The kids were broken up into smaller groups and moved around a series of drills and skills testers. I tried to make myself useful by keeping the youngest group of kids under control, but as far as helping with the coaching, I was way out of my league.
“Excuse me?”
I knelt down to the eye-line of the little girl at my side. “Hi Sweetie, what’s up?”
“I need to use the bathroom.” As if to emphasise the point, she crossed her legs and bobbed up and down a few times.
“Well, we best get you to a bathroom then. Come with me and we’ll get you sorted out.” I put out my hand to her and she latched on. She couldn’t have been more than five years old with bouncy red curls and vibrant freckles spattered across her cheeks that she would more than likely despise throughout her teens.
“What’s your name?”
“Sadie,” she said, although with her slight lisp it came out more like
Thadie
.
“I’m Emma, it’s nice to meet you Sadie.”
Holding open the bathroom door for us, I led her through to the cubicle. “Now you’re okay to go on your own?” She nodded at me with a big smile. “Yep, mommy says I am a big girl now. I can do it all by
mythelf
.”
I returned her big grin. “Good girl, I’ll wait right here.”
She came out just as I was starting to get worried she’d fallen in but by the way her bottom lip quivered I wasn’t quite sure we’d had success.
“Is everything all right?”
The mass of red curls shook violently in protest but no words came out. “Okaaay…what’s the matter?” The quivering bottom lip picked up pace. “It’s okay sweetie, you can tell me, I won’t be mad.”
Tears overflowed as stuttered words tried to escape her. “I…I…I couldn’t re…reach the b…b…button, its no…no…not flushed!”
Oh thank God that’s all it was. I gave her a smile. “That’s all right, you want me to do it for you?”
She nodded but the wave of tears was no closer to drying up. Quickly ducking behind her to flush the offending toilet, I picked her up so she could wash her hands. “There’s no need for tears. We should get you back onto the field so you can keep playing! Don’t you want to go back out with your friends?”
The tears paused as she considered before nodding. “I wanna learn how to throw.”
“Well I’m sure we can sort that out. Come on, let’s get you back out there.”
My little group had moved along a few stations and was now just where Sadie wanted to be, learning how to throw. And being led by none other than the star quarterback himself.
Mouths gaped open as young, eager minds absorbed pearls of wisdom from Will. It was the first time they’d been silent in the past ninety minutes.
“Now, when you throw the ball, you want to imagine it creating an arch right through the air to your target.” As he said this, his eyes followed his arm through the air, landing on me. His face broke into a wide grin, which I found myself returning without even realizing I was doing it. His arm dropped to his side and he chuckled before turning back to the kids.
“You see, hitting your target is the only thing that matters. Accuracy is key. Watch.”
Will turned back to me and, with a raise of his eyebrows, he held the ball up, signalling it was coming my way. I barely had time to yank my hand from Sadie’s before it was sailing through the air in my direction. Without having to move, the ball landed perfectly against my chest, my arms wrapping around it on instinct. I blinked twice in shock before looking back at Will who was once again grinning widely at me.
“Nice catch.” He raised his arm above his head. “Now send it back.”
Ah, no. I had no clue how to throw the ball and there was no way I was embarrassing myself in front of a bunch of five-year-olds. And maybe Will was a concern too. I smiled sweetly and shook my head. “Sorry, I haven’t passed this course either. You want it, you’ll have to come get it.”
Will made his way over to me. “Who here thinks I should teach Emma too?”
A chorus of
me’s
and
I do’s
rang out from them while I stood there feeling like an idiot. When Will reached me I held the ball out to him but instead of taking it, he leaned in close enough that his scent mixed with a faint hint of sweat washed over me and I had to fight the urge to breathe deeper. There was something so distinctly male about it, like his smell alone had a direct line to my hormones. I tried my best to breathe normally as his lips hovered next to my ear.
“Always such a pleasure seeing you.” Quick as a flash he pulled back, plucking the ball from my hands with a wink before turning back to the kids.
