Win Me Over Read online

  When it was officially over the students began to disperse, some walking to the parking lot, some breaking into groups to socialize, a few even running around in the dark parts of the field, laughing and goofing off. It was a little crazy, but Callie picked her way through the bodies around to the other side of the fire. Immediately she found Bennett; no way he could be missed. He was speaking with a couple of his players, something that had them all laughing hard. God, he was gorgeous when he was happy like that. She smiled to herself just watching it.

  As if overhearing her thoughts, he turned and met her eyes, the laughing gone. For a moment she wondered if he planned to ignore her. Thank goodness he didn’t but instead headed directly for her. She cleared her throat and met him halfway.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “That went well.”

  He shrugged, the hood of his sweatshirt bunching behind his neck. “Went like it does every year.”

  O-kay. So he wasn’t in the best of moods—only when it came to her apparently, since she’d just seen him cracking up with his players. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. Why?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just seems like … something’s been off between us this past week.”

  He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

  Callie sighed and glanced around to see if anyone was nearby before she whispered, “Bennett, I said we shouldn’t kiss again. Not that we can’t be friends.”

  “Who said we’re not friends? We’ve spent several evenings together practicing. There’s been no issues.” This time he glanced around and lowered his voice. “I’ve done what you said, worked hard to learn even though it fucking sucks. What more do you want from me?”

  She was stunned silent; it was not like him at all to react that way, and when he realized she wasn’t going to reply immediately he took a step toward the flames and away from her. The strong emotion he’d just let slip only served to make Callie want to touch him all the more. So maybe his playing it cool all week hadn’t been so easy.

  A parent walked up to Bennett and he chatted with them briefly about the upcoming game. His voice took on a warm and friendly tone, completely different from the one that he’d been using with her for the past week. She missed that warmth.

  Callie glanced around, noting that the field was nearly empty save a few clusters of teens, and despite the roaring fire in front of her, she felt cold. She wondered if he would just rather call this whole thing off. Nobody was forcing them to do this competition. No one’s life was on the line, but her sanity sure was. Maybe she should tell him that it wasn’t working.

  She stepped a little closer to the fire and a moment later felt him beside her. She glanced in his direction; he had his tool back in his hand and was pushing at the burning wood. “You staying to help me kill this fire or what?”

  Was he asking her to stay? It almost felt like an odd apology for his outburst a minute ago. Part of her wanted to think that maybe he wanted her near, and that made her wish for more. Of all the things she’d considered saying in response, the one that came out of her mouth surprised even her. “I dreamed of kissing you last night.”

  He didn’t turn and look at her; instead his eyes pinched shut and he sucked in a breath. When he blew it out he whispered harshly, staring right into the flames, “Don’t. Don’t do that.”

  “Why—”

  The sound of angry male voices cut her off and pulled their attention toward the opposite side of the fire. Through the dwindling flames she saw a group of kids circled near one of the pickups. She felt Bennett tense beside her.

  “Those are my boys,” he said, taking off in a run.

  Callie followed, confusion mixing with panic. The minute she and Bennett made their way over to the group she heard the unmistakable sound of fist meeting bone, followed by a loud thud against the truck.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Bennett’s tone was fierce, with an undertone of pure fear. It frightened her and made her heart ache simultaneously.

  Students parted for him as he made his way to the center of the melee and Callie pushed in right behind him. Even in the dark and shadows she knew someone was on the ground. She said a quick prayer he wasn’t severely injured, but her thoughts scattered when someone began to mumble.

  “Shit, oh shit, oh shit, Coach Clark. I don’t—Jason—it was an accident,” one of the boys began chanting, his voice pure panic, his breathing labored.

  “Tate, shut up and tell me what happened,” Bennett spat, as he crouched on the ground near, apparently, Jason’s unmoving form. He was a big kid, much bigger than the one freaking out above him. Callie wondered how Tate had managed to knock Jason down.

