in the middle of the H-E-B grocery store parking lot on Saturday morning, her team spread around her. The girls had really jelled during the second week of preseason practice—a good thing, since school started on Monday and their first game was on Wednesday. But first, they had to deal with the all-important business of raising money for fall sports, starting with today’s car wash.
“There’s one rule. No dumping water on the coach. If you think I’ve already made cuts, think again.”
Laughter threaded through the team.
“Come on, Coach! Mom said she’d get doused if we earn enough.” Valerie Nettles’s silver-braces smile widened when the rest of the team cheered in agreement with her.
Olivia turned to her assistant coach. Trish Nettles hadn’t been able to take the two preseason practice weeks off from her job, so she planned to start working with the team once they began after-school practice. Bless the woman for being willing to work the Saturday morning fund-raiser, too.
At first Olivia had been concerned about having a parent as assistant coach, but Trish had assured her she’d be there to help—not control. Including her daughter’s playing time. That had given Olivia peace. Truthfully, she was thankful for the help. Trish had a relationship with the girls from years past and twenty-five years’ playing experience. From the conversations they’d already had about the team—and life—Olivia thought they’d get along well.
“It’s true.” Trish shrugged, her eyes dancing with mischief. “It’s tradition. But they do need to earn a lot of money.”
Olivia’s lips curved up. “How much money?”
“A thousand?” At Trish’s answer, the team screeched and complained, causing Trish and Olivia to share an amused look.
“A thousand it is.”
Dispersing in grumbles, the girls started filling buckets with water and soap. With the sun already baking them, Olivia made sure everyone had sunscreen on, then stationed herself with a hose for rinsing. She welcomed the mist that drifted across her sizzling skin as she sprayed each car down.
Soon a line of cars snaked around the back of the parking lot. The town of Fredericksburg made supporting high school sports an art form.
Janie and Tucker rolled through, then parked after their wash and walked over. Olivia handed her job off to one of the girls and headed over to meet them near the water bottles.
“Hey, little man.” Olivia’s heart hiccuped when Tucker barreled into her legs. A hug or a tackle, she wasn’t sure. Either way, she’d take it. She scooped Tucker up and pushed aside all of the remorse that rushed in with his sweet baby smell.
“Girl, it is hot out here. Are you dying?”
“A little.” Olivia took a long swig of her water and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. She must look a mess. “Where’s Jack?”
Janie motioned to the line. “Right behind me. He drove his own car so he could get it washed too. Oh, there’s Cash in his truck.”
Olivia shaded her eyes, waving at Cash along with Janie. She imagined her friend’s pulse didn’t race as if she’d just run lines in the gym.
And you’re planning to spend time with that man? Not your best move, Liv.
She hadn’t seen Cash since last Sunday at church, when she’d let her initial attraction grow into a moment of jealousy. Thankfully she’d had a week to collect herself since then. Olivia had come to the realization that she couldn’t avoid the man. She not only coached his sister but she also planned to tutor the girl. And Cash was friends with Jack and Janie. So Olivia had decided that she could hang out with Cash in those various settings, but she wouldn’t let her heart get involved. That barely beating organ had been trampled, so keeping it tucked away until it healed only made sense.
Olivia would think of Cash as Rachel’s older brother or Jack and Janie’s friend and nothing more. How hard could that be?
When Jack parked and joined them, Tucker squealed. Olivia deposited him on the ground, and he toddled over to his dad. Jack snapped him up, making him giggle.
“I’ve noticed almost the whole football team seems to be in line.” Olivia nudged Jack. “School spirit?”
He snorted. “More like girl spirit.”
At the sound of screams, Olivia glanced over. One of the football players had jumped out of the passenger seat of a car and stolen a bucket of water. Girls and suds went everywhere as he doused the nearest members of her team. Two more football players emerged from their cars and Olivia groaned.
“Jack.” Janie took Tucker and pushed her husband toward the chaos. “Stop them.”
Before Jack could take a step, more car doors than Olivia could count opened and shut. One football player climbed out of a sunroof while the rest looked like ants swarming a lemonade spill.
Olivia ran for the hose, securing that. Jack tried yelling for them to stop, but only got himself doused with a bucketful of suds by his players. White bubbles clung to his eyebrows and nose, his look deadly.
“That’s it.” Jack growled and sprinted for the hose located across the car from Olivia. He opened fire and the boys ran for cover, trying to find protection from the water spray.
Janie screeched and Olivia looked behind her to see her friend’s cute capris and tank top dripping with water, her formerly swaying brown bob now plastered to her head. She pointed at her husband. “Jack Edward Smith. You are a dead man.”
From next to Janie’s legs, Tucker clapped his hands and chanted, “Wa-wa, wa-wa.”
Trish swooped in, claiming Tucker and allowing Janie to run for cover.
Using the hood for protection, Olivia ducked down. Nobody messed with her friends. She closed one eye and aimed the nozzle, then waited for the right moment. Jack’s grin evaporated when the cold spray reached his stomach. He caught sight of her and she ducked, but not before a line of water shot across the top of her head.
She wasn’t going down without a fight. Bracing for cold water impact, Olivia stood, aiming for Jack. But when Cash bounded around the hood of the car, she quickly switched her aim to him, hand poised on the trigger.
He stopped a foot in front of her, his grin making her stomach do crazy things. “The way I see it, Coach Grayson, you can give up now.” Cash glanced around at the chaos, shoulders lifting. “Or I can’t do anything to help you.”
“You boys really are oversized teenagers, aren’t you?”
Eyes narrowing under the brim of his white University of Texas baseball hat, Cash lunged for the sprayer at the same time she squeezed. Water bounced off his rust-orange Longhorns T-shirt, spraying everywhere. He switched tactics, wrapping boa constrictor arms around her from behind. Her grip on the sprayer weakened. Though she prided herself on being in shape, she was no match for him.
“Ready to give up yet?” The proximity of Cash’s voice sent tingles down her neck.
Olivia risked a glance over her shoulder. Laugh lines rimmed Cash’s eyes, and unlike Sunday, all of his attention was on her. She was enjoying