I shook my head, feeling dizzy with…what? Lust, butterflies? I wasn’t sure. I only knew it was scary how easily he could throw me off course. There was a loud sigh from below and I looked down to see Sadie watching him too. It appeared no one, not even a five-year-old who couldn’t reach the washroom taps was safe from Will’s charms. Sad as it was, I found it comforting to know I wasn’t alone.
“Sadie, you want to join the line and have a go?” I prodded her gently towards the group who was now lining up, but she latched onto my leg.
“What’s the matter, I thought you were looking forward to this.” She shook her head and looked up at me. “I don’t wanna go on my own, I want you to come with me.”
I knelt down beside her. “You’ll be okay. I’ll watch from right here, I promise.”
I could see Will coming over out of the corner of my eye. “What’s going on here?” He kneeled, putting himself at eye-level with Sadie and tugging at one of her ringlets.
“Sadie wants to learn how to throw the ball. Don’t you?” I looked back at her but she only latched her arms around my neck.
“Only if you learn. I don’t want to do it on my own.”
Oh Jesus.
“Come on, I’ll be right here watching. I can’t join in, I’m a grown-up. Don’t you want Will to show you what to do? I bet mummy and daddy would want you to learn how to throw from a pro.”
Her eyes darted shyly to Will and she nodded. “My daddy loves you. But my mommy loves you more. Mommy said you were on her list, but I don’t know what that means.”
Will and I both gaped at her, eyes wide as saucers. I could barely contain the laughter trying to burst from me.
Shaking his head, Will said, “Tell you what, if you throw the ball a few times now, I promise to show Em how to do it at the end.”
I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off again. “It’s only fair. If Sadie has a turn, then you do too.”
Sadie looked from me to Will and back to me again. “Do you promise?”
I rolled my eyes over the top of her head. “Of course I do. As soon as you’re back on the bus, I’ll learn to throw.”
She cocked her head, considering the proposition. “Okay, you can show me, Jensen.”
He took her hand and led her farther onto the field, her red curls bouncing as she went. Even though I hated to admit it, the only thing more adorable than Sadie and her little lisp was Sadie, her lisp and Will. He happily stayed with her as she repeatedly lurched the ball a few feet away, her clumsy little frame investing every ounce of energy she possessed in the task.
The final siren rang signalling the end of the clinic, and James’ loud voice boomed over the megaphone, ordering kids back to the buses. Sadie ran over to me, her eyes lit up with excitement.
“Did you see me, Emma?”
“I sure did. You were great!” Will strolled over, his hands on his hips, and my eyes were drawn to the sight of his bare skin where his Jersey had bunched up.
“It’s your turn now. Jensen’s a great teacher!”
So little Sadie hadn’t forgotten about our deal.
Will smiled down at her. “Don’t worry, I won’t let Emma leave until she’s perfected her arm.”
Sadie beamed. “I gotta go, but I’ll tell my mom you said hi, Jensen!” She ran off towards the rest of the kids, waving over her shoulder.
“Seriously?”
“What?”
“You told her to tell her mum you said hi?”
Will threw his arms up in innocence. “Just giving the people what they want.”
I tried to scowl but couldn’t hide my smile. “You’re ridiculous, Quarterback.”
He threw the ball, which hit me square on my stomach before hitting the ground. “You all right?”
“Geeze Em, don’t tell me your catch before was a fluke.”
“Yep.”
He looked down at the ball and back at me. “It’s not going to pick itself up, you know.”
“Well maybe you should pick it up. You threw it, after all.” He snapped it up and took a step closer to me, pushing the ball into my stomach. “Yes. I did. And now it’s your turn.”
Not touching it, I shook my head. “No thanks, I’m good. I don’t think we need to keep up that charade anymore.”
“You mean to tell me you’re gonna break your promise to that little girl?”
“I like to think of it more as a white lie than a promise.”
He leaned in closer and shook his head. “Emma, you are not the woman I thought you were.”
“And what kind of woman was that?”
“My kind.”