  “It was an accident,” Tate repeated, running his hands through his hair, squeezing his head, as he stared down at Jason.

  Callie turned on her phone’s flashlight and angled it over Bennett’s shoulder. Jason winced and groaned as the light hit his eyes. Right at the hairline was a large bump and a gash in his head, gaping slightly. Bennett reached up and grabbed Callie’s phone from her hands without a word. The dozen or so people crowded around leaned in even closer, trying to get a look.

  “Everybody back off!” Bennett yelled, then his voice softened. “Jason, can you hear me?”

  The boy nodded, just barely, and tried to open his eyes all the way as Bennett ran the light down Jason’s body, obviously checking for further injury. Bennett brought the light back near Jason’s face, highlighting his bloody forehead, and then used his fingers to hold the boy’s eye open while he shone the light directly into it. Callie could only guess Jason had gone down and hit the metal bumper of the old truck on his journey toward the ground. She and Bennett had heard the crack. “There you go, bud. You’re okay. How many fingers am I holding up, Jason?”

  “Four. And it was an accident.” Jason’s voice was low and his face pinched in pain.

  “No, it wasn’t,” a feminine voice called out. Callie jerked her head in shock. Jessica. Was this the kid she’d been flirting with an hour ago? The young girl continued, tears in her voice. “Tate sucker punched him.”

  That managed to give Jason some strength. “Shut the hell up, Jess,” Jason growled, and then let his eyes close as if the effort had overtaxed him.

  “All right, enough. First off, you don’t speak to a lady like that.” Bennett’s voice was stern but low. “And you better start talking, because the only person that deserves to be mad as hell is me.” Bennett looked up at the kid who was clearly to blame. “I’m talking to you, too, Tate. Don’t you dare go anywhere.”

  Another student had pulled his own truck around and turned the lights on the crowd, casting the entire scene in harsh light and shadows. Callie glanced up at Tate. His breath came in shallow puffs, the blue numbers on his shoulder shivered like a man in shock. Letter jacket. That was the guy who’d had his arms around Jessica. Jessica, who was now crouched near Jason, sniffling and holding his hand. What a mess. Callie could only imagine what the hell had caused this fight, but she had a pretty good idea.

  “I’m sorry, Coach,” Tate said quietly.

  Callie glanced back down at Jason, whose eyes fluttered open once more and tried to settle on Tate. “What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” Jason muttered, almost seeming to have forgotten that just a second ago he’d said it was an accident, defended his friend. Had he forgotten? Okay, now that wasn’t a good sign.

  “Don’t try to move, Jason.” Callie took a step around Bennett and dropped to her knees at the top of Jason’s form before gently rubbing his hair from his forehead. She didn’t look at Bennett. “Just relax.”

  “Jason, can you hear me?” Jessica knelt beside Callie, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

  “Just go, Jess,” Jason muttered, his eyes still squeezed tight, trying to hold back what had to be a terrific pain in his head. “Please go.”

 
Bennett cleared his throat and Callie met his eyes. He gave her a look and she immediately guessed what he wanted. Callie stood up. “Jessica, come with me, sweetie.”

  Callie helped the young girl to her feet just as sirens sounded in the distance, growing closer by the second. Callie ignored the sound of Bennett cursing under his breath at the sound and led Jessica from the crowd of gawkers and over toward the fire.

  By the time they sat down on a bale of hay Jessica was sobbing. Callie blew out a breath and put her arm around the girl. “Okay, okay. No one died. Tell me what’s going on.”

  Jessica cried for another minute before she tried to pull herself together. Callie remembered all too well how heavy everything seemed when you were a teenager. Like the weight of the world was on your shoulders, the feeling that this moment could change everything. Being a teenager was way too hard sometimes.

  “Is Jason your boyfriend?” Callie asked quietly. Trying to get the conversation flowing. As the coach she caught pieces of what went on in the girls’ lives, but she tried not to pry unless they opened up. She knew Jess had a boyfriend but not much more than that.

