumni band camp with a concert. They made enough to cover their bus fees for the whole year."

"That's a great idea." Angel's smile turned diabolical, like a general with a fresh plan of attack. "We'll throw a football reunion fundraiser. And add a charity game of flag football featuring Mount Hope notables."

"We don't exactly have a lot of celebrities." Cosmo had a tendency to take things too literally and wind up confused, which I found endearing.

"We don't need big celebrities." Angel waved a hand, a similar mannerism to one I saw often from Tony. However, her bubbly optimism seemed to be her own personality. "People would pay to see certain teachers or the police chief play flag football, and if we feed folks and maybe add a silent auction, it could be the event of the summer."

"Uncle Tony could get a bunch of the guys from his year to come, like Sean Murphy." Cosmo echoed his mother's enthusiasm.

"People still remember the year we were good," John added.

"Yeah, I can help come up with a list of names." Shrugging, Tony smiled like he was used to his sister's big ideas.

"We're gonna be good this year." Scotty had a confidence I hadn't heard from him all evening.

"We? You sure you're in, bro?" John narrowed his eyes at Scotty. "You sounded ready to hightail it out of here."

"I'm in." Scotty gave a sharp nod. "This fundraising plan isn't crap."

"I'll help," I said quickly before Scotty could change his mind. "I mean, obviously, I'm not playing. But I'm used to cooking for a crowd, and I can help with logistics."

"Excellent. So that's you and Tony on the planning committee." Angel shifted into a commanding tone as she produced a clipboard. "Now let's pass a sign-up sheet around…"

"Whoa. How did that happen?" I asked Tony in a low voice as folks passed the sign-up sheet around the room, precious few names joining ours on the committee I'd apparently volunteered for.

"My sister is a force of nature," Tony said fondly. "Don't worry. You can back out. I won't hold you to helping."

"I'm going to help." I kept my voice firm. His assumption that I might want out only made me more stubborn. "I might not know much about football, but I know how it feels to be a kid who can't afford fees, and I owe it to Scotty to make sure the team can play this year."

"Well, I owe Angel and Cosmo, so we better figure out how to get along on the committee," Tony whispered back.

"We're not fighting."

"That's not what I meant." His voice was gruff, making my skin prickle with fresh awareness of his nearness. I knew exactly what he meant. Keeping my hands to myself was hard enough at the station, where I had every reason to keep my distance. Away from work, it would be that much easier to forget all the reasons we couldn't have a repeat of the Fourth of July.

After the list of the various committees came around, the meeting started to break up. However, before I could make my escape, Scotty bopped my shoulder.

"Gotta few bucks? The guys are going to Pinball Pizza. It's one of their all-ages nights where you don't have to be twenty-one."

"I'm gonna be broke before the school year even starts," I groaned as I dug out my wallet. "Okay. Have fun."

"Hey, Scotty, you need a part-time job?" Angel strode over, brown eyes lighting up like they had with her earlier brainstorm.

"No," Scotty said at the same time I said, "Yes."

"Well, Cosmo's dad runs a landscaping company." Angel didn't seem particularly deterred by Scotty's no. "John's been helping some too. It's not glamorous, but it would pay for more pizza."

"I'll think about it," Scotty allowed, which was as close to enthusiasm for work as I'd seen from him yet.

"Thanks," I said to Angel as the kids headed out.

"No problem. Your brother seems like a good kid. He just needs a purpose."

"Here's hoping you're right."

"She generally is." Tony chuckled warmly as Angel hugged him before joining the rush of parents and kids toward the exit doors. But Tony seemed in no such hurry, leaning against the table where we'd been sitting.

"Did you walk over?" he asked.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure what the parking situation would be."

"Same." He strolled toward the doors at a leisurely pace that suggested I was supposed to follow. Walking home together was hardly a dinner date, but it still felt like a slippery slope to more kissing. Which I desperately wanted and couldn't have.

"Guess this school building brings back a lot of memories," I said to distract myself from more sexy thoughts as we passed by a bank of lockers.

"I suppose so." Stopping, he rubbed his stubbly chin. "Certain classrooms. The football field, obviously. Bleachers."

I snorted at that. "Let me guess? Your first time was with a cheerleader under the bleachers?"

"She was a flutist, not a cheerleader, but yeah, I got up to some trouble around here for sure." Tony winked, and heat gathered low in my belly. I could bet he'd been a heartbreaker in school. Bad-boy quarterback type with a heart of gold, what with taking care of his sisters and all. I wished like hell I'd been the one under the bleachers with him. "With no privacy at home, I knew all the sneaky spots around the school."

"Show me." The husky demand flew out before I could stop myself.

"Bad idea." Tony's voice was equally raspy. We were alone in the hallway, a reckless energy gathering between us. Our hookup on the Fourth of July would have been hot regardless, but that moment when we'd almost been discovered had added a spark of danger, the element of discovery an unexpected turn-on.

"I'm not asking for a demo. Just a tour," I lied. We both knew I wanted more than a walk around the school, but pretending otherwise made this slow slide toward doom easier. "Nothing exciting ever happened to me in high school. Let me live vicariously."

"Okay." Tony's tone matched his solemn eyes as if he were agreeing to more than a tour. Continuing down the hallway, he came to a stop by a darkened door. "This is the chemistry lab. Underrated hideout spot."

"All those Bunsen burners," I teased. What was truly dangerous, though, was our mutual chemistry.

"Gotta love the sciences. And poor Mrs. Kerns, who undoubtedly knew the real appeal of the lab." Tony laughed. "What was your favorite class? Or was everything about school terrible?"

"Nah, it wasn't all unbearable. I dug geometry and trigonometry. I was good at math, and the teacher was cool. She was the Pride club adviser. First adult I told, other than my mom."

"Huh." Tony made a thoughtful noise. "I told my sister the other night. First time I said the word bi aloud."

"For real?" I nearly choked. "You told her about us hooking up?"

"Not that." Tony waved a hand like our hookup was a minor detail. "But it felt…good to tell someone I'm not straight. Right. Like loosening a pair of cuffs I wasn't aware of wearing."

"I can see that." I met his too-serious gaze, holding it the way I wished I could hold him. I hoped Angel had hugged him and reacted the way Tony deserved. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." The tips of Tony's ears went pink. "It wasn't that big of a deal. Angel was super cool?—"

"Hey." I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, turning him more toward me when he would have looked away. "It was a big deal to you. That matters."

"Yeah." Tony inhaled sharply, but I wasn't sure whether it was from the contact or the truth of my words. He gave me a searching look before finally walking away, continuing his tour to lead me to a narrow passageway behind the gym, near the path toward the athletic fields. The spot was almost entirely hidden, some sort of service hallway. "Everyone always thinks the bleachers are the best spot, but this is where I got my first kiss."

He could have simply pointed at the passageway, but he turned down it, stepping toward the brick wall at the end. No one could see us now. My pulse surged like a marathon runner and sweat gathered at the small of my back as I followed him.

"Bet it was a hell of a kiss," I murmured.

"Nah." Cheeks still dusky, he shook his head. "Rather underwhelming."

"You could get a do-over. Right now."

"I could," he agreed slowly as if tasting each word for ripeness.

"You should," I coaxed, even though neither of us should do any such thing, especially not right here. But then Tony pulled me close and stole the last of my logic. "You really should."