I stepped back, unable to cope with his nearness but before I could get anywhere, his hand wrapped around my arm, placing the ball firmly in mine. “Three tries, that’s all I’m asking.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, but only three. I can already tell I’ll regret this.”
Will’s eyes lit up in delight. “Great. First things first…you need to get your grip right.” Taking my hand, he placed it over the ball, making sure my fingertips were sitting over the laces. He continued to rattle off instructions, but I found myself only half listening, content to watch his big hands sitting on top of mine.
“You ready to give it a try?” I looked up into his eyes, seeing that he was genuinely serious about wanting to teach me. It wasn’t a joke to him. The poor guy…I was going to be such a disappointment.
“Yep, let’s do this.” Feeling like an idiot, I stepped forward and threw the ball, watching it land a few pitiful meters away. Suitably humiliating, as expected. “Well, I think that just about does it for today. Same time next week?”
“Not so fast little lady, I’ve still got two more tries with you.” He swooped the ball up and came back to my side. Placing it back in my hand, he covered it with his own and drew my arm back behind me. “You need to work on your delivery. You should feel it right through your body, the power starting in your legs and moving through your core to give your arm momentum.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and planted a firm hand right across my stomach. He was so close that I could feel his breath on my neck.
“Take a step forward on your left foot.” I did and he followed, his body mimicking mine as he followed the path past my ear and extended my arm forward with his. I was literally enclosed by Will. My own personal Will Jensen-branded blanket. I should mass produce them—I bet they’d sell like hotcakes.
I could feel every hard edge of his honed-to-perfection body against mine and the heat that pulsed between his front and my back sent goose bumps shooting across my skin. My body said stay, my head shouted run and my heart was lost somewhere between the two. I was going to have to put a halt to these occurrences if I wanted to avoid an early-onset stroke.
His voice was low and soft when he spoke. “Do you see what I mean?”
“Yeah, I see.” I could feel his eyes on me, his face only inches from mine. I willed myself not to look, afraid of what I would find.
I looked.
We locked eyes and I felt his arm around my waist tighten ever so slightly. His eyes moved down to my lips, his own parting slightly as his breath shallowed and I was sure this was it, my defences no longer able to say no to this perfect man. I was petrified of his kiss, yet desperate for it at the same time. He looked back into my eyes and must have seen both the fear and longing there. Drawing in a sharp breath, he gently pulled away, giving me a small smile.
“Okay, give it another try.” His arm around my waist came away and the next thing I knew, his hand landed on my backside with a firm slap.
“Whoa! Did you really just go there?”
“Just giving you the full on-field treatment, Bambi.”
And then he winked.
This was better. His casual, fun flirting I could handle—far less overwhelming than the intensity of before.
“Well just don’t go enjoying yourself too much.”
He shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
“Here goes nothing.” I reset like he showed me and gave it another go. Surprisingly, the ball actually went through the air in a straight line, landing a good distance from us. Or at least a good distance by my standards.
“Much better…there’s hope for you yet.” I beamed at him, surprised by how much I liked his praise.
“Nice one, Em!” I turned to see James jogging over to us.
“Thanks, I have a good coach.”
“Hey, I can’t find Dana but can you let her know I’m heading out? All the kids have gone now.”
I nodded, giving him a wave as he turned to go.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He turned back, a strange smile on his face as he said, “Enjoy your date tonight.”
Little shit.
He ran off and I watched him go, not wanting to turn and face Will. It was stupid. I had every right to go on a date. I didn’t know why Will knowing made me uncomfortable. Maybe I was worried he would care, or worse, that he wouldn’t.
Deciding avoidance was the preferable option, I ran over to pick up the ball like the coward I was. Jogging back with what I hoped was a casual expression on my face, I finally looked up at him. He was staring at me with curiosity. It wasn’t anger exactly, but creases marred his forehead.
“Any tips for my last shot?”
He shook his head and gestured with his hand for me to throw. “You’re good to go.”
I chose to ignore his change in mood and threw the ball one more time, with similar results to my previous attempt. Turning back to Will, I shrugged. “At least I’m consistent.”