  Jessica nodded her head and then wiped her nose on her sweatshirt like a child. Callie couldn’t help but remember Jessica’s lavish and expensive Sweet Sixteen birthday party this last summer. Anne had been hired to plan and Callie had been right there to help. It had been a huge shindig, because Jessica’s family was incredibly wealthy. Seems money didn’t save you from the drama of adolescence.

  Finally Jessica calmed down enough to speak. “They’re best friends. Always have been. I should have known better.”

  Callie considered the girl’s words a moment, then decided to go all-in. “Did you cheat on Jason?”

  Jessica’s eyes widened and her head shook violently. “No. No, I didn’t.” She dropped her shoulders. “I mean…”

  “Jessica, cheating isn’t necessarily always physical. Some people might say flirting with someone—letting him touch you certain ways—that’s still a form of cheating.”

  “I didn’t mean to. I just … Tate is so funny. He makes me feel good about myself. He makes me feel…”

  “Wanted?” Callie finished for her.

  Jessica nodded, her eyes filling with tears again.

  “I understand. That’s a good feeling; everyone wants to feel wanted by someone. Doesn’t Jason make you feel that way?”

  Jessica shrugged. “Not anymore. Maybe at first. He’s so focused on football, schoolwork, making his parents happy.”

  “Maybe at your age it’s important to focus on other things besides a relationship. You’re still so young.”

  She didn’t respond to that, and Callie really hadn’t expected her to. Nobody ever felt too young. That was reserved for hindsight. “I just don’t want them to stop being friends because of me.”

  Callie hesitated before speaking; it was a rather mature thing for a teenage girl to say, so she let Jessica hear the truth. “It wasn’t right what you did, Jessica. But it’s not all your fault. Tate’s a big boy. He knew you were his best friend’s girlfriend and he chose to flirt anyway. That’s on him. But what I don’t understand is why Tate punched Jason if he was in the wrong.”

  “Jason found out we’d been talking. He called him trash.”

  Callie’s eyes widened.

  Jessica continued. “Told him my parents would never let me date white trash like him. The worst part … he’s right. I mean, I don’t think that, but they’re going to be so pissed when they find out what happened. My parents love Jason, but Tate … he doesn’t have a good family. His dad…” She didn’t continue. Her tears started up again, quietly this time.

  “Sweetie, your parents will get over this. Right now you need to focus on you, and let these two boys work things out between themselves.”

  Jessica wiped the mascara from under her eyes. “Maybe.”

  “I know I’m right. When it comes right down to it, men are a huge pain in the butt,” Callie said, trying to add some levity to the situation. “Someday a great guy will come along and sweep you off your feet, but right now, when you’re young, you should just focus on friends and having fun.”

  Jessica shrugged. “Boys are fun.”

  Callie sighed. She couldn’t argue that one. “Agreed. But things don’t always have to be serious. You’re young. Right now it can just be fun.”

  Maybe she should take her own advice.

  Eight

  Bennett’s emotions warred inside as he watched Tate walk to his car and pull out of the nearly empty parking lot. Anger, frustration … shock. Jason and Tate fighting, Bennett never would have guessed. Officer Abbott walked over and Bennett let out a heavy sigh. “You get much out of him?”

  The cop shook his head. “A little. Sounds like he has a thing for Jason’s girl. Got caught putting some moves on her tonight. Jason confronted him and Tate reacted with his fist.”

  “I can’t believe Tate managed to knock him down.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Abbott said. “Kid’s a lineman; he clearly hadn’t seen it coming.”

  Bennett nodded in agreement. Tate’s emotions flared like a flamethrower. Anybody within aim better watch out. But his best friend? And on top of that, messing with his best friend’s girl? Shit. “What the hell is wrong with these boys? Do they think they live in a bubble? That no one will find out? No one will see their actions?”

  “They’re teenage boys. They’re not thinking at all. Not with the right end anyway. We’ve all been there.”

