11. Kingman Boys Play Better When…

KINGMAN BOYS PLAY BETTER WHEN…

EVERETT

I launched myself into the air, snatching the football out of its spiraling arc just before it sailed over my head. My feet hit the ground, and I pivoted, dodging two defenders before sprinting the final yards to the end zone.

"Yes, that's how you do it, E. King," the tight end coach, Doyle, shouted as I jogged back to the line. "Whatever you're on, keep it up."

I grinned, tossing the ball to the assistant. "Just in the zone, Coach."

He wasn't wrong to give me that shout out. I hadn't played this hot since... well, all season. I lined up for the next play, waiting my turn, and smiled to myself. I couldn't stop.

Not since that almost kiss.Her laugh, the way her eyes lit up when she smiled, how she bit her lip when she was concentrating...

Fuck.

I was in deep. Way deeper than I'd ever intended to be.

The ball snapped, and I burst forward, my body on fire as much as my mind.I caught another pass, which I got some cheers for since it should have been out of reach, and still was only half paying attention to the practice.

What the hell had I been thinking, pretending to be Pen's love interest? It was supposed to be a lesson, a way to boost her confidence. Instead, I'd gone and developed a full-blown crush on her.

"Jesus, Ev," Hayes said, slapping my helmet. "Save some for the actual game, will ya?"

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "Don't you worry, kid. I've got plenty more where that came from."

And I did. Despite the mental gymnastics I was performing today, I felt... electric. Like every nerve ending was firing at once. Was this what being in lo?—

No. Nope. Not going there.

I needed to take a big step back from Penelope. For both our sakes. These "lessons" had gone too far, and if I didn't put some distance between us soon, I was going to do something stupid. Like take her to bed and never look back.

That wasn't in her plan or mine.

"Alright, boys," Coach Doyle called out. "Hit the showers. Kingman, stick around a minute."

I jogged over to the sidelines, where the head coach was saying something to Doyle. He didn't usually get on us for day-to-day practice so I was bracing myself for... well, I wasn't sure what.

"Kingman. What the fuck is going on with you?" he asked, his tone gruff as always.

I blinked, taken aback. "Uh, what do you mean, Coach?"

He chuckled. "Because you're playing like a man possessed out there. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the energy. But I've been coaching long enough to know when something's up with my players. Everybody knows you Kingman boys play better when you're in love. You got a new lady or fella in your life or something?"

The question hit me like a blindside tackle. "What? No, I'm just?—"

"Hmm." He eyeballed me. "Whatever it is, keep it up."

"Yes, sir." I gave Coach a little salute, not trusting myself to say anything more. As Coach Shananagan walked away, I stood there, frozen.

Everybody knows you Kingman boys play better when you're in love.

I thought the adage was about getting laid. God knows I hadn't gotten any since... Aspen. Where I'd first met Pen. And Kelsey, of course.

This thing with Penelope wasn't love. It couldn't be. I was just... infatuated. Yeah, that was it. And I needed to shut it down before it got out of hand.

I headed to the locker room, and overheard Dion, one of our rookies, talking to Hayes.

"I don't know, man. I'm gonna go, but this speed dating thing seems crazy. How am I supposed to make a good impression in just five minutes?"

Hayes glanced over at me and waved me over. "Ask our resident love guru. He's the one I've been going to for advice with Willa. He gets the ladies falling over him in about ten seconds flat."

I paused, an idea forming. Speed dating. That was it. The perfect way to help Penelope practice her flirting skills with a bunch of different guys... who weren't me. Then I could take a step back and remember my role in all this as her coach, nothing more.

I plastered on my best love-guru smile. "I got you, man. When's this speed dating event?"

All he needed was my standard be-your-most-authentic-self advice and Dion was good to go.Before I could talk myself out of it, I grabbed my phone and pulled up the website.

I clicked on the registration form and hesitated. This was the right thing to do, right? Yeah, it was. If she really didn't want to go, I'd of course let her out of it. But I needed her to go. Needed.What if she met someone? What if she clicked with one of these random guys more than she had with me?

And... that was the whole point, dumbass.

I quickly finished the registration, which sure asked a lot of questions, like what she did, who her latest employer was, a headshot, and a reference. I guess they were being careful. Unlike me who was ignoring the knot that formed in my stomach. I was just hungry after practice.

I pulled up my messages and typed one out to Pen.

Got your next lesson lined up. Friday night, 7 PM. Wear something that makes you feel confident. I'll pick you up.

I hit send before I could overthink it. Almost immediately, those three little dots appeared, indicating she was typing a response. My heart did a somersault.

Mysterious... can't wait. Should I be nervous?

I smiled despite myself. Even through text, she was cute as shit.

Nah, you'll do great. You're just about ready to graduate from the Everett Kingman School of Love

The sooner the better. For us both.

That is a lie straight from the pits of hell, professor. I've failed every class. I'm sure I'll be enrolling for remedial classes next semester.

Oh, she'd passed body language without even trying. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard. I wanted to tell her how charming she was, how any guy would be lucky to spend time with her. But I was more chicken than Kylo Hen.

