“Fine. Have it your way.”
I heard him open the door to the gym and then slam it closed behind him.
The asshole wasn’t going to turn the lights back on, which meant I had to feel around in the dark for my gear. I vaguely remembered where I’d left my gym bag, but my shoes and shorts weren’t with it. I groaned and felt around, eventually giving up.
I was barefoot when I pushed the gym door open.
Erik was leaning against the wall, waiting for me.
“Feel good to ignore your coach?”
I smirked. “Great, actually.”
“You could do that full in your sleep. The last thing you need to do is push yourself too hard and get injured this close to the games.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to the parking lot. His beat-up truck sat alone.
“How were you planning to get home?” he asked.
I dug around in my gym bag for my cell phone. “Molly.”
He grunted and pushed off the wall. “Let’s go. I’ll drive you.”
The ride was tense to say the least. He didn’t turn on the radio and he wasn’t offering up conversation, so I stared out the window and watched the pine trees whip past us. My phone vibrated in my hands and I glanced down to see it was my mom calling.
“Take it,” Erik said.
I didn’t ask why he was being nosy. I swiped my finger across the screen and smiled when my mom’s voice filled my ears.
“Brie!”
I tilted my head so Erik would have a harder time hearing our conversation. “Hi Mom.”
“You sound tired.”
My head fell back against the headrest. “I am.”
“Did your coach keep you at practice until just now? I’ve been trying to reach you for the last few hours.”
“No. No. I was working on beam and lost track of time.”
She laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
We turned from the main highway onto a gravel road. By my estimate, we still had another ten or fifteen minutes until we arrived back at the house—too long to sit in silence with Erik—so I asked my mom about her day.
“Oh, it was good, babe. Lots of work. You know how social services can be. Most of the time it feels like an uphill battle.”
“Have you put any thought into where you want to celebrate when I get home?” I asked, trying to get her mind off work.
“Brie—”
“Mom.”
“Let’s not talk about this right now. What else is going on? You’re enjoying Seattle, right? Coach Winter isn’t pushing you too hard?”
In the gym or in real life?
“He’s fine.”
“Just fine?”
I was aware of him listening a few feet away from me. He was most definitely taking in every word I said, and I decided there was no point in letting the opportunity go to waste.
“I mean, I’m used to mean coaches, but he definitely takes the cake.”
Erik grunted in the driver’s seat.
My mom sighed. “I’m sorry, honey. Just a few more weeks and then you’ll be done and you can take a much deserved break. No more mean coaches.”
I inhaled her words. I couldn’t wait to take a break; I couldn’t remember the last time I wasn’t working out in the gym every day.
“He’s pretty cute though,” she continued with a laugh. “I know I shouldn’t say so since I’m your mom.”
I laughed and leaned closer to the window. “No comment.”
The truck jerked into park and I jerked forward. I hadn’t realized we were so close to home.
“We’re here,” Erik said with a hard tone.
I glanced over to see him staring out through the windshield, sharp jaw set tight, eyes narrowed. He was annoyed. What else is new?
“Mom, I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”
I hung up and pushed my phone back into my gym bag. My hand reached for the door handle, but then I paused and turned back. He was still staring out through the windshield, ignoring me.
“Listen, about this morning. I didn’t mean to barge in and—”
He shook his head before I could continue, leaned over, and pushed open my passenger door. I ignored the feel of his strong forearm as it grazed my bare thigh.
“Get out, Brie,” he ordered. “I’m late for a date.”
All day he’d treated me like shit, and now he was pushing me out of his truck so he could go on a date? I hated the idea of him out on a date. He was supposed to be focused on us and our training.
I shook my head and shoved off my seat. “Thanks for the ride, Coach. Maybe tomorrow after you bang some random chick you’ll actually be able to look me in the eye at practice.”
I slammed the truck door closed hard enough I knew it would piss him off, spun on my heel, and walked toward the guesthouse, resisting the urge to flip him off over my shoulder. I’d never once talked to a coach the way I’d just talked to Erik. As a rule, I respected authority, did what I was told, and kept my head down. I wouldn’t lie though—walking away after delivering the last word felt pretty damn good. Maybe I liked this new version of Brie better than the old one. She had chutzpah.
When I pushed through the guesthouse door, I found my team sitting around the kitchen table, eating dinner. I dropped my gym bag near the door and glanced over their meals: broccoli, chicken, sweet potatoes. It looked pretty bland, but I was too hungry to care.
“Finally! I was about to put a search party out for you,” Molly said, spinning around to take me in. Her eyes widened at my flushed face.