  “Unfortunately,” Bennett said. He didn’t know much about Ryan Abbott, other than he was one of the few cops in Preston. But he seemed like a nice guy.

  His radio went off on his hip, mixing with the sweet sound of Callie’s voice coming up beside them. Only it was directed at the wrong person. “Ryan, I didn’t know you were the one on duty tonight.”

  Bennett felt sucker punched himself as he watched Callie walk up and put her arm around Abbott’s waist. The cop’s face lit up as he returned Callie’s hug. As if they’d done it a thousand times. Suddenly Bennett decided the guy might be a little unlikable. Thank goodness she pulled away just as quickly.

  “How are the boys?” Callie asked casually. Like she hadn’t just had her hands on another man. Bennett swallowed hard, trying to focus on what she’d just said. Ryan beat her to it.

  “Okay. Tate’s lucky that Mr. Starkey didn’t press charges. Sadly, I have a feeling when Tate’s father finds out about what he did the kid will wish I’d locked him up for the night.”

  Bennett winced at the thought. Tate Grayson Sr. was going to lose his fucking mind when he caught wind. And there was no chance he wouldn’t find out, because Tate would have to face the consequences of his actions tonight. Actually, both boys would. The school had a no-tolerance policy on fighting, and although it wasn’t during school hours it was at a school function on school property. Bennett’s hands were tied; the boys would be in trouble and that would dictate their ineligibility to play ball. And the truth was, Tate deserved it. What he had done was wrong.

  “Well, I think I’m gonna head over to the hospital and get Jason’s statement once he’s in better shape.” Officer Abbott frowned. “I don’t know if he’ll be back this season, Coach. His head took quite a blow on the bumper of that old truck.”

  Bennett ran his hands through his hair, completely overwhelmed, exhausted, and pissed. “Don’t think that hasn’t been going through my head since the minute I heard that punch.”

  “Well, you guys take it easy,” Ryan said with a nod. He then turned to Callie. “Cal, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She smiled. “Sounds good; night, Ryan. Thanks for coming.”

  What. The. Hell. Jealousy bubbled in Bennett’s chest at the familiarity between Callie and the cop. How did they know each other, and how well? And what the hell was going to happen tomorrow? Was that why she’d pulled away from him, because she was seeing someone else? No. That couldn’t be it, not when she
’d announced she’d been dreaming of him.

  As soon as Abbott was in his patrol car Bennett turned to walk away. “I gotta get back to that fire.”

  Callie followed him, thank goodness. He glanced around the field. They were completely alone now and he tried to wrangle in his emotions, to no avail. This night had taken a bizarre turn and he was not happy about it. At all. He wanted to rewind it to one specific point in time.

  He stopped a few feet away from the dying blaze. She stood next to him, facing the golden light. The shushing of the nearby trees and the chirp of the season’s final crickets could just barely be heard over the simmering crackle of the fire. They stood that way for several minutes before Bennett couldn’t contain his thoughts anymore.

  He turned to her, taking in her profile as she tucked her chin into her scarf. “Tell me again.”

  She angled her face to look up at him, her eyes shining. “Tell you what?”

  “You know what.”

  She shook her head and turned back to the flames. “I think that moment has passed.”

  “The hell it has. Do you think I’ve forgotten what you said?” He cleared his throat. He was desperate for her to go back to the conversation that had been stolen from them. “You dreamed about us … together.”

  Now she turned fully, facing him. He did the same, squeezing his hands into fists. He wanted to touch her so bad, and she was now so close. “Tell me again, Callie.”

  Her eyes softened, voice lowering to a near whisper. “Fine. I dreamed about you. Happy?”

  He wouldn’t let her go so easily. Not this time. She’d started the conversation earlier; now she was going to have to finish it. “I’ll be happy when you tell me. All of it.”

  She swallowed, and then licked her lips. His body immediately responded and he inched a little closer, his hand went to her face, and his thumb swiped against her mouth. “Tell me about your dream.”