Trust me, you've got more charm than you know. Friday will prove it.

If you say so, oh wise love guru. See you Friday.

I tossed my phone into my locker and leaned back with a groan that got me more than a couple of looks from the guys around me. I put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a couple of rotations so it looked like I was just sore from practice.

This was for the best, I reminded myself. Penelope had confidence, it was just hiding for some reason. To see that she could attract plenty of guys would give her the boost she needed. Guys who weren't her boss's future brother-in-law. Guys who could actually pursue something real with her.

The thought made me want to call the whole damn thing off.I just hoped I was doing the right thing by stepping back. Because the more I tried to distance myself, the more I realized how much I wanted to be close to her.

As I pulled into my driveway after practice, I spotted Billy sitting on my front porch steps, his legs swinging back and forth. My heart rate spiked for a moment, worried that his damn snake had escaped again and was after me. Life as a celebrity meant I might someday have a stalker, but I never figured it be the snake next door.

But Billy was not scouring my porch in any kind of search pattern. He was idly tossing a football up and down in the air.

"Sup, Billy," I called out, approaching cautiously. "Everything okay? Your snake is not on the loose again, is she?"

Billy's face lit up. "Oh, no, Mr. Kingman, sir. Snakey's at snake practice for her big music video debut. Isn't that cool?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Snake practice, huh? That's... something."

"Yeah, Miss Penelope arranged it all. She's pretty awesome." Billy's eyes were wide with admiration. "Hey, Mr. Kingman, I was wondering... could you maybe throw the football around with me? I asked my dad, but he said to go outside and play. He never wants to hang out and practice or nothing."

Something in the kid's tone tugged at my heartstrings. I thought about all the times my own dad, despite a crazy busy schedule coaching, raising eight kids on his own, and trying to keep our family thriving, had dropped everything to play with me and my brothers.

"Sure, kid. Let's hit the backyard."

I tossed the ball, sending Billy on all kinds of routes to catch it, until he was breathing hard and more than a little hot and sweaty, even in the cool almost-winter air. "Let's take a water break, huh?"

He was about ready to keel over. "I can keep going."

"I'm sure you can, kiddo, but I'm thirsty, and it's important to stay hydrated." I waved him over to the deck and grabbed a couple of bottles of water for us out of the outdoor fridge. I took some long gulps and watched Billy emulate me out of the corner of my eye.

Billy's face split into a wide grin when he finished his bottle before me and crushed the plastic in his little fists. "You know, Mr. Kingman, Miss Penelope said she's going to help me give Snakey a better name. She said we could make it like a contest or something."

"Did she now?" The smile that spread across my face couldn't be helped. That was so typically Penelope, always thinking of ways to fix everything so everyone else was happy and good to go.

"Yeah. She's really cool, and nice, and pretty," Billy continued, his cheeks reddening slightly. "If I was older, I'd probably marry her. She's not afraid of nothing, not even Snakey."

I felt a weird twinge in my chest. Was I actually jealous of a kid's crush? Yes, yes, I was. I nodded and looked up at the clear blue Colorado sky.

"She is pretty and smart too," I agreed, trying to keep my tone neutral. "And it's awesome that she's helping you with Snakey. Having support like that is important."

Billy's smile faltered a bit. "Yeah, I wish my mom was more like that. She doesn't really get the whole snake thing. My dad either."

I spun the football around in my hand a few times, thinking. What would my dad say in a moment like this? "Have you tried talking to them about it?"

Billy shrugged, looking down at his feet. "Not really. They're always busy. Dad says we gotta keep up with the Joneses. I don't know them though. But I kind of think they suck. But don't tell him I said that. I'm not supposed to say suck."

My heart went out to the kid. I couldn't imagine growing up without the constant support of my family. "Tell you what, how about we make this a regular thing? You can come over once a week after school, and we'll toss the ball around."

Billy's head snapped up, his eyes shining. "You mean it?"

I couldn't believe I was going to say this but, "And if you want to talk about snakes or anything else, I'm all ears."

"Really?" He gave me the side-eye for a minute. "You don't gotta keep up with the Joneses or anything?"

I nodded, tossing him the ball. "Nah, the Joneses are trying to keep up with me. Now show me your spiral and I'll run this time. We'll make an all-star out of you yet, kid."

We continued to play until the sun was about to set, and I figured Billy probably needed to get home for dinner or something. He was a good kid, and I'm sure his parents were doing their best. Maybe I'd give them tickets to the Christmas game next week and see if that loosened his dad up a bit.

After he was gone, I sat for a while in my backyard, sipping on a beer and listening to a little Kelsey Best playlist, and I thought about how sweet of an impression Pen had made on Billy. She was always going above and beyond the people in her life. It was just another reason why I was falling for her.

Fuck. No. I was not falling for Penelope.

I. Was. Not. Falling. For. Pen.

Another reason I needed to step back and let her find someone who could fall in love with her. She deserved that.Even if that someone was a pint-sized snake enthusiast who was about twenty years too young for her.